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Dave Uhrich is in his 19th season as head coach of the Marquette men's cross country and track and field programs and his 14th year as Marquette women's cross country and track and field head coach. Uhrich oversees the academic and athletic development of his student-athletes in addition to organizing the competition schedules for the cross country and track and field teams. Uhrich focuses much of his recruiting work on the distance runners. A member of the M Club Hall of Fame since 1999, Uhrich's success as a coach has been as bright as his success as an athlete. Over the years Uhrich has received over 20 Coach of the Year honors. Transitioning to the BIG EAST Conference, Uhrich's teams needed little time to adjust in 2005- 06. The women's cross country team finished third in a deep field and advanced to the NCAAs for the sixth straight season. He also helped decathlete Matt Piekarski to a BIG EAST title and led Michaela Courtney to All-America status. The 2004-05 season was a banner year for Uhrich. He was named Conference USA Women's Cross Country Coach-of-the-Year and was bestowed with C-USA Coach-of-the-Decade honors. He led the women's cross country team to its seventh conference title and guided them to a 28th place finish at the NCAA Championships. In outdoor track and field, Uhrich had four women's regional qualifiers and one on the men's team. He coached Brianna Dahm to a seventh place finish at the NCAA meet in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, giving her All-America status for the second time in her career. In 2003 he led the cross country teams to a historical year. His teams swept the Conference USA Championships -- the women won their fourth consecutive C-USA crown, the men their first. He also had outdoor NCAA Regional qualifiers in each men's and women's outdoor track in 2004. In women's cross country, Uhrich has led his team to nine conference championships in all. Along the way, Uhrich has earned conference women's cross country coach of the Year honors nine times--1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. In addition, Uhrich earned the Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year in 2000. The women's cross country team has also receive national attention during his tenure, consistently earning bids to the NCAA National Meet -- where the team has finished as high as 15th -- and earning mentions in the national rankings. Uhrich also has had success in developing the track and field program at Marquette. Uhrich was named C-USA coach of the year for women's indoor track and field in 1996 and 1997, women's outdoor track and field in 1996 and 1997 and men's indoor track and field in 1996. In addition to the 13 C-USA coach of the year honors Uhrich has garnered, in the four years Marquette was a member of the Great Midwest Conference, 10 coach of the year awards were bestowed on him. He won four men's cross country awards (1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994), two women's cross country awards (1993 and 1994), one women's indoor award (1993), two men's outdoor awards (1993 and 1995) and one women's outdoor award (1994). Uhrich has coached a number of All-Americans -- most recently in 2003 and 2005 when Brianna Dahm earned All-American honors in the Steeplechase and in 2006 when Courtney earned honors in the 5,000 meters -- and seen countless track and field school records broken. A four-year letterwinner in cross country and track and field at Marquette, Uhrich enjoyed a very successful college career. He qualified for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship in 1981 and 1983. In 1981, he was the NCAA Region IV Regional Champion in cross country. Named team captain in 1983, Uhrich was the cross country team's Most Valuable Runner in 1981 and 1982. Other awards include All-Central Collegiate Honors in 1981, 1982 and 1983, All-National Catholic Honors in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983 and Track and Field Association All-American honors in 1981. Uhrich still holds seven indoor track and field records including two relay records and two outdoor school records. He qualified seven times for the NCAA Indoor National Championships, earning All- American Honors in the 1,000 yard run in 1983 and in the 1,000 meter run in 1984. Prior to coming to Marquette, Uhrich won the Wisconsin High School State Championship in the Mile in 1979 and 1980 as a student at Manitowoc Lincoln. He graduated from Marquette in 1985 with a bachelors degree in psychology. Uhrich, 44, and his wife Toni, reside in Wauwatosa with their son, Steffen, and daughter, CeCe. |
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