My running career started in middle school while at Holy Family School. My brothers and sister were XC runners @ Notre Dame, so once I got to Notre Dame, I knew I had to give it a shot. I was hooked right away. Entering a sport as a freshman at any school can be quite daunting. However, the inherent nature of XC is exceedingly welcoming. You practice with everyone, regardless of age, and more importantly, you get a chance to “hang” with everyone which is not necessarily the case for other sports.
During my first three years running at NDA I thought I knew what I was doing, but it wasn’t until Coach Gard showed up for my senior year that I figured out, under his leadership, what it took to be a successful runner. I’m very thankful for being a part of that first season and most of all continuing to be friends with the Gard family and the NDA XC community.
I had a brief stint running at St. Norbert College (both XC and Track) before I transferred to Madison and retired from collegiate athletics. My career took me to Arkansas for a few years after college. Unfortunately, my time there was not filled with a lot of running. It wasn’t until I moved back to Green Bay in 2019 that I was able to get back into running again. I owe a lot of gratitude to Coach K (Alex Kimble) for his willingness to run with me and help me reinvigorate my love for running.
I am very appreciative that Coach Gard invited me to help coach and be a part of this wonderful program. I’m really looking forward to coaching my second season for NDA XC!
-Coach Matt