Willamette University Women's Track

McGuirk is in his 13th year as the head track and field coach at Willamette University and is in his 17th year on the coaching staff in 2015-16. He was named NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year in 2004 (men) and 2007 (women). In both 2004 and 2005, the Willamette mens team ended the season by bringing home NCAA trophies for Top 4 finishes. In the Northwest Conference, the Bearcats have set a high bar of excellence by winning six men's titles and nine womens team titles since 2002. At Willamette, McGuirk and his staff have coached 24 athletes to 46 All-America performances. They have helped WU athletes win 306 All-Conference awards. One of McGuirks top athletes was seven-time NCAA national champion Nick Symmonds, who won the 1,500 three times and the 800 four times. He was fifth in the 800 at the 2012 London Olympics, second at the World Championships in 2013, fifth in 2011 and sixth in 2009. Symmonds was also a semifinalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has won five U.S. national titles in the 800, placed second twice and has claimed two indoor titles. Among McGuirks proudest achievements is coaching three Bearcats (Jacob Stout, Aaron Hollingshead and Scott Overby) to All-American status at the 2004 NCAA Championships in the steeplechase, his primary race as a collegiate and professional runner. Prior to his arrival at Willamette, McGuirk was the first head coach at Wilsonville High School and built the cross country program from the ground up. In only its fifth year of existence, the school won its first State cross country title. Since then, Wilsonville has annually been one of the top Class 3A programs in Oregon. McGuirk is a native of Eugene, Ore. After completing a decorated high school career at South Eugene HS, McGuirk embarked upon an excellent college career at the University of Oregon. At U of O, he became a member of a select group by lettering eight times in cross country and track & field. McGuirk also put his name in the Oregon record books by racing to All-America status in the steeplechase in 1984, helping the Ducks win the NCAA outdoor track and field national championship. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelors degree. He majored in Finance and Marketing. McGuirk has shown an ability to transfer his athletic experiences into true coaching expertise, allowing dedicated student-athletes to realize immediate results while working toward long-term goals. Coaching Quick Facts Full Name: Matthew McGuirk Hometown: Eugene, Oregon High School: South Eugene Alma Mater: University of Oregon, 88 (B.A. in Finance/Marketing) Running Career: 1983 U.S. Junior Steeplechase Champion; Ranked Top 40 in the world in steeplechase (1992 & 1993) Placed seventh in the steeplechase in the 1992 Olympic Trials, setting a personal record of 8:26.10; 1993 Olympic Festival steeplechase champion

Ruiz is in his third year as an assistant coach for the Willamette University track and field teams during the 2015-16 season. He helps coach the distance runners. He also is an assistant coach for the WU cross country teams.

Swanson is in his first season as an assistant coach with the Willamette track and field teams. He also is an assistant coach for the Bearcat cross country teams. Swanson had a successful career as a Willamette cross country and track and field athlete. In the fall of 2014, he placed ninth at the Northwest Conference Cross Country Championships to help Willamette win the team title. Later, in the spring of  2015, he won a Northwest Conference championship in the 1,500-meter run.

Dinsmore, who earned NCAA All-America and First Team Capital One Academic All-America honors as a senior in 2012, is in her second year as an assistant track and field and cross country coach in 2015-16. She is the assistant director of operations and recruiting for each team in addition to handling a wide range of other coaching duties. She assists with all aspects of the cross country program and will focus on coaching sprints, hurdles and jumps during the track and field season. Dinsmore placed fifth in the nation in NCAA Division III in 2012 in the 100-meter dash to gain All-America status. She set a personal record time of 11.95 seconds in the national finals. She also placed 11th in the 200-meter dash with a personal record time of 24.62 seconds in the preliminary heats. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and was chosen First Team Capital One Academic All-America in 2012 after earning a 3.99 cumulative grade point average over her first 11 semesters. She graduated in 2012 with a double major in Spanish and Latin American Studies.  Dinsmore received the 2012 NCAA Elite 89 Award as the women's outdoor track and field athlete with the highest cumulative GPA who competed at the NCAA Championships that season. Just one athlete receives the Elite 89 Award in each sport. Also in 2012 , she was selected as the winner of the Jean Williams Award at Willamette. The award is presented annually to the graduating senor female student-athlete who has developed and demonstrated strong leadership skills and outstanding athleticism, while maintaining a high rank of scholarship during her years at Willamette. She was named the Women's Senior Scholar-Atheete at Willamette for having the highest cumulative GPA among graduating seniors. As a senior, Dinsmore won Northwest Conference titles in the 100-meter dash the 200-meter dash. She helped Willamette finish second in both the 4 x 100-meter relay and the 4 x 400-meter relay. She also won the NWC title in the 100-meter dash in 2012. In 2009 and 2010, her efforts contributed to the Bearcats winning two consecutive NWC championships in the 4 x 400-meter relay. She is ranked second on Willamette's all-time lists in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. She is sixth all-time in the 400-meter dash.

Franz returns to the Bearcat coaching staff for his 10th season. He is the assistant head coach for track and field and cross country. He also serves as the recruiting coordinator for both sports. During the track and field season, he heads up the sprints, jumps, hurdles and multi-event athletes. Since 2008, Willamette sprinters and jumpers have won 28 NWC individual championships and five NWC relay championships, along with 82 All-NWC performances. Franz has coached nine athletes at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, including All-America performances. During his time at Willamette, he has coached two school record holders along with 37 individual and 10 relay top 10 all-time marks. Franz has helped the Bearcats win five NWC track and field team titles. Prior to joining the Willamette coaching staff Franz was the head mens and womens cross country and distance coach at Lindenwood University (Mo.) and the head assistant coach for the track and field teams. At Lindenwood, Franz worked with a squad that had 50 NAIA Track and Field All-Americans, including 11 NAIA National Champions. The Lindenwood men won an NAIA indoor national championship, as well as a runner-up finish in outdoor track. In cross country, Franz led the Lindenwood men to a third place finish at the NAIA national meet while coaching the NAIA individual champion and runner-up. Franz was named the Heart of America Conference and NAIA Region V Coach of the Year in cross country as well as the NAIA National Assistant Coach of the Year for indoor track. Franz earned a masters degree in Athletic Administration from Lindenwood. He holds a bachelors degree in Business from Western Oregon University.