GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman head cross country/track and field coach Robert Gary announced today the hiring of former Paladin athlete Matt Lange as the team's new assistant coach. Lange will help supervise training for all athletes, organize recruiting, and oversee alumni reunion plans to coincide with Furman's hosting of the 2024 Southern Conference Cross Country Championship.
"The experience and enthusiasm Coach Lange brings back to Furman will have an immediate impact on our team, our recruiting, and our ability to position our program for NCAA success at the highest level," said Gary. "Coach Lange has worked with one of the best middle distance professional teams in the country during his time with the District Track Club Team, he's coached and recruited to an elite academic institution at George Washington University, and he's been on a staff that finished as high as second at the NCAA Championship at Iowa State. Those skills alone set him apart during the interview process, but his personal knowledge of our program as one of our first recruits who found passion and purpose in our profession made him a clear front candidate. We are thrilled to have Coach Lange back in Greenville."
A native of Schenectady, N.Y., Lange was a four-year letter winner for the Paladins from 2013-2017, when the Paladins won four-consecutive SoCon Championships and qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2014 and 2015. An All-SoCon selection for cross country in 2016, Lange was a member of the SoCon Academic Honor Roll.
Upon graduation from Furman, Lange competed as a graduate student at George Washington during the 2017-18 season, becoming one of the first two student-athletes in program history to qualify for the NCAA East Preliminaries, where he ran in the 3,000m steeplechase. He earned All-Atlantic-10 honors for cross country and outdoor track, set the school cross country record at 10K at the Mid-Atlantic Regional meet, and was a member of the Colonials' school-record 4xMile team.
"First, I would like to thank Robert, Rita, and Logan for the opportunity to join such an experienced, caring, and driven staff," said Lange. "When I started to think about getting into collegiate coaching, it wasn't just to be a college coach, it was to be a coach at Furman University. Now being able to give back to the program that provided me so much is truly a full circle moment. I can't wait to help both the current and future generations of student-athletes here at Furman achieve their goals. This is a special place and I am thrilled to be here!"
Lange has spent the last two seasons as the recruiting coordinator/assistant coach at Iowa State, where he helped the Cylone men to a second-place finish and the women to a ninth-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships, the women's program's first top-10 team finish since 2014. During Lange's time on staff, the Iowa State women produced six All-Big 12 and four All-Midwest Region performers in cross country, and the team's success continued onto the track, as his work with the Cyclone women helped lead ISU to fifth at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, the team's best finish since 2014. Three Iowa State women earned all-conference honors in the steeplechase last season, with Janette Schraft finishing 14th at the NCAA Preliminaries.
As the Cyclone's recruiting coordinator, Lange signed eight athletes ranked among the top 20 nationally by Milesplit in their primary event, and his recruits combined for 41 state championships in their senior campaigns.
Prior to his time at Iowa State, Lange was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at George Washington from 2018-21. The GWU women finished in the top-3 of the Atlantic 10 in cross country each season that Lange was on staff, with three student-athletes earn All-Conference honors each year. The GWU women made history during outdoor track season, as Lange's steeplechasers Margaret Coogan and Kathryn Nohilly qualified for the NCAA East Preliminaries, marking the first time GWU had two student-athletes qualify for regionals in the same event.
While at George Washington, Lange also served as an assistant coach with the District Track Club of Washington, D.C., where he assisted with athlete development and team operations for the Under Armour funded professional team. He introduced strength-based training principles, resulting in team's first appearance on the world stage, as three athletes qualified for the 2019 Outdoor World Championships.
A 2017 graduate of Furman with a bachelor's degree in communications studies, Lange earned a master's degree in tourism administration with a concentration in sport management from George Washington.
What They're Saying About Furman Assistant Coach Matt Lange...
"Coach Matt Lange has been an amazing assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for our program His ability to connect with recruits and student athletes is one of his greatest skills. His knowledge and passion for the sport is evident on a daily basis while assisting our athletes and coaches. Coach Matt will be greatly missed, but we are excited for his next coaching role."
Amy Rudolf, Women's Cross Country Head Coach, Iowa State
"Matt is one of the best up and coming coaches in our sport. He was an integral part of our growth as a program during his time in DC ,while balancing that with helping lead George Washington University to some of the best performances in their school history. There are few people that can simultaneously coach at a high level on the collegiate and pro level, and that is a testament to the hustle and winning mentality that Matt brings wherever he goes. I look forward to seeing the success that Matt has at his alma mater and the impact he continues to make on the NCAA."
Tom Brumlik, Head Coach, District Track Club
