Lovett Alumni - Graduated in 2017 
4x State Champion over 1600 & 800 meters
Assistant Coach (2022-2023)
Head Coach XC (2023-present)
Distance Coach Track (2023-present)
Athletics Administrative Assistant

University of Mississippi - Graduated in 2022 
3x All American Track & Field
3x SEC Champion
SEC Record Holder
565th American under 4 minute mile barrier
 

This is Dave Melissas’ second year at Lovett.  He’s the assistant Varsity Cross Country and Varsity Track coach.  Previously, he was the head Varsity Cross Country and Distance Track coach at Alpharetta HS for nine years.  His boys track team won two state championships and finished second once, with his star runner winning state in both the 1600 and 3200 in school record times. In Cross Country, the boys finished in the top seven in state for three straight years (once on the podium in 4th place) while the girls finished top six in state for two straight years (once on the podium in 3rd place).  He also was the assistant Varsity Cross Country and Distance Track coach at Lassiter HS for four years and Peachtree Ridge HS for two years.  Dave was Founder and Head Coach of the Lassiter Junior team as well as being the Head Distance coach for the Walton Youth team and East Cobb track team, where he helped coach a future Olympian.  
Dave was a scholarship athlete in Cross Country and Track at Division 1 Rider University where he was team captain and the school’s first 12-time varsity letter winner. After college, he competed in local, regional and national races and was sponsored by Reebok and ran for them for seven years.  He also competed for the AT&T Corporate National Team for 12 years and helped them win seven national championships. 
He served as a guide leading a blind runner from Italy for the first 10K of the marathon in the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta. He was the Race Director of the Addison Gator Elementary School 5K for three years and created the fastest 5K in Georgia. Volunteered for the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta and was a liaison between athletes and race officials. He currently has the 32nd longest consecutive running streak in the world having not missed a day of running for 41+ years.