With nearly 20 years of experience in cross country and track as a two-time Olympian, a collegiate All-American and a nationally renowned high school athlete, Matt Centrowitz is in his seventh year as full-time head coach of the cross country and track programs at American.

While at American, Centrowitz has guided seven athletes to All-American status, including four-time All-American Sean O'Brien - now an assistant coach - and two-time honoree Sean Duffy. In addition, current AU athlete Keira Carlstrom has earned All-American status two straight years in cross country and qualified for all three NCAA Championships. In addition, 2002 graduate Samia Akbar qualified for cross country nationals and earned All American honors in the 10K outdoors.

From the fall through the spring, the 2004-05 Eagles rewrote the record books at American. The men's cross country team won its third straight Patriot League title going one through four on the men's side with Pat MacAdie winning the overall title for the second straight year and freshman Steve Hallinan garnering PL Rookie of the Year award. Junior Keira Carlstrom won her second straight PL women's title by an outstanding 43 seconds. At Mid-Atlantic Regionals, Carlstrom finished 2nd overall and the men's squad finished second as a team earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships for the first time in over 20 years. Centrowitz was named Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year on the men's side. At NCAAs, Carlstrom trudged through the muddy 6K course on her way to an All-American 17h place finish. Despite having an off day, the men finished 20th overall as a team.

When track season rolls around, the Eagles focus on the middle-distances and distance events. At the New Balance Collegiate Invitational meet indoors, numerous athletes achieved personal bests with junior Keira Carlstrom running a 9:17 3k that qualified her for the NCAA Indoor Championships. In addition, Sean Duffy shattered the school's 3k record and would later run 7:56 for the distance, just missing an automatic berth to the Championships. Freshman Steve Hallinan won the college open mile with a 4:09 as well. At the Patriot League meet, the men won the 800, 1000, mile and 5k championships, as well as the 4 x 800 and distance medley relay. On the women's side, the team won the mile, the 3k, the 4 x 800, the distance medley relay and Zaia Wharton was a runner-up in the 1000. Carlstrom went on to finish 14th in the 3k at NCAA Indoor Championships in Arkansas.

In outdoors, many Eagles set their sights on the Patriot League Championships and beyond. Duffy's outdoor season just kept building as he ran a 3:59.5 1600 relay carry at the Penn Relays, won the 1500 at the PL championships, went on to finish second at the East Regional in NYC, ran the fastest time ever in the preliminary rounds of the NCAA Championships and then went on to finish third in 3:38.46, breaking the school record he had set days earlier and earning All American honors. Joining Duffy at nationals were Dustin Emrani, who finished fourth at East Regionals and was the PL 800 meter champion, and Carlstrom, who set the PL 5k record earlier in the year. Emrani did not make it out of the qualifying rounds, but earned valuable experience in outdoors, helping the AU DMR team to a school record 6th place at Penn Relays with a 1:48.8 split. Carlstrom set a personal record in the prelims and went on to finish 16th in the final, her third national meet of the year.

In 2003-04, Centrowitz's squads displayed dominance within the PL by winning both the men's and women's cross country titles, five of the six Athletes of the Meet, 20 First-Team All-League selections and nine Second-Team All-League selections. Carlstrom led a 1-2-3 finish at cross country Patriot League's and the men's team finished fourth at the Mid-Atlantic Regional meet.

In 2002-03, O'Brien, arguably the most accomplished runner at AU, finished his career with a fourth place finish at the NCAA Championships and his fourth All-American honor. In addition, PL Cross Country champion Samia Akbar emerged on the national scene, setting a school 10K record of 33:38 en route to an eighth place All American finish at the NCAA Championships. Indoors that year the distance medley relay of O'Brien, Duffy, Phil Gaeta, and Andy Ellerhorst, finished eighth as a team and earned All-American honors.

In 2001-02, Centrowitz's athletes captured nine Patriot League titles in track and field, earned 17 All-League honors, two All-Region honors and one All-East award. The team has performed well academically under Centrowitz as well. Carlstrom swept the Scholar-Athlete awards in the 2003-04 academic year. Matt Seymour, Patrick MacAdie, and Frank Malpigli have all earned Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors as well. Malpigli was also named to the Verizion District II Academic All-America First Team.

A 1978 graduate of the University of Oregon, Centrowitz helped the Ducks to the 1977 NCAA Cross Country Championship title. In 1976, he set the school record in the 1500m, running 3:36.7, breaking the previous mark of 3:38.1 held by Steve Prefontaine. Centrowitz's time is still the second-fastest in school history.

Centrowitz was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team in both 1976 and 1980. He went on to win a gold medal at the 1979 Pan-American Games and four consecutive national championships in the 5000m run from 1979-82. He also set the U.S. record in the 5000m in 1982 with a time of 13:12.91 and his time is currently the sixth-fastest ever run by an American.

As a high school student at Power Memorial High School in New York City, Centrowitz won state championship titles in the 800m, one mile and two mile events while becoming the first New Yorker to break nine minutes in the two mile run (8:56.00). He was ranked as the number one high school mile runner in the country in 1973, posting a time of 4:02.70, which was ninth all-time in the nation at the time. His 1500m time of 3:43.4 is fourth all-time and Centrowitz continues to hold the state record in the two events.

Centrowitz has also served as the middle distance/distance track coach for the Reebok Enclave, placing him in charge of training the distance runners who tried out for the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic Team. He has coached three Olympians -- David Strang, John Trautman and Jen Rhines -- as well as 1993 U.S. 1500m Champion Bill Burke. In addition, Centrowitz has worked with eight other sub-four minute milers. Most recently, Centrowitz coached fourth athletes, including Edmund Burke and Heather Hanscom to the Olympic Trials in the marathon. Rhines and Hanscom went on to finish third and fifth, with Rhines making her second Olympic team and Hanscom just missing out on an Olympic berth.

Centrowitz was inducted into the Oregon Hall of Fame in September of 2000 and a current member of the U.S. Olympic Development Committee.

Centrowitz resides in Annapolis, Md., with his wife Beverly and their three children. Their daughter, Lauren, is currently attending Stanford and runs for the Cardinal.