By: Hunter McKay
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State Director of Track and Field and Cross Country and nine-time Coach of the Year Cale McDaniel has signed a contract extension that will now run through 2030, Director of Athletics Milton Overton announced Friday.
"Coach McDaniel has built one of the premier track and field programs in Conference USA through his commitment to excellence, competitive success and student-athlete development," said Overton. "His leadership has elevated our program on the national stage and we are excited to continue building on that momentum."
Since taking over the program in 2018, McDaniel has guided Kennesaw State to unprecedented success. Daniel Haugh became KSU's first NCAA Division I National Champion in 2019 and finished 11th in the hammer throw at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Haugh won the hammer throw at the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships and placed sixth at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Isaiah Rogers captured the NCAA National Championship for weight throw in 2023.
Under McDaniel, the Owls have already captured three Conference USA Championships – men's indoor and outdoor in 2025; women's indoor in 2026 – after securing six conference championships in the ASUN – the women's program won the 2021 ASUN Conference Indoor Championship and the 2022 ASUN Conference Outdoor Championship before the Owls swept all four men's and women's indoor and outdoor conference championships in 2024.
KSU has produced 29 All-Americans at the NCAA Track and Field Championships that have been contested since 2019.
"I am incredibly excited to continue building on the success we've established here at Kennesaw State," McDaniel said. "Since arriving in 2018, I've been fortunate to work alongside outstanding coaches, administrators, and staff who have played a vital role in our program's growth. Winning Kennesaw State's first Conference USA team championships for both the men's and women's programs were a historic achievement and one that will always be a source of great pride. Looking ahead, I'm excited to continue growing this program and building on that momentum with the exceptional people who make Kennesaw State such a special place. Special thank you to AD Overton, Jessica Reo and Matt Iwanski for all their support."
The program has also excelled academically under McDaniel's leadership. Kali Terza was named Conference USA Women's Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2025. Ahmed Magour earned ASUN Men's Outdoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in 2024, while Sarah Hendrick received College Sports Communicators First Team Academic All-America honors in 2023. Katie Meyer was named ASUN Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2022, and Lindsay Billings earned ASUN Indoor and Outdoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in 2021. All four cross country and track and field programs have also recorded their highest semester GPAs during the McDaniel era.
Since 2019, the Owls have landed on the ASUN Cross Country and Track and Field All-Academic teams 42 times. His teams have earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors 13 times and USTFCCCA Track and Field All-Academic individual honors 42 times. All four of the cross country and track and field programs have recorded their best semesters in the classroom in the McDaniel era.
Since joining Conference USA in 2024, the Owls have won three conference track and field championships. KSU athletes have earned 118 conference medals, including 46 gold medals. Terza was named Conference USA Women's Field Athlete of the Year in 2026, and Chance Cross earned Conference USA Men's Track Athlete of the Year honors in 2025. KSU has represented Conference USA at three of the past four NCAA Championships.
The Owls have reached the podium at the ASUN Championships 367 times with 113 earning gold medals. McDaniel's Owls have set 61 school records and 16 ASUN Championship records since the beginning of the 2019 indoor season. In addition, the KSU men's track and field team was awarded the ASUN Beam Award in 2020 and Isaiah Rogers collected it in 2023.
A respected coach nationally, McDaniel was also most recently selected to represent Team USA in Poland for the 2026 indoor world championships.
