University of California, Santa Cruz

David Klech enters his 7th Year as Head Coach of UC Santa Cruz Cross Country and Track & Field for the 2023-2024 Season.  In the summer of 2017, David Klech was promoted to Head Coach after a season serving as an Assistant Coach.

His time at the helm at UC Santa Cruz has produced three Men’s Team appearances at the NCAA Cross Country Championships (2017, 2019, 2022) and the first ever appearance for the Women’s Team (2022).  The Banana Slug men have had five-straight top three finishes at the NCAA West Regional Championship.  The Women’s Team had a program best 3rd place finish at the 2022 NCAA West Regional Championships after three-straight top 6 place finishes.  The men's and women's teams swept the 2019 ACAA, 2021 and 2022 C2C Conference Championships.  Since 2017, a combined 36 Banana Slugs have earned Cross Country All-Region Honors.  Coach Klech has been named a Conference Coach 5 Times during his Banana Slug Coaching Career.
Klech's tenure as Track and Field Head Coach has produced six athletes who made the NCAA Championships- four Outdoor and two Indoor. Top 10 NCAA finishes include Shannon McClish (10,000m, 10th, 2019), Conrad Pereira (Decathlon, 10th, 2021), Abby McPhillips (High Jump, 10th, 2022), and Shea Wissler (Indoor Heptathlon, 7th, 2023).  Two more Banana Slugs have earned invites to the USA Track and Field U20 Outdoor Championships.

A native of San Ramon, Coach Klech was the California Gatorade State Track and Field High School Athlete of the Year in 2005 and 2006 and was National Athlete of the Year in 2006. As a Junior, he won a Silver Medal at the World Youth Championships in the 400m hurdles and was a finalist in the Long Jump. After a season at UCLA, he transferred to the University of Oregon and was a two-time All-American in the Decathlon before graduating in 2010 majoring in Psychology and minor in Business Administration. He also earned a Master’s Degree in 2011 In Psychology Research while becoming a First-Team Academic All-American. His competitive experience at two Pac-12 powerhouses gave him great insight into the impact that coaching philosophy can have on a program and the student-athletes within it.

After graduation, he spent 3 years as an assistant for the Ducks. Coach Klech worked with the Vertical Jumpers, Hurdlers, and Multi Eventers. In his time there, he helped the Oregon Women win the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Division 1 Indoor National titles. He was also a part of 4 Conference Championships. He was instrumental in the development of 3-time Pac 12 Champion Dakotah Keys in the Decathlon. While working with the Ducks, Coach Klech earned a second Master’s degree in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Academic Success as well as earning a runner-up finish in the Heptathlon at the 2012 USATF Indoor Championships. He spent the previous three years coaching at Acalanes High School in Contra Costa County where he guided the program to a number of League Championships and State Qualifiers. He has also worked with masters’ Athlete Joy Upshaw in helping coach her to a Masters Age Group World Record in the 60m Hurdles.

His experience as a decathlete and certifications as a USATF Level 2 multi-events coach and USTFCCCA Strength and Conditioning Specialist have given him a broad scope of technical knowledge to impact athletes in all event groups.