A native of North Attleboro, MA, Gary Gardner enters his 22nd season with the UMass Lowell cross country and track and field programs after a vastly successful 21 seasons which has seen him guide 173 athletes to All-American honors and five to National Championships.
Over his 21 seasons, Gardner has earned Coach of The Year honors from numerous affiliations such as the NCAA, America East, U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as well as the Northeast-10 Conference on many occasions.
In March 2021, Gardner coached both the men's and women's cross country teams to America East championships. This marks the third time the men's team has finished on top of the conference and the first for the women's program. The River Hawks swept the podium in the men's event, with Kyle Cloutier earning first place with a time of 24:39:21. Following him to take second and third were teammates Christopher Alfond and Drew Everett. The women's victory comes after second and third place finishes by Kaley Richards and Emily Sessa. Cloutier, Alfond, and Richards, would all go on to race at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Richards also ran the mile at the Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships and finished a respectable fourth.
The fall of 2019, the men’s cross country team qualified two athletes for the NCAA National Cross Country Championship for the first time. Chris Alfond and Benjamin Drezek both earned their spots with strong performances at the NCAA Northeast Regional in Buffalo. The team finished a program best fourth in the Region. Chris also added the America East Conference Cross Country Championship to his resume claiming the third straight individual championship for the River Hawks.
In 2018-19, under Gardner's guidance, both programs climbed to new program heights. The men’s cross country program won their second America East Conference Championship and were led by individual champion Paul Hogan. Hogan followed that up with the NCAA Northeast Regional Individual Championship and the men finishing a program high 6th pace. Paul earned his second straight trip to the NCAA National Championship and was named NCAA Northeast Region athlete of the year. The women led by All Conference runner Kaley Richards placed 15th at the Northeast Regional.
The success in cross country carried over to the track & field season; both the women’s and men’s teams placed second in the indoor and outdoor America East Conference Championships adding four more trophies to the case. Individually, Paul Hogan qualified for the NCAA National Championship an earned All American in the 10,000 meters. Later in the summer Paul placed 11th at the US National Championships at the same distance.
The 2017-18 academic year was again a banner year for the Cross Country and Track and Field programs. The men’s and women’s teams, both, placed second in the America East Cross Country Championships. Paul Hogan became the first River Hawk to win the individual America East Conference Cross Country Championship. Emily Sessa was named Rookie of the Year by the America East. Paul qualified for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in the school’s first year of eligibility. At the NCAA Northeast Regional the men placed 8th while the women placed 13th.
During the Indoor season, the men won their first America East Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship breaking a streak of 12 straight wins by Albany. The coaching staff was named America East staff of the year. In a true team effort more than 25 different student-athletes scored at the meet. The women’s team placed a program high third at the championship led by America East Conference led by multi event athlete, Kerstin Darsney.
The outdoor season found the men placed second and the women third at the America East Conference Championship meet. Paul Hogan led the men with wins in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races. The team was also eligible to qualify for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Regionals for the first time and was represented by Sean Munnelly (800), Kerstin Darsney (Triple Jump), Paul Hogan (5,000 and 10,000) and Vladimir Popusoi (Pole Vault).
During the 2016-17 season the women’s cross country had their best year yet placing third at the America East Conference Championship. The women had four athletes named to the All-America East team led by Jackie Solimine’ s 7th place finish. Kaley Richards was Freshman of the Year in the conference. Thomas Teachen led the men with a 4th place finish.
During the Indoor season, the men placed second at the America East Conference Championship, a program first. The relay teams carried the day with both the 4x800 and distance medley relay teams claiming victories. Jackie Solimine won her first America East Conference Championships in the 5,000m.
At the America East Conference Outdoor Championship Jackie Solimine was named the Track Performer of the Meet after winning the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Kerstin Darsney was named Field Athlete of the Meet after winning the high jump and triple jump.
The 2015-16 season saw the UMass Lowell men’s cross country team capture the first America East Conference Championship in school history. The team was led by Robert Allen (2nd) and Paul Hogan (3rd) and had five all conference runners.
Under Gardner’s leadership, the program was on the leading edge of the UMass Lowell transition to Division I. The men’s cross country program earned a spot in the regional rankings in the fall of 2014 and took second place in the America East Conference Championships.
In 2012-13, Gardner was named the NE-10 Women's Coach of the Year as well as the USTFCCCA East Region Women's Coach of the Year in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Gardner led the men's cross country team to eight NCAA East Region championships over an eleven year period and simultaneously guided the River Hawk women to the NCAA East Region title in 2005 and 2008. At the 2010 NCAA championship, the UMass Lowell men, led by All-Americans Jeff Veiga (third) and Angus MacDonald (36th), finished 13th. Veiga, named the 2010 USTFCCCA Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earned the highest individual finish since members of UMass Lowell's 1991 NCAA Championship team finished in places 2-4.
In Gardner's 13 seasons as a Division II program, the River Hawk men’s cross country teams never finished lower than 17th and peaked at sixth in 2002, 10th in 2003 and 13th on three occasions. On the women's side, UMass Lowell advanced to the NCAA Championship seven times, peaking with a 17th-place showing in 2006.
UMass Lowell's success in cross country has traditionally carried into the track and field seasons. That trend continued in 2012-13 as six individuals and five relay teams earned All-American honors in the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Two of Gardner's athletes have won NCAA National Championships. Nicole (Plante) Hunt captured the national title in the 10,000-meters in 2007. She was also the runner up in the 5,000-meters. Thrower Jacqui Barrett earned the shot put National Championship in 2010.
Additionally, 156 UMass Lowell athletes have qualified for the NCAA indoor and outdoor track and field championships during an eight-year period. Among those years were the spectacular efforts of the 2006 outdoor women, all five of whom earned All-American honors; as well as the 2011 men, led by All-American 400-meter hurdler Donte Brown and 400 meters sprinter Evan White, who were also part of UML's All-American 4X400 relay team.
Previously, Gardner served as the head coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), from 1998 through 2002, and as an assistant at Trinity (CT) College following a stellar career at Keene State.
A 1994 graduate of Keene State, Gardner was a five-time All-New England standout in the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Gardner and his wife, Caitlin, live in Auburn, Mass., with their sons Kiernan (14) and Cavan (11).
