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A native of North Attleboro, MA, Gary Gardner enters his 10th year with the UMass Lowell cross country and track and field programs after a vastly successful nine seasons which saw him guide 137 athletes to All-American honors and two to national championships. Previously, Gardner served as the head coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) and as an assistant at Trinity (CT) College following a stellar career at Keene State.
Over his nine 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) as well as the Northeast-10 Conference on many occasions. In 2010-11, he was named the NE-10 Coach of the Year as well as the USTFCCCA East Region Coach of the Year in men's cross country.
Gardner has led the men's cross country team to seven NCAA East Region championships in the last nine years and simultaneously guided the River Hawk women to the NCAA East Region title in 2005 and 2008. At the 2010 NCAA championship, the UMass Lowell men, led by All-Americans Jeff Veiga (third) and Angus MacDonald (36th), finished 13th. Veiga, named the 2010 USTFCCCA Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earned the highest individual finish since members of UMass Lowell's 1991 NCAA Championship team finished in places 2-4.
In Gardner's nine seasons with the cross country teams, the River Hawk men have never finished lower than 17th and have peaked at sixth in 2002, 10th in 2003 and 13th on three occasions. On the women's side, UMass Lowell has advanced to the NCAA Championship seven times, peaking with a 17th-place showing in 2006.
UMass Lowell's success in cross country has traditionally carried into the track and field seasons. That trend continued in 2010-11 as three individuals and one relay team earned All-American honors in the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Additionally, 123 UMass Lowell athletes have qualified for the NCAA indoor and outdoor track and field championships over the last six years. Among those years were the spectacular efforts of the 2006 outdoor women, all five of whom earned All-American honors; as well as the 2011 men, led by All-American 400-meter hurdler Donte Brown and 400 meters sprinter Evan White, who were also part of UML's All-American 4X400 relay team.
A 1994 graduate of Keene State, Gardner was a five-time All-New England standout in the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Gardner and his wife, Caitlin, live in Auburn, Mass., with their sons Kiernan (6) and Cavan (3).
