Daniel Caulfield enters his fifth season as the head coach for the Cal U track & field programs and also recently completed his 12th season as head coach of the cross country programs.
Caulfield has mentored a combined 20 NCAA All-Americans during his tenure with the Vulcans in cross country and track & field with All-America honorees in the 800m, 1500m, 1 mile, 3K, 5K, 10K and the steeplechase. Additionally, the programs have combined for 15 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans over the last six years, plus the only CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in school history.
In the fall of 2017, the Vulcans qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships in women’s cross country for the second time in three years. Senior Julie Friend was the unanimous selection for PSAC Athlete of the Year after becoming the first women’s cross country All-American in school history. Friend also was named the USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year after capturing the individual title at both the conference and regional championship meets.
Caulfield helped Cal U make history in 2015, as the women’s cross country program captured the title at the NCAA Regional Championships for the first time in school history. The Vulcans also recorded their best finish at the PSAC Championships before making their first team appearance at the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Cal U has won 30-plus league titles in over a dozen events in track & field at the PSAC Championships since Caulfield became head coach in 2014. The women’s track & field program has recorded its highest-ever finishes in program history at the indoor and outdoor PSAC Championships under Caulfield. On the men’s side, the Vulcans have matched their best finish at the outdoor championships while posting its second-highest showing at the indoor meet.
Last year, junior Summer Hill was named the Most Outstanding Track Athlete at both league championships after winning a combined five events. Hill has earned NCAA All-America status in the 1500m and 1 mile three times in her career while also being selected a CoSIDA Academic All-American twice.
Friend was selected the PSAC Track Athlete of the Year following both the 2016 outdoor and 2017 indoor campaigns. She holds a combined six school records, won a combined 11 league titles and was a NCAA All-American in the steeplechase in both 2014 and 2016.
In addition to Friend and Hill, Alex Zanella also played a pivotal role in the transformation of the women’s cross country and track & field programs. Zanella was a NCAA All-American in the 1 mile as a junior and also was tabbed the PSAC Track Athlete of the Year. In 2015, she claimed a combined five league titles and was named the Most Outstanding Track Athlete at both PSAC Championships.
Former standout Aaron Dinzeo closed his career as one of the most decorated student-athletes in school history. He earned NCAA All-America status a combined five times in his career, including three times in cross country. Dinzeo finished as the runner-up at the NCAA National Championships in 2015 after winning both the conference and regional titles. A three-time Academic All-American, he set the all-time PSAC record in the 10K (28:40.88) at Stanford in 2014 before receiving All-America laurels in both the 5K and 10K that spring. Dinzeo also became the first student-athlete in school history to be named the CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2015.
Prior to Dinzeo, former All-American Christopher Clark held the all-time PSAC record in the 10K and still holds the indoor league record in the 5K. Clark was a four-time NCAA All-American at Cal U in track & field and also earned the honor once in cross country after transferring from Clarion. He set the previous mark (29:03.10) in 2009 while at the Mt. SAC Relays in California before being selected the PSAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Clark registered the all-time indoor conference record in the 5K (14:00.32) at the Terrier Invitational in Boston during the 2008 season.
Clark followed Caulfield to Cal U, as Caulfield previously served as the head men’s and women’s track & field and cross country coach at Clarion. Caulfield started coaching at his alma mater Adams State in Alamosa, Colorado. As a coach, he helped the Grizzlies capture multiple National Championships, including a sweep of the men's and women's cross country titles in 1998 and 2003.
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Caulfield was a 10-time All-American and a four-time National Champion during his college career while competing at both the NAIA and NCAA levels. He helped the Grizzlies capture back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 1993 and 1994 and set the indoor school record in the 800 meters. Caulfield was named to the inaugural RMAC All-Time Men’s Cross Country Team in 2009 and was inducted into the Adams State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.
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A native of Ireland, Caulfield earned his bachelor’s degree from Adams State in exercise physiology and returned to Adams State in 1998 to complete his master’s degree. He coached with the Grizzlies until December 2004.
Caulfield held the Irish indoor national record in the 800 meters with a time of 1:47.21 for over a decade. He also ranked among the top 50 in the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World rankings. Caulfield was the European Cup Champion in both the 800 and 1,500 meters and was the runner-up at the Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden twice.
He and his wife Jackie, an assistant coach for the Vulcans, reside in California with their daughter, Ellie.
