BEFORE UMD: Palmer brings four years of collegiate track & field experience to UMD. A native of River Falls, Wisc., Palmer graduated with his bachelor's degree in psychology and studio art from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.
While at Macalester, Palmer earned All-American honors in the indoor 400m, while also achieving an indoor conference championship in the 400m. He holds multiple school records including the indoor 400m (48.89), 600m (1:21.25), 4x200m, and 4x400m.
After his graduation from Macalester, Palmer competed for two years as a graduate student at Ohio State University, earning his master's degree in sports coaching. During his time in Columbus, Palmer was an East Regional qualifier in the 400 hurdles, while also being named an OSU Scholar-Athlete in 2020-21.
Since joining the Bulldogs in the fall of 2022, Coach David Palmer has been instrumental in assisting Coach Brautigam with the UMD sprint and hurdle groups. Under his leadership, several school records in these event groups have been broken, with eight of these occurring during the 2024-25 season alone.
