Head Coach Mike Dager

Mike Dager begins his second season as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country programs at Gwynedd-Mercy College. This winter he will begin his fourth season as head men’s and women’s track & field coach.

The 2009 season saw the Griffins capture both Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) team titles. For the women it was the first title in program history while the men successfully defended their 2008 crown. The Griffins swept the individual titles as well with Ronald Every ’10 leading a 1-2-3 finish for the men and Alycia Tranchitella ’10 leading a 1-2 finish for the women.

Last fall seven men and four women earned CSAC All-Conference honors (top 14) while Dager was named the 2009 CSAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. Two women went on to finish on the All-Regional Team (top 35) at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championship as Katherine Klinges ’12 and Alycia Tranchitella ’10 finished 26th and 29th respectively. Both athletes were also named to the USTFCCCA Academic All-America team as a result of their All-Regional finish and outstanding performance in the classroom. The men’s team earned Academic All-America status with their 3.36 GPA.

Dager’s coaching philosophy is one of gradual, long-term development that focuses on aerobic strength and mental toughness. The athletes regularly train at off-campus sites including Fort Washington State Park, the Gwynedd Nature Preserve and along The Green Ribbon Trail. Gwynedd’s campus also adjoins the newly completed Treweryn Farm Trail which provides a 2.5 mile loop, ideal for both warm-ups and workouts, located just steps from the Griffin Complex.

Prior to arriving in the Gwynedd Valley Dager spent nine years coaching at Elizabethtown College. There he lead the women’s cross country team to their first conference title and 19th (2004) and 31st (2006) place finishes at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. During track he coached athletes to multiple national qualifying performances in the 800m, 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m runs and the Distance Medley Relay. Elizabethtown distance running standout Melissa St. Clair was a five-time All-American while working with Dager.

Dager and his wife Pam, a French Teacher in the Upper Dublin School District, live five miles from campus in Fort Washington, Pa.

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