Head Coach Gary Gardner
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).
Assistant Coach Mike EkstrandMike Ekstrand enters his 12th season with UMass Lowell and continues to focus on the men's and women's sprinters and relay teams.
In his 11 years, Ekstrand has helped 40 men's and women's sprinters and relay teams to All-American status – many of them several times over – including the men's 2005-06 indoor 4X400 team.
A native of Westford, MA, Ekstrand currently lives in Chelmsford, MA.
Assistant Coach Barbara Smith
Barbara Smith enters her 10th year at UMass Lowell and primarily trains UML's throwers and multi-event athletes.
Over Smith's tenure, she has coached seven athletes to the NCAA championship meet, including four-time All-American Heather Oldham and two-time New England Pentathlon champion Shannon Seidel. Last year, Smith guided Enjoli Edwards to second place at the NCAA Championship.
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, MA with her husband, Michael and their three children.
Assistant Coach Kazeem Dayo Ibraheem
Entering his fourth year on the UMass Lowell staff, 2002 graduate Kazeem Dayo Ibraheem will coach the River Hawk hurdlers and jumpers.
In his first three seasons, Ibraheem has helped 11 UML athletes qualify for the NCAA Championship, four of whom achieved All-American honors last year, including Toni-Marie Henry (triple jump), Esia Johnson (long jump) and Julie Handy (60 meter hurdles).
A four-year member of the track and field program (1998-2002), Ibraheem qualified for the New England indoor and outdoor championships his final three years in the hurdles, jumps and pentathlon.
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 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's 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 in 2005, as he won three of the five events in the New England Gran Prix.
Last February, Jenkins placed seventh – third among American runners – at the Freescale Austin Marathon in 2:15.28 to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Trials.
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.