Messiah College Men's Track

Coach Dale Fogelsanger is entering his 32nd year with the Messiah Falcons in 2024-25, serving as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field teams.   In “Coach Foge’s” time at Messiah, all of his teams have combined for 28 total Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championships, with at least one conference title for each team. He has also been named MAC Coach of the Year in each of his 31 championship seasons.   Fogelsanger has coached many individuals and teams that have qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships, including 11 NCAA Division III National Champions: Chris Boyles (Outdoor Decathlon, 2002), Amy Reed (Outdoor Heptathlon, 2008), Kristen Bates (Indoor 55-Meter Hurdles, Indoor Pentathlon, and Outdoor 100-Meter Hurdles, 2010), Esther Seeland (five-time Champion: Outdoor 800 Meter Run, 2019, 2021, 2022 - Indoor 800 Meter Run, 2022 - Outdoor 1500 Meter Run, 2022), and Benjamin Schott (Outdoor 3,000m Steeplechase, 2019).   Additionally, through the spring of 2024, 81 of his student-athletes have achieved NCAA Division III All-American performances-- including Tim Moses who completed arguably the greatest career of any NCAA Division III Pole Vaulter with eight All-American honors in his four years with Messiah. In his coaching career with the Falcons, Fogelsanger has been named the NCAA Division III Mideast Region Track & Field Coach of the Year six times.   Fogelsanger’s imprint on the Falcons first started when he was a sprinter for the University in the mid-1980’s. Among his many accomplishments, Fogelsanger held the school record in the 400-meter dash for 21 years until he coached his own student-athlete, Patrick Roach, to a better mark in 2008.   Fogelsanger graduated from Messiah University in 1987 with a degree in Biology before completing a master’s of education degree in Biology from Shippensburg University.   Prior to returning to Messiah University, Fogelsanger was a successful high school cross country and track & field coach for seven years, where he achieved many county and state honors. Also a former standout performer at nearby Hanover High School, Fogelsanger was awarded with Hanover Athletic Booster Club Alumni Award in 2012.   With the Falcons, Fogelsanger goes beyond the call of competitive greatness to lead his teams towards the development of community and service. His teams have been on multiple service trips to Mexico and Mississippi, and have participated in relief projects resulting from Hurricane Katrina. His cross country teams also travel on preseason training trips, including twice to Alaska. Looking to build self-confidence and a balanced life, he integrates Christian faith to perfect the whole person. With a strong admiration for the Messiah University community, Fogeslanger desires that each season brings an opportunity for his student-athletes “to become more self-motivated, team-enriched, and Christ-centered.”   Fogelsanger and his wife, Denise, reside in nearby Dillsburg, Pa., with their three daughters, Andrea, Ashley, and Amber.   Coach Fogelsanger’s Conference Championships   Men's Cross Country 2008, 18, 19, 21, 22 Women's Cross Country 2003, 05, 06, 19 Men's Indoor T&F 2008, 09, 23 Women's Indoor T&F 1995*, 08, 09, 10, 11, 17 Men's Outdoor T&F 2002, 23 Women's Outdoor T&F 2006, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 21 *co-champions   NCAA Division III Mideast Region Coach of the Year   Men's Indoor T&F 2009 Women's Indoor T&F 2009 Men's Outdoor T&F 2002 Women's Outdoor T&F 2008, 09, 19 Last Updated: 06/18/25

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Smith joins the Falcons for his sixth year with the program in 2015-16. A native of Harrisburg, Pa., Smith attended Central Duaphin H.S. before attending Messiah College. Smith graduated from Messiah in 2010. During his years at Messiah College, Smith was a member of the men's track & field team and competitor in the javelin and hammer throw.

Hager returns to Messiah College for the 2016-17 cross country and track & field seasons, entering his 11th year on the Falcons coaching staff. A native of Edinboro, Pa., Hager started as a thrower for the Falcons during his freshman year, and at one point held a top ten mark in the hammer throw. He later moved to the distance events, and competed for the cross country team and ran distance during track season. Brian graduated from Messiah with a B.A. in Mathematics with Teaching Certification. Since graduating, Brian has continued to run consistently over the years and has been able to place consistently high at local road races, even winning a few. In the time that Brian has been coaching for Messiah, the Falcons have seen consistant success, including multiple conference titles and national qualifiers in the events that he coaches. He has become an integral part of the program, and head coach Dale Fogelsanger recognized this by saying, Brians devotion and commitment to Messiah cross country and track & field has truly been a blessing, for both myself and this team. He continually goes above and beyond, and works very hard to make Messiah the best it can be. He is loved and appreciated by everyone here.  Following graduation, Hager started working at nearby Northern High School as a mathematics teacher. Brian also coached the Northern Middle School Cross Country Team during the fall. He left Northern when he started his graduate assistant position with the Falcons. In his spare time, Hager enjoys partaking in adventure racing (a triathlon consisting of canoeing, mountain biking, and running/orienteering). Brian is also the co-founder of Team S.W.I.F.T. (Strength, Wisdom, Integrity, Faithfulness, and Truth), a racing team of mostly Messiah track & field/cross country alumni founded to give runners a chance to stay connected to their teammates after graduation and to glorify God with the blessing he has given in running.  

Barko enters his 19th season with the Falcons in 2015-16. A native of Dearborn, Mich., Barko is a 1970 graduate of Xavier University. He holds a master's degree from Loyola University and a postgraduate fellowship in community mental health. With close to 30 years of active track & field coaching, Coach Barko brings a passion for student-athlete mentorship to his work with the Falcons' competitors. He works intentionally to teach each athlete to be a true student of their event and to develop a Christian perspective of sports and life. Throughout out his coaching career, Coach Barko has been instrumental in starting numerous running and track and field groups across the country. In 1990 he was the founding coach of the Randolph Roadrunner Club in San Antonio, Texas. The club has produced over 2,500 athletes, multiple age group championships, NCAA All-Americans, and even two Olympians. Coach Barko also was the founding coach at Denbigh Baptist Christian School in Newport News, Va., and Bracken Christian School in Bulverde, Texas. A former Texas AAU Vice President, he twice received national awards for coaching excellence and service. During his time at Messiah, Coach Barko's dominant focus has been on sprints and hurdles. Along the way, he has coached all three of Messiah College's track and field NCAA National Champions: Chris Boyles '02, Amy Reed '08, and Kristen Bates '11. A recent highlight for Coach Barko would be guiding hurdler Liz Martin to NCAA Division III All-American status. In addition to his coaching career, Coach Barko served for 30 years in the U.S. Army, ascending to the rank of Colonel and specializing in behavioral sciences and medical research. Coach Barko, who coaches all three of his children in club and high school track, resides in nearby Carlisle, Pa., with wife of 40 years.

Long, a 1983 graduate of Messiah, enters his 12th year coaching pole vault at Messiah. Long has coached more than a dozen MAC champions in the pole vault, including Tim Moses who is a six-time All-American through three seasons with the Falcons.   Coach Long strives to provide an environment for success. Numerous vaulters have improved their personal record by over two feet from their high school mark. Each vaulter is encouraged to become a student of the event and to participate in coaching decisions.   Long lettered in track all four years while at Messiah and after graduation he continued to compete in decathlons.    Before arriving at Messiah to coach, Long spent two years coaching at both Mechanicsburg Junior High (1984-85) and Lampeter Strasburg High School (1989-90).   Long currently resides in Dillsburg, PA.

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