David Kaczenski ’83 was an All-American javelin thrower and a three-time national qualifier for the Westfield State track and field teams in the early 1980s.
 
Kaczenski earned All-America honors when he placed fifth during his senior year at the 1983 NCAA Division III national championships. He narrowly missed earning All-America honors by placing ninth at the 1982 national championships, and he also was a national qualifier during his sophomore season.
 
Kaczenzki was a two-time Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) champion and earned All-New England honors in each of his three years at Westfield State, including runner-up finishes at the 1981 and 1982 New England championships. He holds the school record with a throw of 224 feet, 11 inches, and previously held the MASCAC championship meet record.
 
“David was a hard working, dedicated athlete who trained on his own in Stanley Park (where the Westfield State javelin competition site was located),” said Westfield State Hall of Fame track and field coach Jerry Gravel. “And he helped train our young javelin throwers; he was a very valuable team member.”
 
Kaczenski initially attended UMass Amherst, where he qualified for the Yankee Conference championships during his freshman year with a throw of 201 feet and placed fifth in the conference meet. Kaczenski finished second in the 1978 state championships during his senior year at Greenfield (Mass.) High School with a throw of 189-11.
 
Kaczenski was a very versatile high school athlete. He also participated in the pole vault and two-mile run, and was a captain of the Greenfield boys’ soccer team that posted the best record in school history. Prior to attending Westfield State, he was enrolled at Greenfield Community College and was the soccer team’s leading scorer for two seasons.
 
During his post-college years, Kaczenski has served as a volunteer javelin coach at Pioneer Valley Regional High School and has coached numerous youth sports teams. He stays fit running in local road races.
 
Kaczenski graduated from Westfield State with a criminal justice degree, but left the law enforcement field early in his professional career. He has been the executive director of the Massachusetts Rural Water Association, located in Northfield, Mass., for the past seven years. It is a non-profit federally funded association that assists water and wastewater systems in Massachusetts towns of 10,000 or fewer residents.
 
Kaczenski has been recognized by the National Rural Water Association for his legislative work in Washington, D.C. He was a waste water specialist for 20 years prior to being named the executive director.
 
He resides in Northfield with his wife, Sue, and children Ed (18) and Sarah (17).