Matthew Barreau

Matthew Barreau -- Head Coach, Cross Country/Distance

(Fourth year)

Coach Matthew Barreau started his tenure as the Head Cross Country/Distance Coach in the fall of 2011 inheriting a few stars and the seeds of a new level of success for the program. He continued the USA-South Conference Title runs with the men claiming their 20th consecutive title in 2012. He helped senior Jade Zaharoff to her first XC National Championships in 2011 and then Ray Gamache followed in 2012. In the interim, he directed Dira Hansen to Track & Field Nationals appearances in the 800m and big improvements to her School Records. Strong performances with depth on the men's side earned him South/Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors in the spring of 2012.

In the years since, Barreau has instilled his own social-media infused flavor in the program with his #good2great and #WinTheDay taglines that help define the team's approach and culture. The CNU Department of Athletics joined the Capital Athletic Conference in 2013 and the XC Women grabbed the first title for the Captains. The men were a hard-fought Runner-Up before posting their highest finish at the S/SE Region Championships in several years (4th). The men's indoor Mile School Record fell and the women's outdoor 1500m Record was eclipsed as senior Jess McClelland made her way to an 11th Place finish at the NCAA Div. III Outdoor Championships. She was accompanied by freshman 800m runner Logan Harrington who finished 17th and also anchored the 10th Place 4x400m Relay.

Barreau has coached 4 CNU runners to the USATF Junior National Championships. 10 Cross Country Sub-24 (6k) and Sub-26 (8k) Club entries have been earned during his tenure along with 6 Indoor & Outdoor School Records and another 53 All-Time Performances in the distance events on the track.

Prior to his tenure at CNU, Barreau logged a dozen years combined experience at the NCAA Div. I, Div. II, NAIA, and high school levels and found success at every stop. Highlights include a stint as a Graduate Assistant Coach at Div. II powerhouse Adams State College. Well known for their Cross Country and Distance successes, the Adams State program established by Joe Vigil – legendary distance coach and one of the founders of USA Track & Field’s Coaching Education Program – and carried on by Damon Martin who himself had earned 29 National Coach of the Year awards and 27 National Championships.

After coaching at Adams State, Barreau was hired as the Assistant Coach at Division I Portland State University in charge of the Cross Country & Distance program. In three years, his athletes captured 16 School Records and 104 spots on the PSU Top-10 Lists. He had two of qualifiers for the NCAA Regionals and three for USA Track & Field’s Junior National Championships where Melissa Owens ran 2:08.61 for 6th Place and followed that up with a 9th place finish in just her second ever 1500m (4:36.00).

Most recently, Barreau coached the sprinters and distance runners at Bethune-Cookman, helping 400m Hurdler Eric Cray qualify for the Div. I National Championships and has been working for RunnerSpace.com as editor for their Training Site and Colorado Site.