Matt Lea returns as Head Coach of the men’s and women’s track and field
and cross country teams. Lea was an assistant coach for two years before
taking over.
During the 2010 cross country season Lea helped two runners from his
cross country teams earn a spot, and compete at the NCAA Championships.
In 2011, five members of the track and field teams earned individual
SCIAC championships. Three individuals earned All-America status
including multiple national champion thrower Eric Flores.
Lea has major coaching experience including two years at the NCAA
Division I level at UC Santa Barbara. During his short time at UC Santa
Barbara, he was part of coaching staff that won the women’s Big West
Conference Championship.
He has coached nine outdoor regional and national qualifiers, six Big
West Champions and eight UC Santa Barbara School Records. Under Lea’s
direction, Kylie McCuen earned Big West Conference Female Athlete of the
Year in 2005.
An accomplished competitor in his own right, Lea was an NCAA
All-American and in 2001 his 4x400 meter relay team finished fourth in
the nation. He was also a four-time All-Pac 10 honoree in the
400-meter.
Off the track, Lea was recently named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches of America (USTFCCCA) West Region Representative for track & field. He will serve two consecutive two-year terms.
Lea has also served as the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as a national facilitator. He helps younger student-athletes and administrators around the country develop better leadership abilities and skills that they can take back to their own institutions.
Lea earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Arizona in 2003. He is currently working on his Masters of Business Administration here at Cal Lutheran University.
He is married to Rebecca, a former hurdler from the University of Arizona. They have a son, Jordan, born on Nov. 23, 2009.