Dunham gives up track post to focus on distance duties
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA—After a championship-filled 10-year run, Joe Dunham is giving up his post as head men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field coach at the end of the outdoor season to focus on his duties as head men’s and women’s cross country coach.
However, Dunham will continue with the program as associate head track and field coach, helping ramp up the Dutch distance program.
Dunham, who joined the Central staff in 2009, has piloted Central to four outdoor Iowa Conference men’s track and field championships and three indoor crowns. Dutch athletes have claimed six national individual track and field titles and 87 league championships during his tenure, qualifying for the NCAA Division III championship meet 123 times with 70 all-America awards. Central has racked up four national top-10 team finishes in outdoor track and field and four in indoor, including a tie for ninth at the NCAA meet in Birmingham, Alabama March 9-10.
Dunham has received 10 conference coach of the year awards in cross country and track and field.
In cross country, Central has earned four NCAA Division III men’s national team berths with six all-America awards and one women’s national team berth while capturing two league men’s championships.
The move is an attempt to propel the tradition-rich cross country and track and field programs to even greater heights, as well as a recognition of the increasing demands in leading multiple squads, according to athletics director Eric Van Kley.
“We appreciate the effort Joe has put into both programs over the past 10 years,” Van Kley said. “Under his leadership, our teams have enjoyed incredible success.
“But moving forward, as track and field and cross country become more specialized, we think our new staffing model gives us a better way to serve our student-athletes. We’re extremely excited about the future of our programs.”
Dunham noted he remains passionate about Central’s track and field program.
“I’m extremely proud of the things we’ve accomplished up to this point,” Dunham said. “We’ve had some great success and a lot of is due to the work of (former head coach) Kevin Sanger as well as our assistant coaches. A big thanks also goes to (associate cross country coach) Stephen Fyfe for his work with our athletes.
“But I’m even more excited about the future for Central. This is a great move for our program and I’m excited to get on board with the new track coach and try to continue to improve.”
Dunham is also enthused about being able to spend more time with Central’s distance runners.
“It’s important that I’ll continue as an assistant in track so that our distance runners can have consistency in their training,” he said. “I think that’s a key to success in our sport.
“We want Central to be a place that’s nationally known as a place where distance runners can develop and succeed. Runners will have the opportunity to compete across the country representing the Dutch and have lots of improvement on an individual basis.”
The distance program benefits from the college’s challenging on-campus cross country course that traverses an array of terrain, Dunham said. It has served as the site of multiple NCAA Division III Central Regional and Iowa Conference meets as well as Iowa high school district championship races.
Van Kley said a national search for a new head track and field coach is underway.
