The 2025-26 academic year marks Dworak’s ninth season at the helm of the cross country program (2017-present) as well as his fourth year as the head of the Grizzly track & field programs. He also served on the USTFCCCA National Committee as the Great Lakes Women’s rep from 2019 through December of 2023.
The 2024-25 campaign was one for the books. The men's and women’s cross country teams claimed fourth & sixth in the HCAC, with John Asplund earning first team all-conference honors for the fourth time and Will Hirsch being named honorable mention. Ella Bashor earned honorable mention on the women’s side. During the indoor season, school records were broken in the men’s 60, 200, 400, 4x200, and 4x400. Outdoor records were broken in the men’s 100, 400, and 4x400. The men’s 4x400 relay quartet won the HCAC championship both indoors and outdoors, Steven Scott won the outdoor 400, and a freshman (Alex Shaevitz) won the outdoor high jump. The men finished fourth outdoors, their highest team finish in a dozen years.
Franklin's men finished third at the 2023 HCAC cross country championships, just 19 points off the win. John Asplund (sixth), Jack Sells (10th), Wyatt McCullough (12th) and Sam Wilson (13th) each finished with all-conference honors. The men went on to finish 19th at the Great Lakes regional meet, their best finish since 2010. The women once again also finished in the top half of the HCAC standings, placing fifth, with Haley Makowski (ninth) and Ella Bashor (18th) both finishing with all-conference accolades for the third consecutive year. On the track, the women’s distance medley relay won the HCAC indoor championship for the fourth consecutive year in 2024. Sarah O’Day won the 60-meter dash with a school record time of 7.86 and also won the HCAC outdoor title in the 100M dash. Logan McIntosh claimed the men’s HCAC title in the javelin, and the men’s 4x400 relay team finished runner-up.
In 2022, the men’s squad finished HCAC runner-up, their best conference finish since 2010 with the entire top five (Asplund, Sells, Gough, Devening, Wilson) finishing with All-HCAC honors. Asplund led the Grizzlies up front and also set a new 8K school record. The Lady Griz also had a day, finishing third (their best team finish since 2014) with Makowski, Bashor and Watson all garnering All-HCAC honors. The season ended with Asplund (first), Sells (15th), Gough (19th), and Devening (25th) all in the top 25 on the school's all-time 8K list. Bashor (eighth) and Makowski (14th) also both made their way up the women's all-time 6K list. On the track, the women’s distance medley won a third consecutive HCAC indoor title, Sarah O’Day won three individual titles (200M indoor and both 100 and 200 outdoor) while setting four school records (indoor 60 and 200, outdoor 100 and 200M). Alison Muck was a conference champion in the outdoor high jump as well as runner-up in the 100 hurdles (with a school record run). Muck earned HCAC female newcomer of the year honors. Chase Miles also capped off his Grizzly career with an HCAC championship in the javelin.
During the 2021 cross country season, the Grizzlies saw some big contributions from a handful of underclassmen. Freshman John Asplund finished 10th overall at the HCAC Championships, while Jack Sells finished honorable mention All-HCAC with an 18th-place finish. On the wmen’s side, the frosh duo of Haley Makowski and Ella Bashor finished 11th and 18th to also finish first team and honorable mention all-conference, respectively. Asplund went on to finish top 75 at the Great Lakes regional meet. On the track, both men’s and women’s distance medley relay squads defended their HCAC titles from 2021. Makowski was the HCAC runner-up in the 800 both indoors and outdoors. while Jaycee Wilburn was the men's indoor 800 runner-up.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic outside competition for the 2020 XC season was canceled. The Grizzlies were, however, able to participate in an unofficial HCAC-wide virtual series during the fall, comprised of five inter-squad meets on the track, with the men finishing third and the women fifth. The HCAC held its cross country championships in March of 2021, with the Grizzly men finishing fourth (highest finish in seven years) and the women sixth. Sells and Angel Gregory both had all-conference finishes. The 2021 track and field campaign saw both the men’s and women’s distance medley teams win conference championships indoors, while Gregory finished a narrow runner-up in the 800-meter run. Outdoors, Jaycee Wilburn earned a third-place podium finish in the 800 and had a season best of 1:56.39.
The 2019-20 academic year continued to show growth for the Grizzly distance crew. The women improved a spot from the previous year with a sixth-place finish, led by freshman Angelina Gregory, who finished 13th to earn honorable mention All-HCAC; she was the top true freshman in the field. Earlier in the season at the Oberlin Inter-Region Rumble, Gregory posted her best 6K time of 24:53, moving her way into the top 25 in school history. The men were able to match their 2018 placing with another fifth-place effort. Clayton Brumfield took home first team All-HCAC honors, finishing fifth overall and becoming a rare four-time first teamer. At the Oberlin Inter-Region Rumble, Brumfield crossed the line with a new 8K school record time of 25:25. Clayton capped off his career with a 33rd -place finish at Great Lakes Regional meet, becoming the first male Grizzly to finish in the top 35 since 2010. The 2020 indoor track and field campaign also was quite successful, with a number of new additions to the top 10 lists and culminating with runner-up finishes at the HCAC Championships in both the men’s and women’s distance medley relays. The 2020 outdoor season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Dworak’s second year (2018-19), the Grizzly Men moved up two spots from the previous cross country season, finishing fifth. They were led by Brumfield and Blaine Conners, who finished fourth and seventh at the HCAC Championships to earn first team all-conference. Franklin College also partnered with the Blue River Sports Commission and hosted the 2018 DIII Great Lakes Regional Championship in Shelbyville, Indiana. On the track, Brumfield successfully defended his outdoor 1,500-meter conference title, finishing in a personal best time of 3:56.71 which was a new school record as well as an HCAC championship meet record. In addition, Brumfield also set new school records in the indoor 3K and the outdoor mile.
The 2017-18 campaign was Dworak’s first leading Franklin College cross country and guiding the distance runners on the track. The Grizzlies showed much improvement from the previous year throughout all three seasons. Women's cross country moved up three spots to finish fifth at the 2017 HCAC event; Krista Robinson led the way with a seventh-place finish and earned Freshman of the Year honors. Senior Rachel Bowden also earned first-team All-HCAC honors with an 11th-place finish. The Lady Grizzlies went on to finish 28th at the Great Lakes Regional meet, an improvement of seven spots from 2016. The men again finished seventh at the HCAC meet, but scored 45 fewer points (167-122) and finished just nine points out of fourth place. Brumfield led the way with a repeat eighth-place finish. The men finished 21st at the Great Lakes Regional, a whopping 13 spots better than the year before and tying for the biggest regional jump from ’16 to ’17 in the NCAA. On the track, a number of athletes made their way onto or moved up on the school’s all-time top 10 event lists. Brumfield successfully defended his HCAC mile title indoors while completing the sweep and also winning his first outdoor crown in the 1,500.
Dworak spent his previous four years of coaching (2013-17) with Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. In his tenure there, he was able to help guide the distance squad to new heights, coaching four individual NCAA qualifiers in cross country. His women’s teams qualified in 2015 and 2016, while the men also qualified in 2016, marking the first time in school history that both teams qualified for the NCAA Championships. At the conference level, the Lynx claimed eight SAA titles during Dworak's stay. Women’s track won all four outdoor seasons, extending their streak to 10 straight years, while men’s track won in 2014, women’s cross country in 2015, and men’s cross country in 2015 and 2016. Men’s cross country set a conference record in 2016 for the lowest point total with 23, and that squad was one of two teams to be the first from the South region to earn an NCAA at-large bids. The 2016 cross country season also saw Rhodes have its first All-American since 2008, as Ashley Litoff placed 32nd overall at the NCAA meet in Louisville. On the track, seven school records were also reset while Dworak worked with the Lynx distance crew.
Prior to arriving at Rhodes, Dworak earned his master’s degree in criminal justice from Boise State University, where he also worked as a Volunteer Assistant from 2011-13. During his time there, he helped guide athletes such as Emma Bates and Marisa Howard, who went on to become Division I All-Americans and well-established professional runners.
Dworak attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point from 2006-10 earning his degree in political science and coaching. He also competed for the Pointers' cross country and track and field teams. He earned All-Midwest Region honors in cross country three times (2007, 2008 and 2009) and was on the squad that qualified for the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Division III Championships and placed sixth and fourth, respectively. He was also the #5 runner on the 2008 WIAC champion cross country team. He finished runner-up in the 5,000 meters at the 2010 WIAC indoor meet. Dworak earned most improved Pointer on the 2007 cross country team and was voted a team captain as a senior in 2009.
Coach Dworak continues to pursue his passion for running well beyond his college days. Along with posting two top-three finishes in the Eugene Half Marathon, he also had finishes of 36, 61 & 50th at the 2012-14 USA Half Marathon Championships, posting his lifetime best at the 2013 race with a time of 1:06:37. Later in 2013, he ran his lifetime best at the Chicago Marathon, running 2:20:46. He went onto run semi-professionally for the Saucony Hurricanes team in 2014-15. He capped off 2015 with a win at the St. Jude Memphis Half-Marathon and finished in a close runner-up in the 2016 event.
He currently resides in Indianapolis.
