Matt McGuirk

Head Coach
Office Phone: (503) 370-6898
E-mail: mmcguirk@willamette.edu

Matt McGuirk is in his sixth year as the head track and field coach at Willamette University and is in his 10th year on the coaching staff. He was named NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year in 2004 (men) and 2007 (women).

In both 2004 and 2005, the Willamette men’s team ended the season by bringing home NCAA trophies for Top 4 finishes. In the Northwest Conference, the Bearcats have set a high bar of excellence by winning 8 of 10 men’s and women’s team titles since 2004.

During his seasons at Willamette, McGuirk and his staff have coached 21 athletes to 42 All-American performances and have helped WU athletes win 211 All-Conference awards. One of McGuirk’s top athletes was seven-time NCAA National Champion Nick Symmonds, who won the 1,500 three times and the 800 four times. Symmonds was first in the 800 at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and competed at the Beijing Olympics, where he won his preliminary heat.

Among McGuirk’s proudest achievements is coaching three Bearcats (Jacob Stout, Aaron Hollingshead and Scott Overby) to All-American status at the 2004 NCAA Championships in the steeplechase, McGuirk's primary race as a collegiate and professional runner.

Prior to his arrival at Willamette, McGuirk was the first head coach at Wilsonville High School, where he built the cross country program from the ground up. In only its fifth year of existence, the school won its first State cross country title. Since then, Wilsonville has annually been one of the top Class 3A programs in Oregon.

McGuirk is a native of Eugene, Ore. After completing a decorated high school career at South Eugene High School, McGuirk embarked upon an excellent college career at the University of Oregon. At U of O, he became a member of a select group by lettering eight times in cross country and track & field. McGuirk also put his name in the Oregon record books by racing to All-America status in the steeplechase in 1984, helping the Ducks win the NCAA outdoor track and field national championship. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree and majors in Finance and Marketing.

McGuirk has shown an ability to transfer his athletic experiences into true coaching expertise, allowing dedicated student-athletes to realize immediate results while working toward long-term goals.

Coaching Quick Facts

Hometown: Eugene, Oregon
High School: South Eugene
Alma Mater: University of Oregon, ‘88 (B.A. in Finance/Marketing)
Running Career: 1983 U.S. Junior Steeplechase Champion; Ranked Top 40 in the world in steeplechase (1992 & 1993) Placed seventh in the steeplechase in the 1992 Olympic Trials, setting a personal record of 8:26.10; 1993 Olympic Festival steeplechase champion
Head Coaching Highlights: 2004 Men - 3rd place finish at Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships; 2005 Men - 4th place finish at Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships; Northwest Conference titles in men's cross country (7, 2001-2007), women's cross country (5, 2004-2008), men's track and field (4, 2004-06, 2009), women's track and field (6, 2004-09)

Brett Franz

Recruiting Coordinator / Assistant Coach
Jumps/Multi-Events
Office Phone: (503) 370-6934
E-mail: bfranz@willamette.edu

Brett Franz is in his third year on the Bearcat staff and will oversee the sprints, jumps, hurdles and multi-events. Franz joined the Willamette coaching staff after being the head men’s and women’s cross country and distance coach at Lindenwood University (Mo.). In addition to coaching the distance runners, he was the head assistant coach for the track and field teams.

As Lindenwood’s head assistant coach, Franz worked with a squad that has had 50 NAIA Track and Field All-Americans, including 11 NAIA National Champions. He helped guide the Lindenwood men to an NAIA Indoor National Championship as well as an Outdoor National runner-up finish. The women’s squad finished fourth at the Indoor National Championship and sixth at the Outdoor National Championship.

The track and field team at Lindenwood included Donald Thomas, the 2007 World Champion in the high jump, plus Michael Rodgers (100m) and James Jenkins (triple jump), who were qualifiers and finalists at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Also at Lindenwood was Kayann Thompson, the 2004 World Junior bronze medalist at 800 meters.

Under his direction, the Lindenwood men’s cross country team placed third at the NAIA National Championships, while the women’s cross country team placed 15th. He coached the NAIA men’s National Champion and runner-up in cross country. Franz was selected as HAAC Conference and NAIARegion V Coach of the Year for men’s cross country.

Franz received a master’s degree in Athletic Administration from Lindenwood. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business from Western Oregon University.

Christopher Sabato

Assistant Coach
Office Phone: (503) 370-6803
E-mail: csabato@willamette.edu

Christopher Sabato returns to the Willamette University coaching staff for his fourth year as an assistant coach with the cross country and track & field teams. Sabato works with the cross country team in the fall and coaches the pole vaulters during the spring. At the 2008 Northwest Conference Championships, Bearcat athletes took third in the women’s pole vault and placed fifth and tied for sixth in the men’s pole vault. Sabato’s athletes currently hold five of Willamette’s Top 10
all-time marks in the women’s pole vault.

Sabato started his coaching career at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. At Rhodes, he was an assistant for a program that had 37 All-Conference athletes and four NCAA Division III national qualifiers during his two seasons.

Sabato attended Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y., where he graduated in 2002 with a degree in electrical engineering. During his collegiate track and field career, Sabato competed in the sprints, the long jump, and the pole vault. He was a three-time All-State pole vaulter in the New York State Collegiate Track Conference.

Along with his coaching duties, Sabato is the web master for the Willamette athletics web site and is a web programer for the University’s web team. He also designs some of the covers and inside pages used in media guides produced by the Athletics Department.

Gery Ellibee '73

Assistant Coach
Sprints/Jumps

Gery Ellibee (’73) has been a fixture in Willamette Track & Field for over thirty years. He competed at Willamette as a standout jumper and as a football player. As a Bearcat, he set six school records in the sprints and jumps. Ellibee still holds the long jump record with a leap of 23’9.75”. He has coached some of the top jumpers in the Northwest Conference, including Lindsey Patterson, who attained All-America honors in the long jump in 2004. He currently coahces Willamette’s sprinters and jumpers.

While completing graduate school, he began helping his college coach Chuck Bowles with the Willamette track and field program. Ellibee has been the Bearcats' emotional leader ever since. Prior to Willamette, Ellibee was a junior college All-American at Spokane Falls Community College, where he was a part of two national record setting distance medley teams.

Tyler May '05

Assistant Coach
Hurdles

Tyler May (’05) has been helping coach the Bearcats since the 2006 season. He will work with the hurdlers this spring. May competed in the decathlon as a student-athlete at Willamette and earned All-America honors with third place national finishes at the NCAA Championships in 2004 and 2005. He is third on Willamette’s all-time list in the decathlon with 7,107 points in 2005.

Bobbi Wright '06

Assistant Coach
Distance

Bobbi Wright (’06) is in her second year on the Willamette coaching staff. While competing for the Bearcats in track and field, she scored in three consecutive conference meets in the steeplechase. As a Willamette cross country runner, she participated at the NCAA Championships in 2004. This spring, she will help coach the Bearcat distance runners.