NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Matt Gutridge, who had served as assistant coach/director of operations for the Yale cross country and track and field programs since 2018, has been promoted to head men's cross country coach/assistant track and field coach. David Shoehalter, Yale's Mark T. Young '68 Director of Cross Country and Track and Field, announced the promotion Tuesday.

"I am excited about Matt's new responsibilities in the program," said Shoehalter. "In his time with Yale Track & Field and Cross Country, he has proven to be a tremendously organized, knowledgeable and successful coach. I am confident that in his new role the program will continue to thrive on both the Ivy League and NCAA levels. He firmly embraces our program's philosophy of developing the whole student-athlete and I am excited for him to begin in his new role." 

Thanks to Gutridge's work behind the scenes, the Yale programs have seen a wide range of success in recent years. Women's cross country produced three individual Ivy League Heps champions from 2018 through this past fall. Men's cross country had its best Ivy League Heps team score since 2015 – and its second-best team score since 2003 – in 2019. The track and field teams combined to set 13 school records indoors and three school records outdoors from 2018 through 2020. The teams have also excelled academically, with each cross country team earning the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team Award for the fall of 2020 with the best GPA for a Yale team in the history of that award.   

Gutridge also works with the Yale Athletics social justice and inclusion working group, serving as a member of the department's Cultural House Connection Subcommittee. 

Gutridge replaces Paul Harkins, who has taken another job at Yale. Harkins had been on the coaching staff since 2011.
 
"I'm incredibly grateful to 'Shoe' and the administration for the opportunity to guide the men's cross country program and build on the success Coach Harkins established over the last decade," said Gutridge. "I'm thankful for the current staff and student-athletes as well as the many coaches, student-athletes and alumni I've had the pleasure to learn from over the years because they have prepared me well for this role. Athletics has the power to enrich the academic experience for our student-athletes and I feel fortunate that I get to work in an environment that values education."

Prior to coming to Yale Gutridge served as an assistant coach at William & Mary from 2011 to 2018, leading a revival of the long sprint and middle distance groups. He helped coach the cross country teams and was responsible for coaching athletes between the distances of 400m (including hurdles) and 1,000m.

Prior to his time at W&M, Gutridge spent three years coaching cross country and track and field and teaching English at Grafton High School in Yorktown, Va.
 
Gutridge graduated from Virginia in 2007 with a degree in English and completed his Masters of Teaching degree from UVA's Curry School of Education that same year. As a student-athlete he helped UVA to a pair of ACC Championships and three NCAA Championships appearances in cross country. On the track, he was a regular on Virginia's ACC meet squad in the distance races and qualified for the IC4A Championships as well. 

Gutridge is a native of Ruther Glen, Va., and attended Caroline High School.