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On July 19th, 2007 Matt Roe was named Head Women's and Men's Track and Field/Cross Country Coach at Butler. Roe came to Butler after serving as Long Beach State's Distance/Cross Country coach from 2004-2007. Less than three years after the late August 2004 hire to direct Long Beach State's distance program, Matt Roe engineered one of the most dramatic recent turnarounds in Division I distance running. Roe's accomplishments were acknowledged by his peers as they voted him to be the Men's West Regional Cross Country Representative for the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for 2007-2009. With their finishes at the Big West Conference meet and the NCAA West Regional meet, the 2006 cross country squads completed the best two-year run in school-history. The women's team placed second at the Big West Conference meet, tying the 1989 squad for the best women's finish in school history. The men, who were picked to finish fifth after losing their top two runners to graduation, placed fourth. At the 2006 West Regional meet, both squads finished 12th overall. In 2005 both cross country teams jumped from 6th to 3rd at the Big West Conference meet, marking the best 49er performance in 17 years. Running on the same championship course as 2004, the men dropped their overall 8,000 meter team time average from 25:30 to 24:45 while the women's 6000 meter team average went from 22:25 to 21:52 in just one year's time. At the West Regional meet the women vaulted from 20th in 2004 to 10th in 2005, just 21 points shy of a 7th place finish. The men climbed from 15th to 10th place in 2005 matching the women's team finish. Aside from re-writing their own record books, Roe's squads combined conference and regional team improvements were unmatched by any competitive Division I school in the country from 2004-2005. On the track Roe's athletes have been equally successful. In 2007 Roe's runners continued to reach new heights. During the indoor season the 49'ers re-broke four school records from 2006, and added one more for good measure. Jim Grabow would finish his storied career becoming the first Long Beach State athlete to earn All-American honors in a running event at the NCAA Indoor National Championships, finishing 11th in the 5000 meters. Grabow, a 14:50 5000 meter junior college transfer in 2004, clocked personal bests of 13:44.04 in the 5000 meters and 7:59.40 at 3000 meters in his final season under Roe's guidance. During the outdoor year, six new athletes entered the 49'er all-time list, as Roe's group brought the total all-time mark to over 50 marks during his short tenure in Long Beach. Ranked among these marks was Alex Freitas freshman school record at 800 meters. Freitas's 1:50.05 clocking was fourth fastest among all Division I freshman in 2007. Building on a record smashing indoor season, Roe's runners had a historic outdoor year in 2006. Roe's men played a vital role in the first 49er men's conference title in 30 years. The men tallied 34 points at the conference meet, the most ever by a 49er distance squad at the Big West meet. Mario Cobian became the first 49er distance runner in six years to win a conference title. Not to be outdone, the women recorded 33 points at the Big West meet, also an all-time 49er distance best. The women's distance contribution helped guide the team to a 3rd place finish and the best two-year conference run in school history. At LBSU Roe's athletes did more than just improve they did so at impressive rates. In less than three years Roe's runners recorded 51 all-time top 10 marks, 12 school records, 14 All-Big West selections, four NCAA National Qualifying marks, a Big West Conference Champion, one All-American and one Academic All-American selection. Prior to his appointment at The Beach, Roe made Western Illinois one of the most improved Division I programs in the nation from 2001-2004. In three years at the helm of the Western distance program, Roe produced 24 All-Mid Continent athletes, nine runner-up conference finishers, three conference champions, two school records, and two All-American with Distinction Academic Teams. As the Head Cross Country Coach at Western, with virtually no resources, Roe led both the men's and women' program from the bottom to near the top of the Mid-Continent Conference. In only his second season, Roe's women went from sixth to second in the Mid-Continent Conference Cross Country Championships, establishing one of the top one-year turnarounds in Division I from 2001-2002. The women's finish was best in school history. Roe's men also improved at the conference meet jumping from seventh in 2001 to fourth in 2002 to 3rd in 2003. As assistant track coach at Western, in his first year (2002) Roe helped lead the Leathernecks to the Mid-Continent Outdoor Track title, coaching Zach Somers to Western's first individual distance title in a decade. Somers became the first freshman in school history to win a conference distance crown. At the 2003 Mid-Con Championships, Roe's athletes exploded for a school record 98 points, tallying 13 career bests, nine all-conference honors, five runner-up finishes, two conference titles and two Mid-East Regional berths. The combined effort stood in stark contrast to the 27 total points produced in the year prior to Roe's arrival. Prior to coaching at Western Illinois, Roe served as an assistant track and cross country coach at the University of Montana from 1999-2001. At Montana, Roe helped guide the Grizzlies to 11 individual Big Sky titles, eight NCAA appearances, and two All-American honors. Roe assisted the 2000 Lady Grizzlies to their best all-time Big Sky (second) and Mountain Regional (fifth) cross country finishes. The 2000 season was capped off by Sabrina Monro's runner-up finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. A standout on the track and trail for Division I national distance power University of Portland, Roe was a three-time All-West Coast Conference harrier. A three-time WCC scholar-athlete, Roe earned degrees in English (1997) and History (1998) from Portland. A USATF Level II certified coach, Roe earned his M.S. in Physical Education (Sport Psychology) from Western Illinois in 2003. |
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