OATCCC Hall Of Fame
Dave Pavlansky

Dave Pavlansky serves the sport of Cross Country as the Meet Manager for both the Spartan Invitational and the OHSAA Northeast Regional Championship held at Boardman High School. The Boardman Spartan Invitational is one of the largest meets not just in Ohio, but the entire Midwest, attracting top programs from across Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia on a yearly basis. Over 4,000 athletes and 10,000 spectators are welcomed to the Boardman campus each season under the direction and coordination of Pavlansky and his staff. The meet is recognized as one of the most competitive and well-run meets on a yearly basis. Managing the OHSAA Regional Championship just a month later is another credit to Dave’s dedication to the sport of Cross Country. Maintaining a championship course and ensuring that all measures required by the state are met is another task that requires tremendous attention to detail by Pavlansky and his staff. Compliments and positive feedback continue to grow year after year following both meets, a credit to all that Pavlansky gives of himself for the sport. Pavlansky also serves the sport of Track and Field as a Coaching Educator for USA Track & Field. Since 2013 he has served as USATF’s Regional Coordinator for Coaching Education in the Midwest, directing or instructing at schools across the country, and certifying over 6500 coaches through the USATF Level 1 program. With the advent of COVID, Pavlansky’s team of instructors was chosen by USATF to pilot their very first international online offering of the Level 1 curriculum. Pavlansky is also one of a handful of lead instructors selected to instruct Sprints, Hurdles, and Relays at USATF Level 2 schools. In this capacity he has instructed week-long courses at St. John’s University, Butler University, and the IMG Academy. Twice he has been recognized nationally by USATF as the recipient of the Ron Buss Service Award, given to one coach yearly “…whose career has a distinguished record of service in leadership roles, teaching, strengthening curricula, as well as advising and mentoring coaches. This person is a leader whose counsel others seek, and who selflessly gives his/her time and talents to the profession.” Pavlansky has twice been the featured speaker for sprint events at the OAT&CCC annual clinic. His sessions are well-attended and receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from the high school and middle school coaches in attendance. From 2013-2016 Pavlansky co-directed The Running Summit, a nationally-recognized series of “super” clinics for the coaching and running communities. It was also an approved provider of professional development for members of the NSCA, USA Track & Field, USA Triathlon, and Athletics Canada. Featured speakers were coaches, scientists, and authors recognized internationally as experts and leaders in their fields. The series expanded to 5 clinics per year occurring in Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, Morristown, NJ, and Columbia, SC. Featured speakers included revered distance coaches Dr. Joe Vigil, Jack Daniels, and Tom Schwartz. From 2008-2010 Pavlansky served the OAT&CCC as the statewide coordinator for Team Ohio, the association’s senior all-star teams who compete against Michigan and Indiana in the Midwest Meet of Champions. Previous to this he was an assistant and then head coach for the men’s team. After serving as coordinator for both teams, Pavlansky served an additional two years as meet manager. In 2007, Pavlansky was the recipient of the Fred Daffler Career State Coach of the Year for Boys’ Cross Country. Prior to these endeavors, Pavlansky served as Head Boys Track & Field Coach as well as Head Boys Cross Country Coach at Boardman High School. In his 11 years as head track coach, Pavlansky’s teams won 7 district and 6 conference championships, competed in 14 separate national championship meets and produced 2 Nike All-Americans in Indoor Track. In cross country, his teams produced 2 All-Ohioans and 4 Reebok Regional qualifiers. Prior to that, he spent many years as an assistant track coach in the spring and an assistant football coach in the fall. He has spent an overwhelming majority of his career giving back to student-athletes, coaches, and communities across the country. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the sports of Track & Field and Cross Country the Ohio Association of Track & Cross Country Coaches is honored to recognize Dave Pavlansky as the 2026 Ed Barker Award recipient. Congratulations Dave!