University of Minnesota Athletics
Women's Track & Field
- Title:
- Director of Track & Field / Cross County - Women's Sprints and Hurdles
- Email:
- bingl001@umn.edu
- Phone:
- 612-624-6533
The 2023-24 season marked Matt Bingle’s sixth season as Director of Men's and Women's Track & Field and Cross Country at the University of Minnesota. Bingle has been with the Gophers since October 2002 and served as Director of Women's Track & Field and Cross Country since October 2011 before being elevated to his current role in August of 2018.
The campaign in 2023-24 was another record-breaking year for Bingle's Golden Gophers. The women's program claimed yet another Big Ten Outdoor Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich. Minnesota has won three of their four women's outdoor conference titles under the guidance of Bingle. Along with the team title, Bingle was named the Big Ten's Women's Coach of the Year, the ninth time he has earned that conference distinction, including now three during the outdoor seasons. The Maroon and Gold claimed three event titles in Ann Arbor, Mich., more importantly, the entire roster contributed as 18 different student-athletes recorded at least one team point across 16 of the 21 total events scored. At the NCAA level, Bingle's Gophers across the men's and women's programs qualified a total of ten entries for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. Indoors Minnesota sent two hammer throwers on the women's side in Shelby Frank and Anthonett Nabwe, with Frank finishing the best individually between the indoor and outdoor championships for Minnesota, claiming the NCAA runner-up in the women's weight throw. Additionally Bingle helped sent one current student-athlete to the 2024 Paris Olympics, with Devin Augustine of Trinidad & Tobago qualifying for the 100m, the first Minnesota Gopher short sprinter to qualify for the Olympics.
The 2022-23 season was an incredible season both on and off the track for the Maroon and Gold under Bingle's direction. The men's program reached its first No. 1 team ranking in history, coming in at the No. 1 spot in the opening outdoor track and field rating system by the USTFCCCA. The men's team remained in the top 25 throughout the entire season and finished tied for 20th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and ended the season at No. 20 in the final USTFCCCA team rankings. Additionally the men's program finished second overall at the 2023 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, the highest finish for the team since 2013. The women's program had a strong season highlighted by the team's 18th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships with Shelby Frank (Discus, National Runner-Up) and Nyalaam Jok (High Jump, 6th Place) earning 11 points for the Maroon and Gold in Albuquerque, N.M. Bingle directly coached another successful season for the short sprinters group in 2023. Led by veteran Amira Young, the Gophers had two 60m national qualifiers for the first time in program history with Akilah Lewis joining Young. Young also broke the Big Ten's 60m record on her way to winning the 60-200 double at the 2023 Big Ten Indoor Championships. Young went on to have an equally incredible outdoor season with the Chicago, Ill., native qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
The 2021-22 season was another successful year for the Gophers track and field program under the tutelage of Matt Bingle. The women's program won its second straight Big Ten indoor championship, the sixth indoor title for the program and the ninth overall in women's track and field. The program won two event titles during the Big Ten indoor meet and three more at the outdoor championships. The team also was able to celebrate hosting the Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Minneapolis, the women finishing third and the men fifth. The Gophers qualified 11 events for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including two relays on the women's side. The women finished with one First Team All-American with the men earning four First Team honors in Eugene. The men's team finished 18th as a program with 13 points, the highest outdoor finish since 2014 and the second highest finish since 2004. The Gopher men were the highest finishing Big Ten program at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, edging Wisconsin (T25th, 11 points) along with Michigan State and Iowa that tied with 39th with eight points.
In 2020-21 Bingle led the women's track program to an indoor Big Ten title, the fifth indoor title and eighth overall in women's track and field. The women also returned to scoring at both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships, finishing in the top 40 indoor and outdoors for the first time since 2010. Overall the women won eight indoor titles and four outdoor titles for a total of 12 throughout the season. The men's squad finished fifth and third respectively at the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The program also finished inside the top 25 at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships for the first time since 2006. In total the men finished with six All-American finishes with Alec Basten earned two indoors and one outdoors, Kaleb Siekmeier earning one indoors, Kostas Zaltos one outdoors and Teddy Frid in the Decathlon.
Bingle’s second season at the helm of both the men’s and women’s squads saw marked success for the Gophers in 2019-20. The women’s team finished as B1G team runners-up while the men finished third at the 2020 Big Ten Indoor Championships as Minnesota was the only program to earn top-three team finishes by both genders. The program combined for 13 entries to the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships before the indoor season ended on March 12, 2020, when the Big Ten and NCAA announced they were ceasing competitions and championships because of COVID-19 public health concerns. Eight Gophers earned All-Big Ten honors, including Sammie Houston’s men’s triple jump title, and 19 individuals were named All-Americans. On the men's side, the Gophers were one of three programs to earn an NCAA-best 14 All-America merits for the 2020 indoor season.
In Bingle’s first season overseeing both the men’s and women’s squads in 2018-19, the Gophers had four Second Team All-Americans during the indoor season after the women finished seventh and the men took ninth at the 2019 Big Ten Indoor Championships. The outdoor season saw nine Gophers advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships and six individuals secure All-America accolades led by top-five finishes from Obsa Ali (fourth in men's 3,000m steeplechase) and Temi Ogunrinde (fifth in women's hammer throw). The women improved to fifth in the B1G while the men placed eighth. The Gophers also opened the new University of Minnesota Track and Field Stadium and hosted the program’s first outdoor meets on campus in more than 15 years.
"Gopher Track & Field has a distinguished history and I've been honored to be part of that. This is the beginning of our latest chapter," said Bingle. "This is an exciting time to be part of our program – as a coach, as a student-athlete, as an alum, or as a fan. I'm looking forward to everything our men and women will achieve together as part of our combined program and helping them accomplish their goals along the way."
Bingle’s coaching contributions have paid dividends for the Gophers during the past 18 seasons as evidenced by seven women’s Big Ten titles, including the program’s first-ever sweep of the indoor and outdoor B1G titles in 2018, and a pair of top-12 NCAA finishes in women’s track & field. The women’s cross country team advanced to 11-straight NCAA championships from 2005 to 2015 as well.
In his first 18 years at Minnesota, Bingle’s Gophers have secured 67 indoor and 116 outdoor track & field NCAA Championship qualifications, including 13 indoor in 2020. At least one student-athlete has competed at the indoor or outdoor track & field national meets every year since Bingle’s first season at Minnesota in 2002-03. In total, Minnesota has secured 163 All-Big Ten awards on the track during Bingle’s time with the program, including eight (four women’s and four men’s) awards in 2020.
Minnesota Women’s Success Under Bingle
In Bingle’s first seven years overseeing the women’s track & field and cross country programs, the Gopher track & field team earned 39 All-America honors (including a program-record 18 awards in 2017-18), 54 NCAA national championship qualifiers, 51 All-Big Ten honors, and 257 Academic All-Big Ten awards. In addition, the Gophers’ cross country program earned 22 all-region honors, 12 All-Big Ten accolades, and 129 Academic All-Big Ten awards from 2011-12 to 2017-18.
Bingle collected six Women’s Coach of the Year awards from 2016 to 2018, earning Big Ten indoor and outdoor Coach of the Year honors in 2018 after receiving the same award for the 2016 outdoor season. He also was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Head Coach of the Year for the 2016 outdoor, 2018 indoor, and 2018 outdoor seasons.
The 2019-20 season marked Bingle’s 18th season overall at Minnesota. He spent his first four years with the Gophers serving under former women’s cross country head coach Gary Wilson. His influence as the program's recruiting coordinator and his ability to attract some of the nation's top talent has been the primary reason for Minnesota's success both in the Big Ten and on the national scene.
Bingle began his Gopher career as an assistant coach on the track in the 2002-03 season, during which he helped guide Shani Marks to All-America and NCAA runner-up honors in the indoor and outdoor triple jump. He coached the Gopher 4x400-meter relay team to the 2003 Big Ten indoor title, marking the first conference relay crown in Minnesota track history.
Bingle was recognized for his immediate contributions to Minnesota track & field by being promoted to the position of associate head coach after just one season as an assistant on the coaching staff.
In 2004, Bingle coached then-freshman Jacenta Spandl to runner-up finishes in the Big Ten pentathlon and heptathlon, and she scored 5,000 heptathlon points to qualify for the NCAA championships. From 2005 to 2008, Liz Roehrig claimed four-straight Big Ten titles in the pentathlon and won three Big Ten heptathlon crowns in 2006, 2008 and 2009 under Bingle’s direction as well.
The 2006 season contained several memorable performances under Bingle's direction. Minnesota crowned multiple All-Americans and Big Ten champions and the program celebrated its first national champion, Heather Dorniden, in the indoor 800 meters. In addition to Dorniden's prolific rookie season, sophomore Liz Roehrig collected All-America accolades and won Big Ten titles in both the pentathlon indoor and heptathlon outdoor under Bingle’s direction, and Christine Kingsley also earned her first trip to the national meet in the long jump.
After briefly serving as the track & field program’s interim head coach, Bingle became the third head coach of Gopher women’s track & field in March 2007, following Wilson, who spent 21 seasons as the head coach, and Mike Lawless. Bingle guided the Gophers to three Big Ten Indoor Track & Field titles (2007, 2008, 2009) and a Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field title (2006) along with supporting two Big Ten cross country titles (2007, 2008) before taking over as the director of women's track & field and cross country in Oct. 2011.
Bingle coached the Gophers’ 4x400-meter relay team to its first three NCAA Championship appearances in program history (2014, 2015, and 2018), including Jessica Waldvogel, Titania Markland, Emerald Egwim and Erin Hawkins becoming the first All-American 4x400-meter relay in program history with a 13th-place finish for second team honors in 2015. Under Bingle’s direction, four-time All-American Jess Lehman (Herauf) earned back-to-back B1G titles in both the pentathlon and heptathlon in 2015 and 2016 as well.
Since placing third at the 2015 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, the Gopher women have not finished lower than fifth at the B1G outdoor meet. Bingle’s 2018 Gophers swept the indoor and outdoor B1G team titles, and the Gopher women secured a program-record 18 All-American accolades during the 2018 outdoor campaign after tying for 14th place at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Before Minnesota
Before arriving at Minnesota, Bingle spent five years (1997-2002) at Eastern Michigan as an assistant coach of both the Eagles' women's cross country and track & field teams. He was the head recruiting coordinator for both programs and oversaw meet management. During his tenure at Eastern Michigan, the Eagles captured the 2000 Mid-American Conference Indoor Track & Field title, while also finishing as the conference runner-up four times. He coached 16 athletes to conference crowns and had 83 athletes earn all-conference acclaim.
Prior to accepting the position at Eastern Michigan, Bingle spent one season (1997) as an assistant men's and women's coach for cross country and track & field at California-Irvine.
Bingle entered the coaching ranks at Northern Arizona where he served as a graduate assistant coach for Lumberjacks' men's and women's cross country and track & field teams from 1995-97. During Bingle's first year at NAU, the men's cross country team finished as the runner-up at the 1995 NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships. He helped coach 13 Northern Arizona athletes to All-America honors and helped the NAU track & field programs capture three Big Sky Conference titles. Bingle earned a master's degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona in 1997.
Bingle began his collegiate track & field career as a walk-on decathlete at Ball State. He eventually earned a scholarship and was a two-time All-Mid-American Conference hurdler during his career. Bingle was named team captain and was also selected as the team's most valuable runner. He graduated from Ball State in 1995. Bingle owns a USATF Level II Certification and served as the assistant technical manager of the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships from 1995-97. He is also a veteran of several cross country and track & field camps and clinics, including currently serving as the director of the Minnesota Track & Field/Cross Country Camps.
Bingle and his wife Jennifer live in Blaine. They have three daughters, Taylor, Allie, and Grace.
