Women's Cross Country | 9/29/2020 9:58:29 AM
David Taranto joined the Sage Athletic Department in January of 2019. Since that time, he has helped the Gator running program grow and expand as the 2020-2021 season will mark Sage's inaugural indoor track and field campaign. At Sage, Taranto directs all six of the Sage running programs and has helped the Gators succeed and garner considerable success in his short time.
In his first campaign at Sage, he coached a pair of Sage women’s track and field team members that earned invitations to the 2019 All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Championships at SUNY Cortland, a Sage first. Along the way in 2019, the men’s and women’s track and field programs rewrote the Gator outdoor record book. In the fall of 2019, the Sage women’s and men’s cross country program continued to develop as Sage’s sophomore Kerry Flower was named to the Empire 8 First Team, a first for the Sage women’s cross country team.
A native of Burlington, Mass., Taranto ran cross country and competed in distance events on the track at Boston College. Taranto earned the Boston College Athletic Director’s Award for Academic Achievement while also earning acclaim as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll and a selection to the Phi Alpha Theta History Honors Society. Upon graduation in 2016, Taranto was named assistant cross country and track and field coach at his alma mater.
David Taranto - Today's Leaders
Institution: Russell Sage College
Title: Men's and Women's Cross Country Head Coach/Men's and Women's Track and Field Head Coach
Year at Current Institution: Entering his third season as head coach for the men's and women's cross country and men's and women's track and field teams.
College Attended/Class Year: Boston College ’16
Playing Career: Boston College Cross Country/Track and Field (2012-2016)
Favorite Professional Pro Team: New England Patriots, Boston Celtics and Boston Red Sox
Favorite Movie: The Departed
Favorite TV Show: Ozark
Last TV Show You Binge Watched: Schitt’s Creek
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Mint Cookie Crumble from Stewarts
Recent Community Service Projects Your Teams or Departments Have Worked On: I had some of my athletes be a part of the One NY Run Together Challenge over the summer. They virtually “ran across New York” while raising money for Direct Relief, a foundation which provided funds for COVID relief across the state.
How Does The Empire 8 Stand Out Among Other Conferences: The support of our athletes. Whether that’s through social media posts highlighting athletes every day from our member schools or providing great quality championships the E8 is focused on the student-athlete experience.
Favorite Athletic Memory from Your Time as a Player in College: Traveling across the country to different invitationals. We were fortunate enough to go to schools like Stanford, Miami, Florida State, Auburn, Kentucky, UVA, and Georgia Tech among a slew of others. Spending that time on planes, trains, and busses and in hotels with my teammates was some of my best memories of college.
Favorite Memory as a Coach/Administrator at Your Current Institution: Winning our first Cross Country Invitational in 2019 at SUNY Cobleskill.
Who Was Your Biggest Mentor and Why: Both my high school and college coaches are my biggest mentors. My high school coach got me hooked on the sport and made me recognize that I wanted to coach in some capacity, at that time, probably high school. My college coach made me recognize things I needed to improve upon while a college athlete, gave me my first job out of college, and essentially taught me how to be a coach, whether that meant training design or how to have a tough conversation with a student athlete.
Most Rewarding Aspect of Being a Coach/Administrator: I love working with college student athletes. Every day is different and every athlete is different. Guiding student athletes through some of their most formative years is a tall task, but it’s very rewarding when they graduate, get a job and set out on a life with skills and resources they learned as a direct result of athletics.
What Have You Learned About Yourself as a Leader and In Your Role: I can certainly improve my pre-race speeches! I have a lot of internal motivation and never felt like I needed the big pre-race speech, but that’s not how all runners operate so finding those speeches within myself and creating that motivation for others is something I’ve recognized I need to improve and have worked on through my time as a coach.
What Type of Leader Are You: I’ve always been described as “Even-Keel”. I don’t let my emotions overcome my decision making and feel like I lead in that same way. I think connections and trust is crucial to building a positive team culture so I always try to get to know my athletes on a personal level so they know and trust me and my training.
What Are Some Positive Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic You Have Experienced? I think I’ve been able to take a step back a recognize what’s important in my life. Spending time with my family, two dogs and a few of our close friends has made me realize how important human connection can be.
How Have You Had to Adjust as a Coach or Administrator to the Pandemic? I feel like I never have many answers for our student athletes! Since life changes pretty much on the daily I find myself saying “I don’t know” more often than not and finding ways to keep my athletes motivated and engaged has become the center of my focus.
One Thing Most People Do Not Know About You: I love hiking. I’m working my way through the 46 High Peaks now and am trying to plan a trip to Tanzania in the coming years to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Advice for First-Year Student-Athletes: Ask for help. College can be overwhelming at the start and it’s ok if you don’t feel like you know what you’re doing. Find someone on campus who you feel comfortable asking questions, whether that’s a coach, teammate, professor or friend.
Advice for Graduating Student-Athletes: Say yes more. After college it’s easy to get into a routine of work, home, sleep, repeat. Make sure you say yes to finding time for yourself, your friends, and your family. That might be a Tuesday night dinner at a local restaurant with friends, or an early morning workout before heading to your job. Say yes when life presents you opportunities to live a little because it’s easy to let it fly by.
The Empire 8 Conference's “Today’s Leaders Compete Here” Series features a coach or administrator from one of its member institutions who exemplifies leadership.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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