Princeton University Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- (609) 258-3526
Steve Dolan is in his ninth year at Princeton University and serves as the head men’s cross country coach and assistant men’s track coach. The Tiger distance runners have set the standard in the Ivy League and have excelled at the national level under Dolan’s leadership. He has guided Princeton student-athletes to one national title, 21 All-America awards and has coached 32 Ivy League individual champions.
Just when the public thought the 2010-11 season couldn't be beat, Dolan's distance corps went a step further in 2011-12. Princeton was listed at the 13th best program in the country, as the Tigers were No. 19 in the nation in cross country, 45th in indoor and 27th in outdoor. The Bowerman Watchlist honoree, Donn Cabral '12 won the national title in the steeplechase, while earning All-America honors in each of his three seasons, capturing cross country Regional Athlete of the Year and Outdoor Heps Most Outstanding Performer. Every distance athlete who competed in the NCAA Championships in track earned All-America honors, with three first-team and three second-team. The Tigers posted another sweep of the Ivy League, while Dolan was named the Region's Assistant Coach of the Year in indoor track. Four records were set during indoors including Peter Callahan '14 (2:20.78/1k), Joe Stilin '12 (7:53.15/5k), Cabral (13:45.92/5k) and the DMR (9:31.95); while there were two outdoors both recorded by Cabral (8:19.41/steeplechase and 4:00.96/mile). The team also won two Penn Relay Championships, the 4xmile for the second straight year and the DMR.
The 2010 cross country season was arguably the best in program history as the Tigers finished 12th at the NCAA Championships. Donn Cabral '12 and Brian Leung '12 were both named All-America, the first time Princeton had two runners earn All-America honors in the same year. Princeton won the 2010 Heps title with Cabral winning the individual title with the second-fastest time in Heps history, and went on to a first-place finish at Regionals. All five of Princeton's scorers were named All-Region, as Dolan captured Regional Coach of the Year honors.
In 2009, the Tigers cross country squad returned just two runners from its top five from 2008. Despite being such a young squad, Princeton finished just one point shy of winning the Ivy League Championship. Rob Speare '11 qualified for the NCAA Championship, as the 12th runner in program history to make the championship individually. This was also the seventh straight year that Princeton has had an individual qualify to compete in the national championship.In 2008, the cross country team was consistently ranked at the top of the regional poll all season and received votes in the national poll. The squad won its third straight Ivy League title, led by Michael Maag ’09 who claimed second place with a time of 24:32.4, the fastest time a Princeton runner has recorded in the championship since 1981. Two other Tigers also placed in the top 10, earning them first-team all-league honors. Princeton finished in fourth place at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals with Maag and Brian Leung ’12 advancing to the NCAA Championship.
In 2007, the Princeton men defended their Ivy League Heptagonal Cross Country Championship title as the Tigers posted a low score of 38 points bettering the impressive score of 50 points to win the title in 2006. The team also finished third at the Mid-Atlantic Regional, just four points shy of earning a team bid to the NCAA Championships. The top three Princeton harriers qualified individually for the NCAA Championships as Dave Nightingale ’08, Ben Sitler ’10 and Maag turned in excellent performances for the Tigers. Maag led the charge for the men at the NCAAs as he earned All-America honors. Dolan has coached a Princeton student-athlete to All-America honors in cross country three consecutive years as Frank Macreery ’06, and Nightingale earned that distinction in 2005 and 2006.
In 2011, Dolan was named the Regional Assistant Coach of the Year during both the indoor and outdoor track seasons. The Tigers won both Heps titles, won the 4xMile Championship of America relay at the prestigious Penn Relays and had eight student-athletes compete in the NCAA Championships. Donn Cabral '12 earned double first-team All-America honors in the steeplechase and 5k. The Princeton steeplechase record holder was the eighth-place finisher in both the steeplechase and the 5k. Cabral's time of 13:40.62 in the 5k at the NCAA Championship is a school record. He is the first ever in program history to receive two All-America awards during the same meet. Mark Amirault '11 earned second-team All-America in the 5k in 2011 placing 12th.
In 2010, Cabral captured his first track All-America honors as the national runner-up in the steeplechase and finishing sixth in the 5k of the NCAA Championships. Cabral concluded his amazing year with a seventh-place finish at the USA Track Championships in the steeplechase. Peter Callahan '13 also competed in the USA's as he ran his way to the junior national title in the 1500-meter run. Callahan closed out an outstanding freshman year as the top USA finisher at the Junior Worlds with a personal best time of 3:45.04.
In 2009, Maag set a school record in the 5000 when he ran 13:41.17 at the Mt. Sac Relays. Maag earned All-America honors by finishing 10th in the event at the NCAA Championship. He also represented Princeton at the USA Track & Field Championships.In 2008, both Maag and Nightingale broke the 8:00 barrier in the 3000-meter run with times of 7:56.40 and 7:59.96, respectfully. Maag also recorded an impressive indoor best of 4:00.43 and finished a strong 10th at the NCAA Indoor Championships.That spring, Nightingale won the 5000 title at Heps was a very close runner-up in the 1500 at the IC4As. Nightingale graduated as a three-time All-American and ran bests of 4:01.61 for the mile, 7:59.96 at 3000 meters and 13:49.90 in the 5000 meter run. Frank Tinney ’08 also had a breakthrough performance in the spring of 2008 when he turned in a time of 13:55.21 at the Mt. SAC Relays. James O'Toole is yet another runner that Dolan has had a major impact on. He finished third in the 1500 at Ivies and qualified for the NCAA Regional and graduated with a personal best of 3:45.69 in that event.
The men’s distance runners have continued to rewrite the school record books and the all-time time top-10 performance lists since Dolan arrived on Old Nassau.
Before arriving at Princeton, Dolan was the director of men and women’s track and cross country at The College of New Jersey for 11 years. Under Dolan’s tenure, TCNJ became a national power in men and women’s track and cross country. Dolan’s teams and top individuals were regularly among the best in the nation. Dolan coached 66 All-America award winners that combined for 126 All-America citations. This group includes five NCAA champions. Dolan was honored as the NCAA Division III Regional Coach of the Year 12 times.
Dolan is a native of Bloomington, Minn. He received his bachelor’s degree at the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) in business administration in 1992. While at UST, he was 1992 NCAA Division III National Champion in the decathlon. He was runner-up in the event in 1991. Dolan set school records in the decathlon, pentathlon and javelin while at UST and was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. Dolan received his master’s degree at TCNJ in athletic administration in 1994.
Dolan and his wife, Nicole, have two children, Timothy and Sean.
