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Dave Dopek

Position: Head Coach

The greatest sprinter in DePaul history, Dave Dopek was named head coach of the track and field programs on July 13, 2010 and was named head coach of the cross country program in early January of 2011. He enters his 20th season on the track and field staff in 2014-15 and his fifth heading up that program and his fourth as cross country head coach.

Dopek is coming off his most successful season as a head coach (2013-14). The campaign saw a third place men's track and field team finish at the 2014 BIG EAST Indoor Championships and a runner-up finish at the Outdoor Championships. In addition, six individuals qualified for the 2014 National Championships, while senior thrower Matt Babicz advanced to the NCAA Finals in Eugene, Ore., in June 2014. On the women's side, the 2013-14 Blue Demons took fourth at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships and fifth at the Indoor Finals.

Dopek's impact on the program was in evidence during the 2012 track season. Tim Nedow qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in the shot put. In the outdoor season, Matt Babicz qualified for the NCAA Track & Field Championships in the shot put while Melissa Fraser and Alana Kovacs qualified in the javelin throw.

Nedow was named the BIG EAST Conference's Most Outstanding Field Performer at both the indoor and outdoor meets in 2012.

In 2011, Nedow earned honorable mention All-American honors after competing at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

At the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Nedow was crowned a second-team All-American in the discus with a throw of 53.96m and took home honorable mention honors in the shot put.

Before beginning his coaching career, Dopek inked his name into the DePaul history books. He became the school's first individual (or team) to win an NCAA championship when he captured the 200-meter title at the 1995 NCAA Indoor Championship at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Dopek also finished second in the 200 meters at the 1995 outdoor championships.

Dopek's success on the national scene continued when he won a gold medal in the 200-meter dash and was a member of the title-winning 4x100-meter relay team at the 1995 United States Olympic Festival.

Dopek has also experienced success on the international level. In 1995, he was on the 4x100-meter relay team that took gold at the World University Games Fukuoka, Japan. While there, Dopek also took home a silver medal in the 200-meters. The following year he participated in the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta. In 1997, he claimed gold medals in both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays at the 1997 World University Games in Sicily, Italy.

During his four years as a member of the Blue Demons, Dopek was the staple of the program, winning seven individual Great Midwest Conference championships. The sprinter claimed individual titles in the indoor 200-meter dash in 1993 and 1995, indoor 400-meter dash in 1994 and 1995, the outdoor 400-meter dash in 1994 and 1995, and the outdoor 200-meter dash in 1995. He was also a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that took the outdoor titles in 1992 and 1995 and was a part of the 1995 4x100-meter relay championship squad. For his efforts, he was named the Outstanding Athlete of the 1995 Great Midwest Conference Outdoor Championships. He also earned DePaul's Most Valuable Performer in indoor track three times and was the outdoor MVP in 1995.

Dopek's success at DePaul was not limited to just the track. Dave was a member of the Great Midwest Conference All-Academic team in both the 1993-94 and 1994-95 school years.

On Jan. 30, 2010, Dopek was inducted into the DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame.