Dan Roark

Dan Roark

  • Title:
    Head Men's Track & Field Coach
  • Phone:
    (617) 989-4099
  • Email:
    roarkd@wit.edu
  • Previous College:
    Saint Joseph's '12

Dan Roark, who also serves as the Head Cross Country Coach at Wentworth Institute of Technology, assumed the position of head indoor track coach when the program debuted as a club team during the 2015-2016 academic year and enters his sixth season as the head coach of the Leopard indoor track team, while also entering this third season as the Leopards' outdoor track coach. Outdoor track was slated to be the University's 18th varsity sport in the spring of 2020, however, COVID-19 pushed that start back to 2021.

Wentworth’s inaugural season as a varsity indoor track team had much success, which included Dan McSolla qualifying for the NCAA Championships by running a blistering 4:08.63 in the mile. At the national championships, he qualified for the finals where he finished eighth, earning All-America honors. Roark coached McSolla to his second race on the National stage in 2018, where he finished 12th in Birmingham, Ala. In 2020, Colleen Sullivan qualified and competed in the New England Championships at Middlebury College.

The official debut of the outdoor track team in 2021 saw many outstanding performances, which included a pair of throwers qualifying for the New England Championships.

A native of Dracut, Mass., Roark competed in cross country, indoor, and outdoor track and, first, Quinnipiac University and then Saint Joseph’s University, both Division I institutions.

While competing in indoor track at Quinnipiac he claimed the Northeast Conference 3000-meter title, was second in the 5000-meter race and for his efforts he was named Northeast Conference Most Outstanding Rookie Performer in 2009. He also helped the Bobcats to an NEC Championship in cross country in 2008 while also earning All-NEC honors for his 11th-place finish at the championships.

Roark transferred to Saint Joseph’s and ran personal bests in track of 3:54.68 in the 1500-meter, 14:48.71 in the 5000-meter, and 9:05.26 in the 3000-meter steeplechase. He qualified for the IC4A Championships twice in indoor track and three times in outdoor track.

He earned his Bachelor’s degree in economics in 2012 and his Master’s in Business Administration in 2013.

While not coaching, he can be found on campus as he works within Wentworth’s Student Service Center.

(Updated:  08/02/21)