Daniel Caulfield enters his third season as the head coach for the men’s and women’s cross country programs at California University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his work with the cross country teams, he serves as an assistant coach with the men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track & field teams.
In his short time with the program, he has coached the Vulcans’ first two all-conference runners since 1994. Last year, Caulfield guided Christopher Clark to one of the most impressive seasons by a runner in program history. Clark earned NCAA All-America honors and was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Atlantic Region and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year laurels.
In addition to their improvement on the course, Caulfield’s teams are also excelling in the classroom. Last year, the Vulcan men’s team was named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team after compling a 3.255 cumulative grade-point average. Individually, Clark also became the program’s first-ever Academic All-American last spring.
Caulfield joined Cal U after serving as the men’s and women’s track & field and cross country coach at PSAC-rival Clarion University.
A native of Roscommon, Ireland, he started coaching at his alma mater and Division II perennial powerhouse Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo. While serving as a coach with the Grizzlies, Adams State won four NCAA women’s cross country national championships (1998, 1999, 2003 and 2004) and two NCAA men’s titles (1998 and 2003).
During his collegiate career, he was a 10-time All-American and two-time NAIA National Champion. He helped lead the Grizzlies’ cross country program to National Championships in 1993 and 1994 after placing in the top five during both championship races. Caulfield also was the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) record holder in the 800 and 1500-meter runs. He was named to the RMAC All-Time Men’s Cross Country Team.
Caulfield earned his bachelor’s degree from ASC in Exercise Physiology and in late 1996 returned to Ireland to work in the exercise physiology department of the Blackrock Clinic, one of the country’s most established healthcare facilities. He returned to ASC in 1998 to complete his master’s degree and coached there until December 2004.
The Irish native also holds the national indoor record in the 800 meters. Caulfield was a two-time European Cup champion in the 800-meter run and 1500-meter run. In 2001, he was among the top 50 in the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World rankings.
Caulfield was a two-time runner-up at the Millrose Games, which is an annual indoor track & field meet held at Madison Square Garden. He also placed eighth in the 2001 World Indoor Championships in Lisbon, Portugal.
