New Orleans, LA --- Worcester State assistant coach Matt Swett (Worcester, MA/South) has been tabbed by his peers from around the region as the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) New England Men's Indoor Track Assistant Coach of the Year.
This season Swett has helped guide the hurdles, sprints and vertical jumps groups and current junior Terrence Gibson (Rockland, MA) to the second overall seed at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships. With help from Swett, Gibson has also captured 55 and 55 meter hurdles Alliance titles as well as to 60 and 60 meter hurdles Division III New England crowns.
In addition to posting the sixth fastest split in Division III history with his outstanding 60 meter hurdles time (7.99) at the Open New England Championships, Gibson was also tied for third in the 60 (6.80) and tied for 15th in the 200 (21.81) nationally for the 2013-14 season. He will try to defend his 60 meter hurdles National Championship on Friday at the Indoor Championships.
Other student-athletes have had strong indoor campaigns due to Swett's tutelage.
Senior Andrew Johnson (Thompson, CT) earned postseason honors in all three regional meets which included the Division III New England's, the ECAC Championships while tying for fourth, scoring points for the first time at the prestigious Open New England meet. Junior Duy Truong (Worcester, MA/Doherty) also put up the 28th best time in the 60 meter hurdles in Division III in the trials of the ECACs (8.31).
Senior female student-athlete Christy Deininger (N. Attleboro, MA) is also competing at the Division III Indoor National Championships this week for the first time in her career. She tied for the 15th best time and claimed the 14th seed in the 60 meter hurdles with a runner-up finish at the ECAC Championships and a new program standard.
The Blue and Gold men's program claimed their second consecutive top 10 finish at the Division III New England Championships (8th), achieved a top 20 finish at the Open New England's (Tied 18th) and their highest ever point total, equaling third place at the ECACs.
Swett, himself, is a former Worcester State standout and 2005 graduate. As a multi-sport athlete, he was second overall in the decathlon at the Open New England's in his junior semester and a runner-up in the pentathlon the senior year of his indoor campaign at the Division III New England Championships. Over the course of his career he recorded personal bests in 13 different events.
Since joining the men's program in the spring of 2007 and taking over the reins of the women's hurdles and vertical jumps group in 2013, Swett has used his wealth of knowledge to help 16 capture All-Division III New England laurels, 12 have been handed All-ECAC certificates and four have recognized among the best in the region with Open New England status.
USTFCCCA Men's & Women's Division III All-Regional Awards
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