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About the Coaches

Matt Hart, originally attended Mt. Hood where he earned an Associates of Arts degree in Liberal Arts. After competing in track & field as a Saint, Matt was invited by, then head coach, Keith Maneval to become part of the coaching staff.

Hart assisted Maneval for eight years and was instrumental in developing and operating one of the most successful and competitive Cross Country/ Track & Field programs within the Northwest Athletic Associations of Community Colleges (NWAACC). Not only was Hart a former NWAACC Champion himself, he has also recruited and coached numerous student-athletes to become school record holders and NWAACC Champions.

After the 2002 season, Maneval resigned from the head coaching position. Hart was then hired as the Interim Head Coach in 2003 where he coached the men’s and women’s track & field teams. 2003 was a good year as three school records were set and both the men’s and women’s teams won their Southern Region Championships.

Hart left Mt. Hood after completing the 2003 track season to continue his own higher education. Within two and a half years Matt obtained two Bachelor degrees and a Masters degree. In the summer of 2005 Mt. Hood’s Athletic Director Fred Schnell invited Hart back to become the Head Coach of Cross Country and Track & Field. Hart accepted and inherited a struggling program.

Within one year, Hart has once again resurrected the Saints. The 2006 men’s and women’s cross country programs were again competitive. The women’s team earned a second place Southern Region Championship trophy and a third place NWAACC Championship trophy. Mt Hood also had the Southern Region and NWAACC individual female champion.

The 2007 track & field season was a successful one as well. Between both the men’s and women’s programs Mt Hood had 22 Junior College All-American and 11 NWAACC performances; three school records were broken; the women won the Southern Region Championships and came in second in the NWAACC Championships while the men earned the second place Southern Region trophy. The Mt Hood Cross Country and Track & Field programs are once again highly competitive and striving for more. Simply said, the Red, White and Black are back.