 Jeff
Langdon
Head Coach
Men's Cross Country/Track
An institution within Belmont Athletics, Jeff
Langdon enters his fifteenth year as Belmont's head coach for the
men's cross country and track teams.
Since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference in
the fall of 2001, Belmont University has become synonymous with cross
country success. Under Langdon’s leadership, BU has won a staggering
five consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference Championships, the most recent
in 2006 in dominating fashion. The Bruins had five of the top seven
finishers, including individual champion, Collin Magut. Five Bruins
were named All-Atlantic Sun and Clay Hannah earned A-Sun Freshman
of the Year honors. Langdon also was named Atlantic Sun Coach of the
Year for a fifth time.
Undoubtly, since the program's move to Division
I seven years ago, the men's cross country program has been the model
of consistency. In addition to his conference titles, Langdon’s
teams have finished in the top-12 at the NCAA South Regional each
of the past eight years. All told, Langdon has produced 11 All-Region
runners and 24 All-Atlantic Sun performers. Adding to the team's competitive
success, they have also excelled in the classroom. This past year,
nine Bruin runners earned Academic All-Conference distinction. Furthermore,
the program had the highest team grade point average in Division I
during the 2005 according to the United States Cross Country Coaches
Association.
The BU track and field program has also emerged
under Langdon’s direction, and is coming off of its most successful
season in program history. The Bruin indoor team finished a school-best
second place at the 2007 A-Sun Indoor Championship, highlighted by
Hillary Cheruiyot earning meet Most Outstanding Performer honors.
In all, Belmont won five individual titles. The high level of competition
carried into the outdoor season, as BU once again earned a program-best
finish, this time third. Belmont had four individual champions, most
notably Collin Magut winning the 800m and earning two seconds en eoute
to his second consecutive Most Outstanding Track Performer award.
Magut, Ryan Snellen, and Jacob Buckman also qualified for the NCAA
Regional meet in the 5000m. With 24 total All-Atlantic Sun honorees
from the two seasons, 2007 was unquestionably a banner year for Belmont
Track & Field.
For Langdon, coaching is a natural extension
from his competitive days at Belmont where he ran from 1979-83. He
was an outdoor track All-American in the marathon, an Academic All-American
and the 1982 District 24 Individual Champion in the marathon. Langdon
was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in September
of 1994.
A native of Fairfield, Ohio, Jeff and his wife
Kelly, also a Belmont graduate, have one daughter, Jenna.
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 Danel
Matena
Assistant Coach
Men's Cross Country/Track
Daniel
Matena joins the Belmont coaching staff in 2007 for his first year
as a coach after a successful collegiate career. Daniel graduated
from Belmont University in December 2005 with a Masters in Sport Administration.
Prior, he graduated from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia
(Dec, 2004) with a Bachelor of Education (Physical Education/Spanish).
Coach Matena was a part of the A-Sun Cross Country
Conference Championship team in 2005, finishing fourth individdually.
He also received All- Academic Honors and All-Conference Honors during
his time at Belmont.
Since graduating from Belmont, Daniel has been
teaching Physical Education and Science at a number of Elementary
and Middle Schools in Australia. During this time he has maintained
his competitive running and training regimes, recently finishing second
at the South Australian State 12km Cross Country Championships. Daniel
has won a variety of National medals in Australia in the steeplechase
and 3000m events. In addition, Daniel has represented Australia at
the international level, where he competed at the World University
Cross Country Championships in Collegno, Italy in 2004, finishing
a respectable 56th. Other highlights include finishing 23rd at the
National Australian Cross Country Championships in 2006.
Daniel has been the cross country coach at several
of his middle schools, taking teams to both Regional and State Schools
Championships in Adelaide, Australia. Matena also has a strong interest
in Event Management and brings experience to the table where he will
also continue to compete in road races and will also help with race
management in the local Nashville area to help further promote distance
running in the community.
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 Josh
McMillian
Assistant Coach
Josh
McMillian begins his second season as a assistant coach with Belmont
men’s cross country/track and field program. He will work with
the program’s field event athletes. For the last two seasons,
McMillian served as a graduate assistant with the cross country/track
program.
The
native of St. Peter’s, Missouri, McMillian is a 2003 graduate
of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri with a Bachelor
of Arts degree in Physical Education/Health. He earned his Master’s
degree in Sports Administration from Belmont last May. In addition,
Josh was recently certified USATF Level II in both the throws and
jumps and also certified USAW level I.
While
at Lindenwood, McMillian was a thrower for the university’s
track and field team. He was a NAIA National Indoor Track Qualifier
in the weight throw and shot put the last two years, finishing 11th
in the shot-put in 2003. McMillian was also a NAIA National Outdoor
Qualifier in the shot-put in both 2003 and 2004 and finished seventh
in 2003. In addition to his exploits nationally, he also was a six-time
conference indoor and outdoor champion in both the shot and weight
throw events.
Josh
resides in Nashville.
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 Taylor
Garvin
Volunteer Assistant Coach
Taylor Garvin begins his first season as a volunteer
assistant coach with the Belmont men’s track and field/cross
country team. Garvin is a native of Maineville, Ohio and graduated
from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Operations Management
in May of 2007. During his time at UC, he also had a successful athletic
career running on the Bearcats team.
A former steeplechaser at UC with a PR of 9:12
for the steeplechase and 14:53 for the 5000m, Garvin will bring both
experience and insight to the team where he will be working particularly
with the steeplechasers.
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