Cross Country/Track & Field Head Coach Matt Barber Featured on SCAC Spotlight

(Story by scacsports.com)

Matt Barber is no stranger to the University of Dallas Athletics. Barber, once a cross country runner for the Crusaders now turned into the head coach for the same program he was once part of.

Feeling “really lucky” in his role, Barber got a few of his coaching techniques from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, which he competed in for his last two years of college.

Barber didn’t truly get into track until the end of his junior year in high school, when he realized he wasn’t going to college to play basketball. Into his senior year of high school, Barber knew he was good at track and started to look at universities with track programs. At that time, Division III schools were the only real options to allow him to compete since he blossomed so late into the sport.

Already interested in the University of Dallas for academic reasons, UD was also interested in his athletic abilities. Attracted to everything UD had to offer, Barber was hooked to the Crusaders.

Fast forward four years to 2013 and picture Barber walking across the graduation stage with a degree in Theology.

Barber’s credits his journey into coaching to the experiences he took while being a student-athlete and advises others to do the same.

“Find a school you can really believe in,” Barber said. “So that when you’re out recruiting, your student athletes can then follow in that coaches footsteps.”

To read and hear thoughts from Barber, click here for full release.