Daniel Scheff was named an assistant cross country and track & field coach at UMN Morris in the fall of 2019. Prior to joining the Cougars, Scheff was the head cross country/track & field coach at Valley City State for one year.
In his first year at Valley City State, his cross country teams both posted top-three finishes at the NSAA Conference Championships. VCSU's women placed second at the NSAA Championships in 2018, and both Grace Miller (second) and Allyssa Weitkum (sixth) qualified for the NAIA National Meet. The Viking men took third at the NSAA Championships, and Riley Roy-Lagasse placed fourth overall and qualified for nationals.
During the 2018-19 track & field season, Valley City State recorded 17 all-conference performances at the indoor conference championships, which was then followed up with 21 all-conference honorees at the outdoor conference championships. The season was capped off with two All-America finishes at the NAIA Track and Field National Championships.
At the 2019 NSAA Cross Country Championships, the women's team tied for third and the men's team placed sixth.
Before taking over at Valley City State, Scheff was an assistant coach for both the cross country and track and field programs at UW-Stout. He also served as the recruiting coordinator, developing and implementing a nationally successful recruiting campaign. On the track, he specialized in coaching athletes in the sprints, hurdles, and relays. While at Stout he coached five national qualifiers and two All-Americans in those events.
Prior to his time at Stout, he was a graduate assistant coach for two years at the University of Northern Colorado, working with student-athletes in all events. From 2007-11, Scheff was the head coach of the cross country, track & field and nordic skiing teams at Math and Science Academy in Minnesota. The track and field and skiing programs were brand new teams that Scheff was tasked with starting and building from scratch.
Scheff has a master of science degree in sport administration from the University of Northern Colorado. He received a bachelor's degree in physical education from St. Cloud State University, where he was a student-athlete on the cross country and track and field teams. Scheff has continued to be an active runner, completing 50 marathons during his lifetime.
