Dave Hegland - Track and Field Coach - Syracuse University Athletics

Dave Hegland

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
drheglan@syr.edu

One of the top sprint coaches in the sport, Dave Hegland has built Syracuse into one of the premiere destinations in the country for hurdlers, while leading the program to new heights.

Beginning his career as a graduate assistant in 2004, Hegland’s 21 years at Syracuse, including 20 at the helm of the sprints/hurdles program, has built the Orange from the ground up.

He has mentored an NCAA Champion, multiple Olympians and U.S. indoor champions, 16 different NCAA qualifiers, nine USTFCCCA First Team All-Americans, an ACC athlete of the year, 13 different conference champions and seen his athletes take down 16 school records.

Hegland has coached multiple podium finishers at the NCAA Championships in the hurdles, highlighted by Jarret Eaton’s NCAA Championship in the 60-meter hurdles in 2012. In addition to Eaton’s national title, Freddie Crittenden III earned runner-up honors in the 60-meter hurdles twice at the NCAA Championships, and most recently Jaheem Hayles took bronze at the 2023 outdoor championships in the 110-meter hurdles, en route to earning ACC Performer of the Year accolades.

While the 60 and 110-meter hurdles have seen the most success under Hegland, he has coached an NCAA Championship qualifier in six different events (60, 100, 200, 60H, 110H, heptathlon).

A four-time USTFCCCA Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year – including 2023, Hegland and the Orange staff have led the team to regional and conference dominance as well. The team won its first ACC Championship in 2016 in indoor, and tied the program’s best finish ever at an outdoor championship in 2018, in a runner-up performance.

Hegland has coached 15 athletes to combined for 25 conference titles (eight ACC, 17 BIG EAST), and one BIG EAST relay champion. He had led at least one individual to a conference title each year since 2006-18.

Eaton was the first NCAA individual champion in Syracuse track and field history when he claimed the 60-meter hurdles title with a time of 7.54 seconds. Eaton also posted what was a collegiate record (7.49) and was the fifth-fastest time in the world in 2012. Hegland’s prodigy eventually won the U.S. indoor title in 2018 and took silver at the IAAF World Championships.

Eaton is not the only Hegland protégé to stand out on the international stage. Flings Owusu-Agyapong, who was a two-time NCAA qualifier under Hegland, competed for Ghana in the 100-meters and 4x100-meters at the London Olympics. She was also selected as the nation’s flag bearer for the opening ceremonies. Crittenden III made the U.S. world championship squad in 2023 as well, after previously competing in indoor world championships, before earning a spot in the 2024 Olympics, where he reached the final of the 110-meter hurdles.

Under Hegland, Michael LeBlanc became the program’s first 100-meter dash All-American since 1986 after a fourth-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championship. He also helped Aulton Kohn reach the NCAA Championships in the 200-meter dash that season. From that point forward Hegland has seen Ramon Sosa, Kelsey Rubeor, Owusu-Agyapong, Eaton, Pollitt, Crittenden III, Shaina Harrison, Tia Thevenin, Matt Moore, Angelo Goss, Hayles and Iaunia Pointer all reach the sport’s biggest collegiate stage.

On the conference level, he’s coached Hayles (60H), Goss (110H), Crittenden III (2x 60H, 2x 110H), Pollitt (2x 110H, 60H), Harrison (60), Eaton (60H, 2x 110H, 4x1), Frank Taylor (LJ), Antoine Clark (4x1), LeBlanc (2x 60, 2x 100, 4x1), Darryl White (4x1), Sosa (60H, 110H), Kohn (60, 100, 200), Owusu-Agyapong (6), Rebeor (heptathlon) and Ieva Staponkute (TJ) to league titles.

Hegland earned his bachelor’s in mathematics from South Dakota State in 2004, where he was a standout hurdler and still owns multiple school records.

Hegland was married in January 2009 to Erika Grimwood. The Heglands reside in Syracuse.