Matt Layten - Track & Field/XC Coach - University of North Texas Athletics

Matt Layten

Title:
Assistant Coach, Middle-Distance and Distance
Email:
matthew.layten@unt.edu

Matt Layten was named the cross country, distance, and middle distance coach at the University of North Texas in August of 2021.

In Layten’s first season guiding the Mean Green Cross Country program, the men’s program won two team titles at the UTA Gerald Richey Invitational, which included 3 North Texas runners breaking the course record, and at the Texas A&M Invitational, where North Texas defeated Texas A&M by 1 point at the Dale Watts Cross Country Course in College Station. The first championship season under Layten’s guidance saw the Mean Green men finish 3^rd at the 2021 Conference USA Cross Country Championships, the program’s highest finish since 2018 and just 12 points shy of the conference team title. During the 2021 season, the men’s program was ranked as high as 3^rd in the South Central Regional Rankings by the USTFCCCA, and included 4 athletes receiving All-Conference USA Honors, 2 receiving All-NCAA South Central Region Honors, and 2 athletes being named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team.

Prior to arriving at the University of North Texas, Layten spent 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.

Layten contributed to the Air Force distance program’s success during the 2021 track and field season that culminated in a 16^th place women’s team finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Layten contributed to this team success that included a National Championship performance by Mahala Norris in the women’s steeplechase, and a 3^rd place finish by Maria Mettler in the 10,000 meters who was also the top American finisher 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 Mahala Norris and Maria Mettler qualifying for the finals in the steeplechase and 10,000 meters. During the 2021 season, 4 Air Force athletes qualified for the NCAA West Preliminaries, set a new school record in the 1500 meters, and accounted for 3 Mountain West Conference Championships in the 1500m, steeplechase, and 5000 meters.

During the 2020 cross country season, Layten helped coach the Air Force men’s team to the 2020 Mountain West Cross Country team title, along with a 19^th 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 4^th at the NCAA Indoor Championships and 4^th at 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.

In 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 800m and Jaci Smith in the 5000m. 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 2 top 20 team finishes at the 2017 and 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Prior to arriving at 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.

Prior to 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.