Dario Donatelli

Head Men's Cross Country Coach

Dario Donatelli finished his seventh season as the head men's cross country coach with the teams' third consecutive showing at the NCAA Division III Championship and fourth during his tenure. Donatelli is also the head women's cross country and men's and women's track & field coach beginning his coaching career in 1987 with the women's cross country team.

Donatelli, a 1981 graduate of Carnegie Mellon, was named the University Athletic Association Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the first time in 2005 when the Tartans took the men's UAA title. This marks Donatelli's sixth UAA Cross Country Coach of the Year honor, as he also received the award in 1999 for the fifth time as the women's coach after the Tartans captured their third UAA crown under Donatelli.

For the second year in a row, the 2007 team finished third at the Mideast Regional and received an at-large birth to the NCAA Championship. The Tartans finished ninth as a team and were led by All-America and Mideast Regional Athlete of the Year Brian Harvey's 12th place showing. Under Donatelli's leadership Carnegie Mellon has had two male All-America runners, as Dana Irrer earned the distinction in 2004 and 2005. In addition, Donatelli has coached 30 men All-Region athletes.

In 2003, Donatelli's men's cross country team placed second at the Mideast Regional as the team advanced to the NCAA Championship for the first time. Donatelli was named Regional Coach of the Year following the meet.

Overall, he has coached eight All-America and 52 All-Region athletes in cross country and 23 All-America athletes in track.

In addition to their athletic honors, Donatelli's athletes are among the best students at Carnegie Mellon and the nation at large. The cross country team received Team Academic All-America honors for the 12th straight year with an impressive GPA of 3.25 while two individuals had GPA's of 3.5 or better.

Carnegie Mellon has won six conference titles under Donatelli (four in cross country, two in track and field). He has been named a conference Coach of the Year ten times.

Donatelli's coaching success followed an outstanding collegiate athletic career. As a senior cross country runner at Carnegie Mellon, under recent retiree Gary Meckley, Donatelli earned All-America honors and led the Tartans to the NCAA Mideast Regional title. Donatelli was a three-time All-Mid East runner, four-time national qualifier and the Presidents' Athletic Conference Most Valuable Performer in 1980.

If you would like to speak to Coach Donatelli by phone, call 412/268-2220(O) or 412/243-3601(H).

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