Danny Laufer

Laufer begins his third season at Virginia. He serves as the meet director for the Lou Onesty/Milton G. Abramson Invitational hosted by Virginia every year. In addition he coached David Lewis to consecutive places at the ACC Championships in the multi events. In 2005, he helped David Sullivan set the school record in the outdoor pole vault and qualify for the NCAA Championships.

While at Loyola, Laufer was instrumental in the growth and development of the field event athletes, including a pair of women who both won conference titles and set conference meet records in their first year of competition. Both of them qualified for the USA Junior National meet. During his four-year stint at Loyola, Laufer coached 23 conference champions and has helped athletes set 24 school records. In addition, three of Laufer’s protégés have earned Newcomer of the Year awards and two others have earned Athlete of the Meet honors.

Prior to working at Loyola, Laufer served as the head track and field coach at the University of Texas-Pan American. While with the Broncs, Laufer coached the first NCAA qualifier in over 10 years at the school and also had an All-American develop in the program. In addition, eight of his athletes set 14 school records at UTPA.

Laufer started his collegiate coaching career at Wagner College in Staten Island where he helped guide the Seahawks to the conference championships. While at Wagner, Laufer began working on his MBA with a concentration in finance.

Laufer is a USATF Certified Instructor, with Level II certification in jumps and combined events as well as sprints/hurdles. He is a 1994 graduate of Manhattan College. While competing for the Jaspers, Laufer won a conference title in the pole vault.

Laufer is married to the former Jill Gelfenbien, who won an NCAA title while playing for the 1995 Connecticut women’s basketball team and was also a member of the 1994 NCAA semifinalist Connecticut women’s soccer team. She is currently a math teacher and the head girls basketball and head girls soccer coach at Stuarts Draft High School