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Pete Dolan is the head coach for both the men's and women's track and field teams, as well as the head coach for the men's and women's cross country teams.
Since Dolan's arrival at Santa Barbara in 1988, both the men's and women's distance programs have become highly regarded in the Big West Conference. Since 2000, seventeen distance athletes from the 800m-10,000m have qualified for the NCAA Championships. He has earned Big West Coach of the Year awards eleven times.
In the 2007 season, Dolan led the Gaucho men's and women's teams to 2nd-place finishes in a competitive Big West Conference. Six athletes competed in the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, and Stephanie Rothstein, Amy Haapanen, and Eugene Bradley were honored as All-Americans.
In addition to winning the women's conference title in the 5000m, Rothstein was named the Big West Athlete of the Year after closing out her marvelous career with a top-5 finish at the NCAA Championships.
Dolan also coached Mike Chavez to a Conference Title in the steeplechase, a second-place finish in the 5000m, and a third-place finish in the 1500m. Chavez broke the school record in the 1500m and had a strong showing at Regionals.
Dolan took the program to new heights in 2005. The Gaucho women claimed their first Conference Championship and broke school records in all the distance races from 1500m-5000m. The 5000m squad was particularly dominant, setting the Big West Conference Record, sweeping the first four spots in the Conference Championships, qualifying four athletes to the NCAA Regionals, and qualifying two athletes to the NCAA Championship 5000m finals.
The men had several impressive feats of their own in 2005. The 1500m school record was broken, Tetlo Emmen was named All-American at 800m, and the Top-10 board continued to be re-written. During the cross country campaign, Chris Ashley won the men's individual Big West title and was named Big West Athlete of the Year.
In cross country, the women had their highest placing in school history in the 2006 season, when they advanced to the NCAA Championships and took ninth place. They have now claimed the Conference Championship two years in a row for a total of seven Championships: 1993, 1994, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007.
Dolan's men's cross country program has claimed the Conference Championship three times: in 1995, 1997, and 2001. His 2001 team ranks as one of UCSB's all-time greats. The team would end up finishing 17th at the NCAA Division I Championships (there are over 850 NCAA men's teams). They have finished in the top-3 at the Big West Championships eight years in a row.
Dolan prides his program on fulfilling athletes' potential with exceptional rates of improvement over four to five years of training.
As an undergraduate of UCSB, Dolan was named All-Big West in the 10,000 meters in 1982, and was named UCSB's Most Valuable distance runner in the same year. He received his bachelor's degree in business economics from UCSB in 1982, and his master's degree in sports science from the United States Sports Academy in 1987.
Dolan By the Numbers
* 59 Big West Track and Field Individual Titles
* 10 NCAA Track and Field All-Americans
* 35 NCAA Track and Field National Qualifiers
* 1 Big West Track and Field Coach of the Year
* 1 Big West Track and Field Team Title (Women '05)
* 10 Big West Cross Country Team Titles
* 10-Time Big West Cross Country Coach of the Year
* 10 Big West Cross Country Team Titles
* 8 Big West Cross Country Individual Titles
* 3 Cross Country All-Americans
* 18 Cross Country All-Regional Honors
* 15 Years in a row that UCSB Athletes have been
awarded All-Big West honors (leads Big West)
Below are several athletes' progression charts from high school, through their UCSB career.
Dave Cullum (graduated 1997)- 1997 Division 1 All-American in the steeple
- Former holder of 3 school records in the steeple, 1500m, and 5k.
- 5 time All-Big West selection
| Event | High School | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | 4th Year (Track Red Shirt) | 5th year senior |
| 1,500 | 4:05 | 4:02.28 | 3:58.90 | 3:55 | 3:46.84 | |
| 1,600 | 4:24 | 4:08.2 (mile) | ||||
| 3,000 | 8:53 | 8:50.7 | 8:47.61 | 8:22 | 8:15.36 | |
| 3,200 | 9:31 | 9:07.49 (2-mile) | 9:04 | 8:58.95 (2 mile) | ||
| Steeple | 9:16.49 | 9:03 | 8:57 | 8:48.20 | ||
| 5,000 | 15:18 | 14:45.8 | 14:39 | 14:35 | 14:00.00 | |
| 10,000 | 32:08 | |||||
| Stanford 8k | 25:44 |
Katie Appenrodt (graduated 2003)
- 2003 Division 1 All-American in the 5k
- Graduated with school records in the 1500m, 5k, 10k
- Conference champion in 2001 cross country. Runner up in 2002
- NCAA Championship qualifier in XC 2001
- 7 Time All-Conference
| Event/Race | High School | Freshman | Soph. (Track-Red Shirt) | Junior (XC Red-shirt) | 4th yr | 5th yr |
| 800 | 2:18.65 | 2:18.11 | ||||
| 1,500 | 4:38.70 | 4:26.77 | 4:32.28 | 4:23.79 | ||
| 3,000 | 10:07.89 | 10:05.73 | 9:54.74 | 9:51.12 | ||
| 3,200 | 10:40.95 | |||||
| Steeple | 11:17.5h | |||||
| 5,000 | 16:57.23 | 16:35.46 | 16:22.17 | |||
| 10,000 | 34:58.92 | 35:02.08 | ||||
| UCSB 5k xc | 19:03.1 | 18:04.1 | 17:40 | 17:51 |
Eric Gans (graduated 2002)
- 2001 Big West Cross Country Champion, runner up in 2000.
| Event | High School | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior (cross red-shirt) | Senior | 5th Year |
| 1,500m | 4:00.3 | 3:57.78 | 3:55.60 | 3:51.49 | 3:47.04 | |
| 1,600m | 4:19 | 4:17.20 | ||||
| Mile (1609m) | 4:18.85 | |||||
| 3,000m | 8:59 | 8:42.67 | 8:37.70 | 8:32.26 | ||
| 3,200m | 9:42 | 9:32.52 | ||||
| 5,000m | 15:18.89 | 15:11.80 | 14:37.25 | 14:31.26 | 14:12.43 | |
| UCSB 8k | 26:26.9 | 25:45.3 | 25:20.8 | 24:44 |
Eliza Alexander (graduated 1997)
- Graduated with school records 5k as well as 10k.
- NCAA championship qualifier in the 5,000 and 10,000 in 1998.
- Member of 3 Big West conference championship teams in '93, '94 and '96.
- Earned All-Conference honors all four years of her cross country years of competition.
| Event | High School | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | 4th Year (Track Red Shirt) | 5th year senior |
| 1500m | 4:44 | 4:42 | 4:38 | 4:37 | ||
| 1600m | 5:09 | |||||
| 3,000m | 10:15 | 9:50 | 9:46.76 | |||
| 3,200m | 10:56 | |||||
| 5,000m | 19:06 (CIF state meet) | 18:20 | 17:29 | 16:42.40 | ||
| 10,000m | 37:07 | 35:50 | 35:06.34 | |||
| Mt. Sac 3-mile | 19:03 |
Others:
Brad Glosser
Josh Horton
J.T. Service
Sabrina Caplis
Trent Bryson
Cosette Smith
Jessica Lunt
Damian Capozzola
Steve Rider
Nate Jobe
