Track and Field
Utesch, Matt
Matt Utesch
- Title:
- Track and Field Head Coach
- Email:
- trackandfield@lehigh.edu
- Phone:
- 610-758-5188
- Alma Mater:
- 20th Season
The 2020-21 season will mark Matt Utesch’s 24th year as the head coach for the Lehigh track and field program. During the 2019-20 indoor season, Matt Utesch coached Joey Kelly to his first-ever PL title in the pole vault. Utesch's Mountain Hawks defeated Lafayette on both the men's and women's side. With the win, the men won their seventh straight meeting the two schools. The women won their 13th straight meeting against the Leopards. The Mountain Hawks finished fourth at the PLC.
The 2017-18 season featured 10 more individual Patriot League champions and 21 individual all-league honorees between the indoor and outdoor seasons. As the men’s and women’s jumps coach, Utesch coached vaulter Kaitlyn Toman to a second place finish at the indoor championships and a league record score for her first career PL title at the outdoor championships. He coached Jordan Otto to an outdoor league title in the high jump, marking the fifth straight season a Lehigh athlete captured the women’s outdoor high jump crown. He also mentored Trevor Knowles to his record seventh PL title in the mutis after winning the league’s indoor heptathlon title. Knowles also broke the school’s indoor 60m hurdles record on multiple occasions and finished runner-up in the event at the league championships. The Mountain Hawk women finished third at the outdoor PL Championships, and the men and women qualified three athletes for the first round of the NCAA Championships.
In 2016-17, Utesch witnessed the Lehigh programs win 11 individual Patriot League championships and 20 individual all-league honors between the indoor and outdoor campaigns. He also directly coached high jumper Courtney Avery, who became the first female in school history in any sport to be a First Team All-American after tying for sixth at the NCAA Championships. As the jumps coach, Lehigh’s women continued their tremendous success at the PL outdoor championships by taking six of the top eight spots, after previously taking five of the top seven spots at the indoor championships.
Lehigh also had senior shot putter Lucas Warning earn All-America honors after finishing 10th at the NCAA Championships, and freshman Hannah Patrick qualify for the NCAA First Round prelims in the javelin. Utesch also helped mentor multis Sarah Cassidy and Trevor Knowles to indoor and outdoor league titles, with Cassidy earning the Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet honors at the outdoor championships. The Mountain Hawks also enjoyed a strong year in the classroom, landing 31 men and 41 women on the PL Academic Honor Roll, with two earning Academic All-League honors.
Utesch helped guide the Mountain Hawks to new heights in 2015-16, coaching the track and field program’s first female All-American in high jumper Courtney Avery, who tied for 11th at the NCAA Championships. Three Mountain Hawks – Avery, Gabrielle Wardle (javelin) and Lucas Warning (shot put) – all qualified for the First Round of the NCAA Championships. A total of 21 Lehigh athletes earned All-Patriot League honors and 13 were crowned league champions during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Both programs also performed well in the classroom, where 25 student-athletes landed on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
Utesch coached the Mountain Hawks to 13 individual event championships between the indoor and outdoor Patriot League Championship meets during the 2014-15 season. He helped three Mountain Hawks earn four separate major awards at the league championship and also helped mentor Ryan Mahalsky to an All-America finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Utesch guided the women’s track and field program to its best-ever finish at both the indoor and outdoor Patriot League Championship meets during the 2013-14 season. Between both the men and the women, Utesch mentored ten First Team All-Patriot League honorees, six All-East athletes, six Academic All-Patriot League student-athletes and five NCAA East Regional participants during the 2013-14 season. Strong academically as well, both Mountain Hawk programs earned the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team awards in addition to three individual Mountain Hawks earning the recognition as well.
During 2008-09 Utesch coached a total of eight Patriot League Champions and had 32 student-athletes compete at IC4A/ECAC Championship throughout the year. In addition, he saw seven of his athletes named to the All-Region team, 19 All-Patriot League honorees, and a total of six school records were broken during the year.
In 2008, Utesch coached his first-ever IC4A Champion in Khalil Uqdah (pole vault) and had five student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Eastern Regional. Of those five qualifiers, four broke school records in the process, while the other set a personal best in his respective event en route to qualifying. In addition, Utesch produced four Patriot League Champions, ten All-Patriot League honorees, nine All-East performers (second consecutive season) and he saw 13 student-athletes compete at the IC4A/ECAC Championships during the indoor and outdoor seasons
During the 2007 indoor and outdoor seasons, Utesch mentored 14 All-Patriot League selections, nine All-East performers and one athlete that qualified for the NCAA East Regional Championship (Sean Swift). In 2006, Utesch added five school records to the record board, had 15 All-Patriot League selections and five NCAA East Regional qualifiers. In 2005, Utesch mentored 15 All-Patriot League selections, two All-East performers, two East Regional qualifiers, and Lehigh’s first-ever male athlete to qualify for the NCAA National Championships (Vaclav Malek).
In the 2003 season, Utesch added his second Patriot League Coach of the Year Award. Utesch has also served as a member of the NCAA Cross Country Track and Field Committee. He was also the Chairman of the 2005 National Championships, held in Sacramento. During his tenure at Lehigh, Utesch has coached several Patriot League record holders, including Patrick Dugan (javelin), Chris Lambert (pentathlon), Francis Vincent (triple jump), George Evans (200-meters, 60 meters), Alex L’Heuerux (3,000-meter steeplechase), Justina Barone (pentathlon, 55-meter hurdles, 400 hurdles), Vaclav Malek (decathlon), and Lucinda Hull (3,000-meter steeplechase). In addition, he mentored two Penn Relays Champions in Dugan and Malek, as well as 145 All-Patriot League selections and 65 Patriot League Champions.
In the summer of 2007, Utesch enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime experience as he was afforded the opportunity to travel across the world to Pakistan to take part in a joint venture between the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Utesch worked with coaches on their systematic training program at the country’s Olympic Training Facility.
Prior to coming to Lehigh, Utesch served as assistant track and cross-country coach at Lafayette from 1994 through ’97. At Lafayette, he specialized in coaching jumps, pole vault, hurdles, and multi-event athletes. During his tenure, Utesch produced four athletes with a combined eight Patriot League titles between them. Three of these athletes also hold three Patriot League records. Three of his athletes also placed as high as fifth in the IC4A Championships. Under Utesch, Lafayette finished second in the 1997 Patriot League Championships, beating a highly competitive Bucknell squad.
Utesch earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and religion, with a minor in communications from Doane College (Nebraska) in 1990. While at Doane, he was a two-time NAIA qualifier in the pole-vault, placing as high as ninth nationally. He was also a part of seven NAIC conference championship teams.
Utesch and his wife Debbie, the head cross country coach at Lehigh, reside in Bethlehem with their daughter Sydney and son Tyson.
The 2017-18 season featured 10 more individual Patriot League champions and 21 individual all-league honorees between the indoor and outdoor seasons. As the men’s and women’s jumps coach, Utesch coached vaulter Kaitlyn Toman to a second place finish at the indoor championships and a league record score for her first career PL title at the outdoor championships. He coached Jordan Otto to an outdoor league title in the high jump, marking the fifth straight season a Lehigh athlete captured the women’s outdoor high jump crown. He also mentored Trevor Knowles to his record seventh PL title in the mutis after winning the league’s indoor heptathlon title. Knowles also broke the school’s indoor 60m hurdles record on multiple occasions and finished runner-up in the event at the league championships. The Mountain Hawk women finished third at the outdoor PL Championships, and the men and women qualified three athletes for the first round of the NCAA Championships.
In 2016-17, Utesch witnessed the Lehigh programs win 11 individual Patriot League championships and 20 individual all-league honors between the indoor and outdoor campaigns. He also directly coached high jumper Courtney Avery, who became the first female in school history in any sport to be a First Team All-American after tying for sixth at the NCAA Championships. As the jumps coach, Lehigh’s women continued their tremendous success at the PL outdoor championships by taking six of the top eight spots, after previously taking five of the top seven spots at the indoor championships.
Lehigh also had senior shot putter Lucas Warning earn All-America honors after finishing 10th at the NCAA Championships, and freshman Hannah Patrick qualify for the NCAA First Round prelims in the javelin. Utesch also helped mentor multis Sarah Cassidy and Trevor Knowles to indoor and outdoor league titles, with Cassidy earning the Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet honors at the outdoor championships. The Mountain Hawks also enjoyed a strong year in the classroom, landing 31 men and 41 women on the PL Academic Honor Roll, with two earning Academic All-League honors.
Utesch helped guide the Mountain Hawks to new heights in 2015-16, coaching the track and field program’s first female All-American in high jumper Courtney Avery, who tied for 11th at the NCAA Championships. Three Mountain Hawks – Avery, Gabrielle Wardle (javelin) and Lucas Warning (shot put) – all qualified for the First Round of the NCAA Championships. A total of 21 Lehigh athletes earned All-Patriot League honors and 13 were crowned league champions during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Both programs also performed well in the classroom, where 25 student-athletes landed on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
Utesch coached the Mountain Hawks to 13 individual event championships between the indoor and outdoor Patriot League Championship meets during the 2014-15 season. He helped three Mountain Hawks earn four separate major awards at the league championship and also helped mentor Ryan Mahalsky to an All-America finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Utesch guided the women’s track and field program to its best-ever finish at both the indoor and outdoor Patriot League Championship meets during the 2013-14 season. Between both the men and the women, Utesch mentored ten First Team All-Patriot League honorees, six All-East athletes, six Academic All-Patriot League student-athletes and five NCAA East Regional participants during the 2013-14 season. Strong academically as well, both Mountain Hawk programs earned the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team awards in addition to three individual Mountain Hawks earning the recognition as well.
During 2008-09 Utesch coached a total of eight Patriot League Champions and had 32 student-athletes compete at IC4A/ECAC Championship throughout the year. In addition, he saw seven of his athletes named to the All-Region team, 19 All-Patriot League honorees, and a total of six school records were broken during the year.
In 2008, Utesch coached his first-ever IC4A Champion in Khalil Uqdah (pole vault) and had five student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Eastern Regional. Of those five qualifiers, four broke school records in the process, while the other set a personal best in his respective event en route to qualifying. In addition, Utesch produced four Patriot League Champions, ten All-Patriot League honorees, nine All-East performers (second consecutive season) and he saw 13 student-athletes compete at the IC4A/ECAC Championships during the indoor and outdoor seasons
During the 2007 indoor and outdoor seasons, Utesch mentored 14 All-Patriot League selections, nine All-East performers and one athlete that qualified for the NCAA East Regional Championship (Sean Swift). In 2006, Utesch added five school records to the record board, had 15 All-Patriot League selections and five NCAA East Regional qualifiers. In 2005, Utesch mentored 15 All-Patriot League selections, two All-East performers, two East Regional qualifiers, and Lehigh’s first-ever male athlete to qualify for the NCAA National Championships (Vaclav Malek).
In the 2003 season, Utesch added his second Patriot League Coach of the Year Award. Utesch has also served as a member of the NCAA Cross Country Track and Field Committee. He was also the Chairman of the 2005 National Championships, held in Sacramento. During his tenure at Lehigh, Utesch has coached several Patriot League record holders, including Patrick Dugan (javelin), Chris Lambert (pentathlon), Francis Vincent (triple jump), George Evans (200-meters, 60 meters), Alex L’Heuerux (3,000-meter steeplechase), Justina Barone (pentathlon, 55-meter hurdles, 400 hurdles), Vaclav Malek (decathlon), and Lucinda Hull (3,000-meter steeplechase). In addition, he mentored two Penn Relays Champions in Dugan and Malek, as well as 145 All-Patriot League selections and 65 Patriot League Champions.
In the summer of 2007, Utesch enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime experience as he was afforded the opportunity to travel across the world to Pakistan to take part in a joint venture between the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Utesch worked with coaches on their systematic training program at the country’s Olympic Training Facility.
Prior to coming to Lehigh, Utesch served as assistant track and cross-country coach at Lafayette from 1994 through ’97. At Lafayette, he specialized in coaching jumps, pole vault, hurdles, and multi-event athletes. During his tenure, Utesch produced four athletes with a combined eight Patriot League titles between them. Three of these athletes also hold three Patriot League records. Three of his athletes also placed as high as fifth in the IC4A Championships. Under Utesch, Lafayette finished second in the 1997 Patriot League Championships, beating a highly competitive Bucknell squad.
Utesch earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and religion, with a minor in communications from Doane College (Nebraska) in 1990. While at Doane, he was a two-time NAIA qualifier in the pole-vault, placing as high as ninth nationally. He was also a part of seven NAIC conference championship teams.
Utesch and his wife Debbie, the head cross country coach at Lehigh, reside in Bethlehem with their daughter Sydney and son Tyson.
Lehigh Sports Central: Indoor Track & Field
Wednesday, January 22
Lehigh Sports Central: Track and Field
Wednesday, December 06
