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A native of North Attleboro, MA, Gary Gardner enters his fifth year with the UMass Lowell cross country and track and field programs after a highly successful four seasons which saw him guide 49 athletes to All-American honors. Previously, Gardner served as the head coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) and as an assistant at Trinity (CT) College following a stellar career at Keene State.
Over his four seasons, Gardner has earned coach of the year honors from numerous affiliations such as the NCAA, U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), New England Track Coaches Association (NETCA) as well as the Northeast-10 Conference. In the 2005-06 season alone, Gardner was named USTFCCCA Northeast Region and Northeast-10 Conference Women's Coach of the Year in all three seasons.
Gardner has led the men's cross country team to three NCAA Northeast Region championships in the last four years and simultaneously guided the River Hawk women to their first NCAA Northeast Region title in 2005. At the NCAA championship, the UML men and women each finished 17th. In Gardner's four seasons with the cross country teams, the River Hawk men have finished sixth, 10th, 13th and 17th while the women have placed 22nd twice and 17th last year.
UML's success in cross country has traditionally carried into the track and field seasons. Gardner and his staff have helped the UML teams to the best combined men and women's finish in four of the last five New England Indoor and Outdoor Championships, which pits Division I, II and III schools against one another. At the 2006 indoor championship, the UML men and women both placed fourth overall and tops among Division II schools.
Over the 2005-06 season, 20 UML athletes competed at the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships: 13 athletes in six events at the indoor games and seven in nine events at the outdoor games. Highlighting the year were the spectacular efforts of the UML women, all five of whom earned All-American honors, including Enjoli Edwards (shot put) and Toni-Marie Henry (triple jump), who placed second.
A 1994 graduate of Keene State, he was a four-year cross country runner for the Owls as well as a five-time All-New England standout in the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Gardner and his wife, Caitlin, live in Auburn, MA, with their son Kiernan (1).
Click here to send mail to Gary
One of the greatest distance runners in UMass Lowell history,
Nate Jenkins enters his second season on the River Hawk coaching staff.
A 2004 graduate, Jenkins enjoyed a storied career at UML which included capturing the NCAA Northeast Region championship in 2004. He also was the recipient of the David Boutin Award as a senior, which is awarded to the UML student-athlete who exemplifies excellence in leadership in athletics, academics and service to the community.
During his time, Jenkins guided the River Hawks to three NCAA Northeast Region titles, which led to appearances at the NCAA Championship. As a junior, he helped UML to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championship, UML highest result since winning the national title in 1991.
Upon graduation, Jenkins spent the 2004-05 season coaching at Tewksbury H.S. Currently sponsored by Reebok, Jenkins was named the top distance runner in New England, as he won three of the five events in the New England Gran Prix.
You might also recall that Nate (along with Casey & Patrick Moulton) ran 2:15 in the Freescale Marathon to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials and then PR'd at the Trials with 2:14 which was good for 7th place.
Jenkins lives in Lowell, MA and works at Marx Running & Fitness in Lowell - where he can often be found talking about and helping runners.
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