At the start of the fall season, the Binghamton men’s and women’s cross country teams welcomed a new addition to the program, assistant coach Matt Gosselin. Gosselin, a former volunteer assistant at UPenn, is set to begin his career as a Bearcat following the cross country season. He will serve as an assistant coach for BU’s track and field programs in the winter and spring.
Before starting his coaching career, Gosselin ran for Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He went on to be a volunteer assistant coach for the Bulldogs following graduation in 2012 before moving across the country to Vermont to serve as a volunteer assistant coach at St. Martin’s. Gosselin then moved to Philadelphia, where he coached the UPenn Quakers for two years before coming to Binghamton.
Following the departure of assistant coach Edward Novara to Rochester last summer, head coach Annette Acuff had been looking for a fresh face to add to the program. Following up on a recommendation from one of her colleagues, Acuff brought Gosselin to BU, and now the newest member of the Binghamton coaching staff is looking to pick up right where he left off.
“I was a part of a really national-level program [at Gonzaga], and I know what it takes to get there,” Gosselin said. “I know what it takes to have that type of success and to build into that.”
But as excited as he is to finally have a go as a non-volunteer coach, Gosselin is fully aware of the weight that accompanies this opportunity.
“This is really the first chance that I have at it,” Gosselin said. “This is a competitive industry, and if you don’t succeed, there aren’t a whole lot of people who are going to give you a second chance.”
Gosselin believes strongly in the legacy that has been laid out before him here at Binghamton and is excited to build from it and further strengthen the program.
“So much of what I’m doing [has been] built upon by the people before me,” he said. “There’s a lot that I still have to learn, but I also can help bring in a fresh perspective.”
Though only in his first season, Gosselin isn’t focused solely on this year. Instead, he is looking ahead to the future, be it for each individual athlete, the team or his coaching career.
“As a coach, if you’re focusing on the short term … you may get first one year, but you’re going to get fifth in three years.” Gosselin added, “I’m a very, very competitive person, and I’d like to eventually win a national championship. That’s my goal.”
Gosselin continues to run, often alongside the team. While a natural hobby for the lifelong runner, running also helps Gosselin better connect with each of his runners.
“It gives me an added perspective because I know the devotion that they’re going through, and if I’m expecting them to do it, then I have to do it,” he said. “It shows them that I know what I’m talking about. I know what they’re feeling. I feel what they’re feeling.”
The cross country teams are set to toe the line on Friday at Lehigh University for the Paul Short Run. The races will begin at 10 a.m.