Head Coach Gary Gardner

A native of North Attleboro, MA, Gary Gardner enters his fourth year with the UMass Lowell cross country and track and field programs after a highly successful three seasons which saw him guide 31 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 three seasons, Gardner has earned coach of the year honors from numerous affiliations such as the NCAA, U.S. Track Coaches Association (USTCA), New England Track Coaches Association (NETCA) as well as the Northeast-10 Conference. In the 2004-05 season alone, Gardner was named the NCAA Northeast Region Men's Coach of the Year as well as the NE-10 men's and women's indoor coach of the year. Gardner was also voted the USTCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year by his peers.

Gardner led the men's cross country team to its fifth straight NCAA Northeast Region championship and simultaneously guided the River Hawk women to their second consecutive runner-up finish at the Northeast Region championship. At the NCAA championship, the UML men finished 13th in the country while the women took 22nd. In Gardner's three seasons with the men's cross country team, the River Hawks have finished sixth, 10th and 13th at the NCAA championship.

UML's success in cross country has traditionally carried into the track and field seasons. Gardner and assistant coaches Mike Ekstrand and Barbara Smith have helped the UML teams to the best combined men and women's finish in three of the last four New England Indoor and Outdoor Championships, which pits Division I, II and III schools against one another. At the 2004 indoor and outdoor meets, the UML women placed second while the men took third. At the 2004 indoors, the men placed second while the women took third. At all four men's and women's meets, UML has been the top-finishing Division II team.

Over the 2004-05 indoor and outdoor season, 28 River Hawk men and women qualified for the NCAA Championship while 11 earned All-American status over five events.

Prior to UML, Gardner was the head coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy following three years as a graduate assistant at Trinity College. 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, born August 25, 2005.

Assistant Coach Mike Ekstrand

Mike Ekstrand enters his 11th season with UMass Lowell and continues to focus on UML's men's and women's sprinters and relay teams.

In his 10 years, Ekstand has helped 38 men's and women's sprinters and relay teams to All-American status – many of them several times over – including the men's 2004-05 indoor 4X400 team.

A native of Westford, MA, Ekstrand currently lives in Chelmsford, MA.

Assistant Coach Barbara Smith

Barbara Smith enters her ninth year and primarily trains UMass Lowell's throwers and multi-event athletes.
Over Smith's tenure, she has coached six athletes to the NCAA championship meet, including four-time All-American Heather Oldham and recent graduate Shannon Seidel, the two-time New England Pentathlon champion.

A 1984 graduate of the University of Maine, Smith was a two-time All-AIAW shot putter for the Black Bears. Upon graduation, she spent 10 years as the assistant track and field coach at Lowell H.S., where she helped the Red Raiders to the state outdoor title in 1986.

Smith is a first grade teacher at the Reilly School in Lowell, MA. She lives in Westford with her husband, Michael and their three children.

Assistant Coach Kazeem Dayo Ibraheem

Entering his third year with UMass Lowell, 2002 graduate Kazeem Dayo Ibraheem will coach the River Hawk hurdlers.

In his first two seasons, Ibraheem helped five UML hurdlers – three men and two women – achieve Northeast-10 Conference championships while six student-athletes have qualified for the NCAA Championship.

A four-year member of the track and field program (1998-2002), Ibraheem specialized in hurdles and jumps, and also competed in the New England indoor pentathlon as a senior. He qualified for the New England indoor and outdoor championships his final three years.

A 1996 graduate of Methuen H.S., Ibraheem is currently a computer specialist for United Parcel Service (UPS). He resides in Lowell, MA.

Assistant Coach Nate Jenkins

One of the greatest distance runners in UMass Lowell history, Nate Jenkins enters his first 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.

Jenkins lives in Lowell, MA.

Assistant Coach Nolan McKinnon

A multi-athlete at UMass Lowell from 2000-04, Nolan McKinnon enters his first year on the River Hawk staff and will concentrate on UML’s jumpers and multi-event athletes.

During his time at UML, McKinnon was a two-time All-New England standout in the indoor pentathlon in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, he placed eighth at the New England Championship (which encompasses all NCAA divisions) with 2,830 points and followed with a seventh-place showing in 2004 with 3,051 points.

The consummate student-athlete, McKinnon endured the rigors of a dual major – exercise physiology and criminal justice – along with a minor in human nutrition, and graduated with honors.

A 2000 graduate of Brookline H.S., McKinnon was the Bay State League champion in the 400 meter dash and was also an All-New England standout in the 4X100 meter relay.

McKinnon is currently a math and science teacher at the Innovation Academy Charter School in Chelmsford. He is also a respite provider and consultant with Towards Independent Living and Learning (TILL) in Dedham, MA, where he works one-on-one with autistic and special needs teens and pre-teens.

A native of Boston, McKinnon lives in Lowell, MA.