Pat Savage Retires as Cross Country Head Coach
1/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | CROSS COUNTRY
Jan. 6, 2011
CHICAGO- It was announced today by athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto that DePaul head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach Pat Savage has retired. Savage also led the track and field program for the last four seasons and is coming off his fifth season as head coach of the cross country programs.
"I can't begin to express my gratitude to Coach Savage for the outstanding work he did reorganizing and upgrading our men's and women's cross country and track programs these past four years," said Ponsetto. "His loyalty to DePaul University and dedication to our student-athletes' academic and athletic success was greatly appreciated by our student-athletes, their parents, our alums and entire University community. His agreeing to take on this task and his mentoring of Coach Dopek has put us in a position to maximize the program's great potential. His generous spirit has been a heartwarming example to our student-athletes of the many attributes one takes away from being a part of the DePaul community."
Savage produced a number of outstanding cross country performances including Matthew Graham who was named BIG EAST Athlete of the week five times and came in third at the 2010 BIG EAST Championships. The 2010 women's team, led by Toni Salvatore, was ranked 15th in the midwest region by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
In 2008, the men's track and field team and both cross country teams had the highest GPA of any BIG EAST team. The men's track and field team had the highest GPA in the entire country. In 2007, Brad Millar became the first DePaul athlete to win a BIG EAST Conference Champion. In the same year DePaul sent four athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Midwest Regional Championships.
Coach Savage, a two-time captain of the DePaul Cross Country team, brought 41 years of coaching experience to DePaul.
Dave Dopek - named head track and field coach in September 2010 - will handle head coaching duties for the cross country programs. Dopek is in his 16th season on the track and field and cross country staff.
Players Mentioned
