GRANVILLE, OH - The Denison University Department of Athletics has announced the recent promotion of Sarah Oprodek to Associate Head Coach for its Track & Field programs. 

Oprondek enters her seventh season coaching for the Denison University track & field programs in 2024-25. Oprondek works with the jumps and combined events. She had served as an assistant coach for the track & field program for six years and assisted the cross country program for five seasons. Her tenure with the Big Red began with the 2018-19 academic year. 

"We are really happy for Sarah. It's well deserved. She's been a part of our foundation of success over the past six years," said Mark FitzPatrick, Denison Head Men's Cross Country Coach/Head Track & Field Coach. "She's been a valuable asset to our program. I'm excited to see her take on a bigger leadership role with this promotion. Sarah uses a student-athlete centered approach that focuses on the total development of our team members."

During the 2023-24 academic year, Oprondek helped several Denison University athletes to success. One of those athletes was Jacob Brown (Dover, MA/Dover Sherborn), who captured the Decathlon title at the NCAC Outdoor Championships and participated in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. During the indoor season, Brown claimed the Heptathlon at the NCAC Championships. Brown competed and finished 18th in the event at the NCAA Championships. Brown earned All-Region and set school records in both events. Additionally, Oprondek helped coach Anaya Jolivetter (San Francisco, CA/San Francisco Waldorf) to the Long Jump Title at the NCAC Oudoor Championships. The DU men's team finished in third place at the NCAC outdoor championships and the women finished fourth at the event. 

The Denison men's track & field team finished first overall at the 2023 North Coast Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship, bringing home the seventh conference title for outdoor track & field in program history but the first since 1991. Denison scored in all 21 events and finished with 162 points, 33 points in front of second-place Wabash College with 129 points. As a team, Denison earned five individual conference championships and 12 total All-NCAC performances throughout the conference championship meet while Coach Oprondek and the rest of the Big Red coaching staff were awarded the NCAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Coaching Staff of the Year award. Oprondek helped coach Brown to NCAC Titles and All-Region honors in both the heptathlon (indoor track & field, school record 4,669 points) and the decathlon (outdoor track & field, 6,163 points). In additon, Oprondek saw sophomores Jack Blais (Milton, MA/Milton Academy) (indoor track & field, long jump, 6.53 meters), Catelyn Gagnier (outdoor track & field, pole vault, 3.38 meters) and Tyler Miller (Hudson, OH/Hudson) (outdoor track & field, high jump, 1.96 meters) each win an NCAC Championship.