Men's Cross Country | 7/7/2023 5:12:00 PM
ALFRED, NY – After successful indoor and outdoor track & field seasons as the Interim Head Coach,
Matt Phillips '10 earned a promotion to the Head Coach role of both the Cross Country and Track & Field programs.
"Coach Phillips is the right person to lead these programs as we continue to invest in the student experience. A passionate alumnus, he wants nothing more than to see his student-athletes grow through their experience at Alfred University,"
Deb Steward, Associate Vice President for Student Experience, Athletics & Recreation said. "With the Saxon Hill Sports Complex on the horizon, including an outdoor track and field stadium, we will look to him to recruit and retain our Student-Athletes and help them pursue their passions as athletes and students."
Phillips, upon graduating after a successful four-year career as a cross country runner and track & field athlete, continued to be involved with the programs, immediately becoming an Assistant Coach until 2012. He returned to the coaching staffs in 2014 and has been an integral part of the programs ever since. Phillips was promoted to the Cross Country Head Coach in the Spring 2019 semester, while maintaining his role as an Assistant Coach of the track & field teams. During his hiatus from coaching at AU, Phillips stayed invested in the program, donating a new school record board that hangs on the brick wall inside of the Joyce & Walton Family Center for Health & Wellness.
Now, with the promotion, Phillips will serve as the men's and women's Cross Country and Track & Field Head Coach. "After a successful year with him as Interim Head Coach, the team is extremely excited to hear that Coach Phillips is now the official Head Coach of Track & Field," Saxon Student-Athlete, entering her senior season,
Sarah Lutkins (Union Springs, NY/Union Springs) said. "Coach Phillips dedicates so much of his time to building the program and caring about the achievements and well-being of his athletes. Congratulations Coach, we couldn't imagine anyone better for this role!"
During the 2022-23 academic year, Phillips coached
McKenzie Hall (Hornell, NY/Hornell) and
Mari Jablonski (Monticello, GA/Jasper County) to All-Empire 8 Honors in cross country, Hall earning All-E8 Second Team and Jablonski claiming All-E8 Third Team. The women's cross country team finished 17
th at the NCAA Niagara Regional Championships and the men finished 23
rd.
During the indoor season, Phillips and his staff tacked on four more All-Empire 8 honors, with the top honors going to
George Mecca (Eden, NY/Derby) and
Olivia Gilbert (Ontario, NY/Wayne Central) as each won the indoor 800-meter running events.
Bianca Durso (Utica, NY/New Hartford Senior) earned All-Empire 8 Second Team in the high jump while
Anne Spila (Mechanicsburg, PA/Trinity) earned All-Empire 8 Third Team in the pentathlon.
Moving to the outdoor season, the Saxons capped off a great 2022-23 academic year. Gilbert added another Empire 8 Championship Title and All-Empire 8 First Team recognition as she won the 800-meter run. Hall earned All-Empire 8 Second Team in the 1,500-meter run, just over half a second away from an E8 Championship in the event. Durso also earned All-E8 Second Team with her finish in the heptathlon.
Spila took All-Empire 8 Third Team in the javelin, being joined by
Madison Palmer (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) in the shot put and the 4x100-meter relay team of Durso,
Lina Young (North Collins, NY/North Collins), Nyah Solly (Colden, NY/Springville-Griffith Institute) and Spila.
On the men's side, for the Empire 8 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, there were multiple Saxons who earned All-Empire 8 accolades.
Neil Peters (The Bronx, NY/DeWitt Clinton) earned All-E8 Second Team in the 100-meter dash while Mecca followed suit with a second place finish in the 400-meter hurdles. The 4x400-meter relay team of
Connor Kerr (Tioga, PA/Williamson),
Noam Sokolovsky (East Lyme, CT/East Lyme), Peters and Mecca had the best relay finish, earning All-Empire 8 Second Team. The 4x100-meter relay team of
Jaleel Joseph (Glenville, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake),
Steven Jackson (Culpeper, VA/Eastern View),
John Wendt (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) and Peters earned All-E8 Third Team. In the field events,
Kenneth Berlin (Erie, PA/Harbor Creek) led the way with an All-Empire 8 Second Team Honor.
Coach Phillips' Saxons broke multiple records with one of the most notable occurring on the final day of competition during the 2022-23 year as Spila broke the heptathlon record with 4,071 points as she earned All-Region Honors, finishing fourth at the All-Atlantic Regional Track & Field Outdoor Championships. Less than 10 minutes later, Solly broke the AU school record in the triple jump, marking 11.08m (36'-4.25") on her third and final attempt at AARTFC's. Coach Phillips was noted saying this of his Saxons throughout the year, "…extremely proud of everything they've done and accomplished this year. We've had one of the best end-of-year finishes in many years within the programs and we're excited to see this continuous growth."
Phillips succeeds
Dr. Angie Taylor, who now holds the position of Alfred University's Chief Diversity Officer. She continues to stay active and support of both the cross country and track & field programs as an Assistant Coach.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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