Dan Finanger has served as the Head Coach of the Men's and Women's Cross Country and Track & Field programs at Belmont Abbey since December of 2017.
Finanger has spent decades in the running world. He ran his first 5k in 1977 as a young boy, competed at the varsity level through high school and college, and has run 21 marathons. He met his wife (Lori) in a running club, and they continue to include running in their lives today. Finanger began coaching in 1990, and has mentored runners at all levels, including youth, high school, college and adults. Through his unique way of motivating people, and his “I believe in you” philosophy, he has helped thousands of runners reach their dreams and goals.
"Dan Finanger is a mentor, teacher, and coach who appreciates our mission at Belmont Abbey. He understands the importance of establishing a clear vision for XC and T&F, and comprehends how to go-about instilling a culture that cultivates formation and development," Director of Athletics Stephen Miss said at his hiring. "Through his experiences as an athlete, coach, and organizer, Coach Finanger has acquired and refined a rather unique leadership skill set, which will enable him to serve our students so that they may realize their full potential mentally, spiritually, and physically and, thereby, become a blessing to themselves and others."
Finanger has guided more than 5,500 runners through a marathon, including the 1995 Women’s Boston Marathon Team Champions and two runners in the 1996 U.S. Women’s Marathon Olympic Trials. He directed running clinics and camps around the lakes of Minnesota, the Cascade Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Maine coast, North Carolina greenways and overseas in the Saudi Arabian desert.
In 1999, Finanger was the youngest recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Minnesota Distance Running Association. He served four years as Executive Director for the Twin Cities Marathon (MN). In July 2007, he was selected by Runners' World Magazine as a “Super Coach”, and his marathon training program was published.
Since coming to The Abbey, Coach Dan has seen the M&W T&F roster grow from 40 members to 100. The number of student-athletes who have earned honors as Conference Champions, All-Conference, and All-Southeast-Region have become more common, and the first T&F All-Americans were honored in this era. The Men’s team placed second at the 2023 Conference Carolinas XC Championships, where Finanger was voted as “Coach of the Year”. In addition to athletic succes, the programs rank among the top in conference Messick Awards (Sportsmanship) every year.
Finanger holds a bachelor's degree in accounting with a double minor in sports management and coaching. He and his wife, Lori, have two grown sons, Scottie and Jonny.
