Averett University sports fans have a reason to be excited with the highly anticipated addition of men and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field program, led by head coach Matthew Logan. Though this is his first year bringing his coaching talent to Averett, Logan has sky high expectations, and he is prepared to lead a team worthy of recognition in the ODAC and NCAA Division III. 

“The ODAC is one of the most competitive track and field conferences in the country, so we recruit gritty athletes who will focus on good habits and work to get better,” Logan said.

In his first year with this new program, Logan has brought together a roster of nearly 50 athletes who are ready to get the program going strong. As a fresh program, Averett track will compete with a field of respected teams that have had much time to grow and improve over the years. Logan’s game plan for victory over these competitors is all about consistent habits, close attention to detail and holding high standards for coaches and athletes.

“As a program, we don’t have days when we don’t have incredible attention to detail. The little things make a big difference, and we make sure to be precise with everything we do.”

Not only does Logan coach track at Averett, but he is also in charge of men and women’s cross country, and men and women’s indoor and outdoor track. While coaching for the current cross-country season, Logan has already had a runner win first place in a meet for the first time in Averett XC history, which gives insight for the potential that our running sports have with him on board.

Logan is very clear about his vision for the team as far as establishing a culture of hard work, doing the right things, and holding each other accountable as teammates. He and his assistants operate in a way that attracts athletes who share the same values. A critical part of cementing this culture as a new team is captain, Tony Ponce, who leads the team by example. Ponce is the athlete who earned the first place XC finish, making school history, as mentioned in the previous paragraph. Ponce embraces his leadership role, and he admires the commitment that he sees from his teammates.

“It is inspiring as a runner to see all the guys on the team put in so much work six days a week, even when it really sucks. We are going to turn a lot of heads in the ODAC, because there is a lot of commitment showing already before the season has even started,” said Ponce.

For those who want to watch these runners grow and show out in their first season, the competition schedule will be out soon, and the first official practice will be October 17th.