FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State Director of Track and Field announced the hiring of Matthew McGee to lead program's jumps and combined events groups. McGee heads to the Central Valley with nearly 20 years of coaching experience.
"We are thrilled to add Coach McGee to our staff," Drake said. "I have had the pleasure of working with Matt in the past, and when we had an open position he was my first call! To get a coach with his experience and his proven success at the highest level to come to the Valley is exciting. He can step in and immediately make us better!"
McGee spent the past three years at University of San Francisco where he oversaw the program's sprints, hurdles, jumps, throws and combined events. His groups broke nine University records, had three NCAA qualifiers, the first in the program's history outside of the distance events. Gabriella Mace, placed 18th at the 2022 West regional in the 400h running 58.41. Olivia Alexandre qualified in the 800 with a best of 2:04.16, and in the 400-meter hurdles. She placed fifth in the 400h at the French national championship running a new PB of 57.40.
Prior to USF, he spent two seasons at Texas. During the 2018-19 season, McGee was instrumental in helping Ashtin Zamzow become just the second woman in school history to be named a semifinalist for The Bowerman, and Big 12 Athlete of the Year. She was the first Longhorn to win the heptathlon at the Texas Relays, the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Zamzow shattered the school record with a 6,222-point tally en route to winning Texas' first national title in the heptathlon.
Zamzow also captured the Big 12 title indoors and finished third in at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pentathlon under McGee.
His second year saw him coach freshman Leo Neugebaurer (2024 Olympic silver medalist) to the Big 12 Indoor heptathlon title in his first collegiate heptathlon with total of 5,848 points which also qualified him for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
In three seasons at Arizona, McGee's student-athletes earned nine All-America honors and won five Pac-12 titles. In addition, Alyssa Thompson was named the 2018 Pac-12 Conference Women's Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year under his watch. She was a two-time Pac-12 all-conference performer and an All-American.
Lisanna Hagens, a first team All-American indoors, claimed the 2017 Indoor MPSF title as well as her 2016 and 2017 Pac-12 Outdoor titles in the high jump.
In 2017, Justice Summerset became the first Arizona true freshman high jumper to claim first team All-America honors at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He finished third outdoors and seventh indoors.
In McGee's first season at Arizona, Pau Tonnesen placed second at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships in the heptathlon. During the outdoor season, Tonnesen earned his second consecutive Pac-12 decathlon title and finished fourth at NCAA Outdoors to claim Pac-12 Field Athlete of the Year honors. That summer, McGee coached Tonnesen during the Rio Olympic Games where he finished 17th representing his mother's native country of Spain.
Prior to joining Arizona's staff, McGee spent ten seasons at his alma mater, Washington State, coaching the jumpers and combined event athletes. He coached numerous All-Americans and conference champions in all four of the jumping events.
McGee coached six of the top ten vaulters in the program's history, with Kristine Felix becoming the first pole vault conference champion when she won the Pac-12 title during the 2013 season. Tyson Byers also finished third at the 2007 NCAA indoor Championships.
Five male high jumpers reached at least 7-00 and five females reached at least 5-10.75 during McGee's tenure. Trent Arrivey was a three time All-American, Pac-10 Conference and NCAA West Region champion, reaching a best of 7-4.25 (2.25m). Holly Parent became an All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier reaching a best of 6-0.75 (1.85m).
During the 2015 season WSU had three women reach at least 5-10 (1.78m) in the high jump, with Audrey Ketcham advancing to the NCAA Championships and earning All-America honors after leaping 5-11.50 (1.82m) at the NCAA Preliminary round. Charlotte Muschamp won the Pac-12 women's high jump conference title during the 2014 season. She reached a best of 5-11.5 (1.82m) while also finishing second in the triple jump with a best of 42-1.25 (12.83m).
Stephan Scott-Ellis became a four-time All-American and four-time conference champion in the long and triple jumps.
A native of San Francisco, Calif., McGee attended College of Marin and Diablo Valley College where he competed in the decathlon. He then transferred to Washington State where he walked on as a junior and became an NCAA Prelims qualifier and two-time conference scorer, including a second-place finish in the javelin at the 2003 Pac-10 Championships. He graduated from WSU in 2003 with a degree in philosophy. He was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team as well as an Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar second team. He also earned a Pac-10 Post-Graduate Scholarship.