Gonzalez named NAIA National Assistant Coach of the Year
Dave Gonzalez was named the National Men's Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field season.
Gonzalez, in his fourth year as assistant coach at St. Ambrose, coached the Fighting Bees throwers to great success. His athletes accounted for 72 points in the Chicagoland Conference Outdoor Championships, including the top five places in the shot put as that unit rated No. 2 in the #EventSquad Rankings.
His top thrower, Mick Saloninas, was runner-up in the shot put at the 2022 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Saloninas was one of three Bees to compete in the shot put at Nationals, along with Jonah Wilson and Alec Seifert. Saloninas also qualified for the 2022 Nationals in the discus.
"Dave is so deserving of this honor," SAU head track & field coach Dan Tomlin said. "I've always thought of him as the best small-college throws coach in the Midwest and this award proves that. There are lots of really good assistant coaches in the NAIA, and that is why this is such an honor for Dave to win."