The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Track & Field / Cross Country
- Title:
- Assistant Coach (Vertical Jumps, Combined Events)
Matthew McGee has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at The University of Texas, where he oversees the program’s vertical jumps and combined events.
McGee has had helped develop successful athletes on both the men’s and women’s side during his stint at UT. During his second season, freshman Leo Neugebauer won the Big 12 Indoor heptathlon behind a 5,848-point performance in his first collegiate heptathlon. Neugebauer was 157 points clear of his closest competitor and was the top performer in the long jump, shot put and pole vault competitions. His mark made him an NCAA qualifier and the fifth-best heptathlete in Texas history.
In 2018-19 – his debut at Texas – McGee oversaw the growth of Ashtin Zamzow, who became the first Longhorn to win the heptathlon at the Texas Relays, the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Zamzow shattered the school record with a 6,222-point tally en route to winning the Texas’ first national title in the heptathlon. She finished her career with the top eight heptathlon performances in UT history, with four of the top six coming under McGee’s watch.
McGee’s coaching was instrumental in helping Zamzow become just the second woman in school history to be named a semifinalist for The Bowerman (Courtney Okolo – 2016, winner), and later the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year. The Texas Ex also captured the Big 12 title and finished third in at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pentathlon under McGee’s tutelage.
Prior to arriving at Texas, McGee spent three seasons at the University of Arizona. There, McGee mentored student-athletes who garnered nine All-America honors and won five Pac-12 Conference titles. In addition, Alyssa Thompson was named the 2018 Pac-12 Conference Women's Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year under McGee's watch.
During the 2018 season, two student-athletes coached by McGee qualified for NCAA Outdoors. In addition to her Scholar Athlete of the Year award, Thompson qualified for NCAA's in the heptathlon. Men's high jumper Bryant O'Georgia also qualified for the meet in Eugene. Thompson was a two-time Pac-12 All-Conference performer and an All-American in three seasons under McGee. She set personal bests in both the heptathlon and pentathlon during her senior season, culminating with a third-place finish in the heptathlon at the Pac-12 Championships.
In 2017, Lisanna Hagens claimed the Indoor MPSF title as well as her second consecutive Pac-12 Outdoor title in the high jump. She earned first team All-America honors during the indoor season and was joined on the podium at MPSF Indoors by freshman Karla Teran. Teran also qualified for NCAA Outdoors in 2017. On the men's side, Justice Summerset became the first Arizona true freshman high jumper to claim first team All-America honors at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He finished third outdoors and seventh indoors.
In McGee's first season at Arizona, Pau Tonnesen placed second at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships in the heptathlon. Tonnesen also improve his personal best in the pole vault to win the MPSF Indoor title. During the outdoor season, Tonnesen earned his second consecutive Pac-12 Decathlon title and finished fourth at NCAA Outdoors to claim Pac-12 Field Athlete of the Year honors. That summer, McGee coached Tonnesen during the Rio Olympic Games where he finished 17th representing his mother's native country of Spain.
Prior to joining Arizona's staff, McGee spent ten seasons at his alma mater, Washington State, coaching the jumpers and combined event athletes. He coached numerous All-Americans and conference champions in all four of the jumping events.
McGee coached six of the top ten vaulters in the program's history, with Kristine Felix becoming the first pole vault conference champion when she won the Pac-12 title during the 2013 season. Tyson Byers also finished third at the 2007 NCAA indoor Championships.
Five male high jumpers reached at least 7-00 and five females reached at least 5-10.75 during McGee's tenure. Trent Arrivey was a three time All-American, Pac-10 Conference and NCAA West Region champion, reaching a best of 7-4.25 (2.25m). Holly Parent became an All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier reaching a best of 6-0.75 (1.85m).
During the 2015 season WSU had three women reach at least 5-10 (1.78m) in the high jump, with Audrey Ketcham advancing to the NCAA Championships and earning All-America honors after leaping 5-11.50 (1.82m) at the NCAA Preliminary round. Charlotte Muschamp won the Pac-12 women's high jump conference title during the 2014 season. She reached a best of 5-11.5 (1.82m) while also finishing second in the triple jump with a best of 42-1.25 (12.83m).
Stephan Scott-Ellis became a four-time All-American and four-time conference champion in the long and triple jumps.
A native of San Francisco, Calif., McGee attended College of Marin and Diablo Valley College where he competed in the decathlon. He then transferred to Washington State where he walked on as a junior and became an NCAA Prelims qualifier and two-time conference scorer, including a second-place finish in the javelin at the 2003 Pac-10 Championships. He graduated from WSU in 2003 with a degree in philosophy. He was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team as well as an Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar second team. He also earned a Pac-10 Post-Graduate Scholarship.
He and his wife Karla have a son, Liam and a daughter, Kaiya.
