Robert Cervenka begins his 12th year at College of DuPage in 2023-24, his eighth as head coach for both track and field teams, and his sixth season leading the cross country programs.
Cervenka has directed the Chaps to the top in NJCAA Division III, winning each of the last three men's track and field titles (2021, 2022 and 2023), winning the women's titles in 2021 and 2022, and the men's cross country team winning the 2022 title.
In 2021, the men competed with 11 in the event and finished with 39 All-American honors. The women competed with nine at nationals, earning 35 All-American honors.
In 2022, all nine women participated on either a winning relay or won an individual event. The men dominated with 12 individuals scoring in the championship.
The 2023 men's team earned its three-peat with 19 athletes and were led by national champions Noah Mack (100 and 200), Nicholas Keeling (5,000), Sheldon Powell (3,000 steeplechase), Jack Sauder (pole vault), the 4 x 100 relay (Gabriel Parker, Graham McAninch, Derek Erdman and Mack) and the 4 x 800 relay (Erdman, Randy Almarales, Sebastian Esparza and Anthony Eddy).
The women's 2023 squad finished second with just eight members earning a total of 13 All-American honors.
The 2022 cross country team featured the national champion in Keeling and a total of four All-Americans: Keeling, Axel Huerta, Powell and Esparza.
For his efforts, he was named the 2021 and 2022 USTFCCCA national coach of the year for both programs, the 2023 men's honor and 2022 men's cross country honor.
The 2021 cross country teams captured third place in both categories, and in 2021, the Chaps featured two male All-Americans and three female All-Americans.
During Cervenka's 40-plus years of coaching the pole vault and high jump, he has coached a world champion, Commonwealth Games Silver medalist and Olympic finalist, two World Youth Championship finalists, 35 USATF/AAU Junior Olympic All Americans, as well as 10 IHSA state champions, 235 state qualifiers and 115 finalists.
Cervenka won the Illinois state high school championship in the high jump in 1976 while attending Downers Grove North High School and was runner-up in 1977. He went on to attend Eastern Illinois University and graduated with a degree in physical education and health education in 1982.
After serving as an assistant track and field coach at the University of Nebraska from 1985-88, he then moved on to South Africa where he coached at the national and club level until 2006. There, he established himself as a "Jumps Guru" coaching athletes who qualified for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, 1999 & 2001 World Youth Championships, 2000 & 2003 African Championships, 2002 World Junior Championships, 2000 & 2004 Olympic Games, and 1999 & 2005 World Championships.
