University of North Texas Athletics
Layten to Lead Cross Country
8/23/2021 11:00:00 AM | Cross Country, Track & Field/XC
DENTON, Texas – Matt Layten has been appointed as the North Texas head cross country coach and will also command the middle-distance and distance runners for Mean Green track and field, director of track and field Carl Sheffield announced.
Layten spent the last four years with the cross country and track and field program at the United States Air Force Academy. Layten, who initially joined the staff as the team's Director of Operations in 2017, worked as a coach for the Falcons' middle-distance and distance runners during both the track and cross country seasons.
"Matt Layten joins our staff with a huge level of confidence from an outstanding distance program at the Air Force Academy," Sheffield said. "He is a seasoned coach with the energy to move our teams back to the top of Conference USA."
Layten contributed to the Air Force distance program's success during the 2021 track and field season that culminated in a 16th place women's team finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Layten coached Mahala Norris to a national championship performance in the women's steeplechase and Maria Mettler to a third-place finish in the 10,000-meters, the top finish by an American in the event. The 2021 track and field season concluded with Layten assisting two Falcons to the United States Olympic Track and Field Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon, which included Norris and Mettler qualifying for the finals in the steeplechase and 10,000 meters, respectively. During the 2021 season, four Air Force athletes qualified for the NCAA West Preliminaries, set a new school record in the 1500-meters, and accounted for three Mountain West Conference Championships in the 1500, steeplechase and 5000-meters.
"We are going to miss Matt — he's been a tireless recruiter, and his contribution to our program was huge," Ralph Lindeman, US Air Force head track and field coach, said. "I've been watching him grow as a coach for the past four years, and he was more than ready for an opportunity like this. Look out for North Texas cross country and distance in the coming years!"
Layten coached the Air Force men's team to the 2020 Mountain West Cross Country team title along with a 19th place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Within 11 days during the rescheduled 2020 Cross Country season, Air Force's Mahala Norris won the Mountain West Cross Country Championship, finished fourth at both the NCAA Indoor Championships and the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Norris would then go on to be named the USTFCCCA Mountain Region Athlete of the Year for cross country.
The success continued into the shortened 2020 track season, as the Falcons' middle-distance and distance athletes combined for one Academy record, one conference title and two appearances at the NCAA Indoor Championships by Michael Rhoads and Maria Mettler.
During the 2019 track and field season, Layten helped produce a Mountain West Conference Champion in the 800-meters, as well as two All-American performances, including Michael Rhoads in the 800 and Jaci Smith in the 5000-meters. Layten also saw the women's cross country team place eighth at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships – the best Division I finish in program history – and account for a pair of All-American runners. Layten was also a part of two conference championship teams in track and field, where the Falcons claimed the 2018 Mountain West Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championship titles, as well as a pair of top 20 team finishes at the 2017 and 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Prior to Air Force, Layten was an assistant coach at San José State University, where he worked with the cross country program and the distance runners of the track team. He helped with the resurrection of the Spartans' track program, assisting the men's cross country program in becoming a top-15 team in the West Region and helping both the men's and women's squads to their highest finishes at the Mountain West Cross Country Championships. Layten helped the Spartans produce their first qualifiers to the NCAA West Preliminary and a fifth-place finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2015 U.S. Junior National Championships.
Before his stint at San José State, Layten served as the head cross country coach at Hillsdale High School and was an assistant track coach at South San Francisco High School in California. He co-founded the Cal Poly Distance Club in San Luis Obispo, Calif., in 2010, and served as its president and assistant coach. The collegiate-aged group of runners recorded two NIRCA regional championships and a top-10 finish at the 2011 NIRCA National Championships.
Layten served as a Regional Representative for the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Association's (USTFCCCA) Division I Cross Country Executive Committee from 2019-2021. Layten also holds a USATF Level 2 certification in the endurance events and is USTFCCCA-certified in strength and conditioning. Layten holds a bachelor's degree in political science from California Polytechnic State University and a master's degree in kinesiology from San José State University.
"I want to thank Coach Sheffield for the opportunity to lead the cross country program and distance and middle distance athletes here at the University of North Texas," Layten said. "I'm looking forward to working with this very special group as we pursue championship-level success at the Conference USA and NCAA level in both track and field and cross country."
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