David Klech is a Class of 2006 Cal High alumni who has blazed past expectations.
Beyond Cal’s campus, he has run Division 1 track for UCLA and the University of Oregon, and earned a silver medal World Youth Championships.
During his time at Cal, Klech was part of cross country, soccer, and track and field. Of all three sports, Klech believed that he was the best at track, as he was on the varsity team since his freshman year. His specialty was in the hurdles and jumps.
While on Cal’s track team, Klech set multiple school records, including 400 meter, 110 meter hurdles, 300 meter hurdles, 400 meter hurdles, long jump, and the high jump. He still holds these records today.
He also set the record for the 800 meter while at Cal, but this record has been broken since.
Being on the varsity team as a freshman comes with a lot of pressure, but Klech felt he had an amazing group of coaches and seniors that helped him.
During his freshman year, Klech and three seniors qualified for the 4×400 meter relay for the NCS Championships and won. Klech felt that the support he received from the seniors on his team was really helpful.
“It was definitely a huge confidence booster, showing myself I could compete at this level,” Klech said.
Klech feels that his coaches also played a tremendous role in his success, encouraging him in events he was already good at and helping him improve in events he wasn’t that great in.
“I was really fortunate to have an incredible group of coaches while I was at Cal High,” Klech said. “They transformed my career. They showed how coaching can make an impact on a student-athlete’s life outside of just the athletic element.”
Klech qualified for the CIF State Meet all four years of high school by placing top four at the NCS Meet of Champions. The State Meet is a state meet features schools throughout California.
“Qualifying for the Cal State Meet is a pretty big honor,” Klech said.
In 2005, Klech participated in the Arcadia Invitational and won the 300 meter hurdles. He still holds the record for this event today.
During his junior and senior years, Klech was a state champion in the 300 meter hurdles.
In his final year at Cal, Klech was name the Gatorade National Track and Field athlete of the year. This award is given annually to high school student athletes to recognize their academic achievements and athletic excellence.
But Klech’s accomplishments don’t end there.
“Probably my biggest accomplishment on the world stage was winning the 2005 World Youth Championships silver medal in the 400 meter hurdles,” Klech said.
After graduating from Cal, Klech went to run Division 1 track at UCLA, but after dealing with multiple obstacles he felt he needed a change.
“I battled a number of injuries during my freshman year at UCLA and felt I needed to choose another institution to achieve both my academic and athletic goals,” Klech said.
After transferring to University of Oregon to continue his career, Klech felt like he found the place that was right for him.
“The coaching staff at the University of Oregon did a great job in rehabbing me back from injuries,” Klech said. “I was able to earn All-American honors and graduate with two masters [psychology and educational leadership and administration] degrees during my time in Eugene.”
During his time at Oregon, Klech won three conference championships. He graduated as a two time All American and first Team Academic All American.
After graduating from the University of Oregon, he was inspired by his high school coaches and started coaching the track and field team at University of Oregon for two years. While coaching there, the college won the womens’ NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship titles in 2012 and 2013.
“The ways [my high school coaches] transformed my life, I definitely felt like it was something I wanted to pursue as a career,” Klech said.
Klech took a break from college coaching between 2014-2016 to pursue a temporary professional career in track.
During his time as a professional athlete, he was the runner up at the 2012 United States of America Track and Field as the indoor champion for the indoor heptathlon, which includes the 60 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60 meter hurdle, pole vault, and 1000 meters.
Today, Klech is coaching at the University of California, Santa Cruz and has been for the last seven years. Klech was a phenomenal athlete during his time at Cal and is looking to make the same impact on future athletes.
