Matt Gittermann returns for his 14th year after joining UMBC in 2008 as the head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach in charge of distance events. In his tenure he has produced two All Americans, twenty-six America East Conference Champions, and thirty-four school record holders.
In 2015, Gittermann coached Hassan Omar to become the first Retriever to win the America East Cross Country Championships. Additionally, Omar went on to place 27th at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships, earning All-America accolades in the process.
In 2014, Gittermann coached Andrew Smith to the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in the 800m where he earned All-American status.
In 2013, Gittermann brought the America East title back to UMBC, the first for the men's squad since 2005. Omar earned a third place finish to pace the Retrievers, while Andrew Smith earned a tenth place finish. UMBC edged out host Binghamton to take the crown. The win also gave Gittermann another honor, as his staff was named 2013 America East Coaching Staff of the Year.
Gittermann has also been a part of five track & field coaching staffs that earned America East Staff of the Year honors (2013 Indoor-Men, 2014 Outdoor-Men, 2015 Indoor-Women, 2015 Outdoor–Women, 2017-Outdoor-Men).
Gittermann has a USATF Level II Certification in sprints, hurdles, relays and endurance. In addition he has obtained his USTFCCCA Strength and Conditioning, USAW, and USAPL coaching certifications. He was also one of 20 collegiate and high school coaches selected to attend the USATF/United States Olympic Committee Emerging Elite Endurance Coaching Clinic at the Olympic Training Facility at Chula Vista, Calif.
Gittermann previously served as the cross country and track and field coach at Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City, Md., since August 2004. All four of his boys’ cross country teams at Mount Hebron (2A/3A) had finished among the top eight in the state championships, peaking with a fourth-place finish in 2007. The Mount Hebron girls’ program also rose to prominence, finishing third at the state championships in 2007.
The track programs were also extremely strong under Gittermann’s leadership. His 2005 boys’ indoor team and 2007 girls’ outdoor squad both finished as runners-up at the state championships. Overall, Mount Hebron broke more than 80 school records, produced 15 individual state champions and one All-American during Gittermann’s tenure.
Gittermann started his coaching career as head track and field coach at neighboring Hammond High School in the fall of 2003. The January 2003 graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, earned four letters in cross country and three in track and field.
The Lewiston, N.Y., native earned his bachelor’s degree in middle childhood education from Baldwin-Wallace and completed his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with administrative focus from McDaniel College in May 2008.
He currently teaches science in the Howard County Public School System and resides in Sykesville, Md. with his wife, Megan, and their daughters, Ryleigh and McKenna.
Matt Gittermann By the Numbers
- · 2 All Mid-Atlantic Region Cross Country Team members
· 11 All-America East Conference runners in Cross Country
· 1 NCAA Cross Country Championship Qualifier
· 1 NCAA Cross Country All-American
· 1 NCAA Cross Country Academic All American
· 1 Men’s Cross Country Conference Champion
· 3 NCAA Cross Country All American Academic Teams
· 8 Men’s Indoor Track Conference Champions
· 6 Women’s Indoor Track Conference Champions
· 10 Men’s Outdoor Track Conference Champions
· 2 Women’s Outdoor Track Conference Champions
· 1 NCAA Indoor Track Championship Qualifier
· 1 NCAA Second Team All-American Indoor Track
· 6 NCAA Outdoor Track East Preliminary Round Qualifiers
· 62 All-Conference runners in Track
· 118 Individual qualifiers for the IC4A/ECAC Championships
· 42 Relay qualifiers for the IC4A/ECAC championships
· 6 All-IC4A/ECAC Outdoor Track Athletes
· 1 IC4A Individual Champion
· 1 America East Indoor Track Performer of the Meet
· 1 America East Newcomer of the Year for Indoor Track
· 2 America East Outdoor Track Performer of the Meet
· 34 school records broken by athletes
· 32 All America East Academic Team Members
· 1 America East Fall Scholar Athlete
· 4 America East Presidential Scholar-Athlete
· 1 NCAA Outdoor Track Academic All American
