Dupage Policy Journal

Director of Augustana Track & Field/Cross Country, Chad Gunnelson, has announced the appointment of Matthew Heinzman as the new leader for the men's and women's cross country programs. In addition to this role, Heinzman will serve as an assistant coach with the track & field teams.

"Coach Heinzman cares deeply about building lasting relationships that drive excellence in running and life," said Gunnelson. "He has a familiarity with Augie from his previous time coaching here and the relationships he built coaching our rising seniors and recruiting our rising juniors will allow him to jump right in. This along with the experience he gained these past two seasons as a director will allow him to make an immediate lasting impact on our cross country and distance program. We are so excited for Coach Heinz and his family to join us on this journey."

Heinzman returns to Augustana after leading Edgewood College's cross country and track & field teams for three seasons. At Edgewood, he managed all operational aspects of both men's and women's programs, overseeing multiple assistant coaches across various event groups. Under his leadership, Edgewood achieved its highest combined point total since 2014 at the 2024 NACC Outdoor Championships and celebrated its first All-Americans in school history. Since joining Edgewood in 2023, 24 school records have been set.

Before his tenure at Edgewood, Heinzman was a graduate assistant at Augustana during the 2022-23 season. He played a significant role in recruiting and coaching distance runners and facilitated two of the largest Division III meets in cross country and track & field.

Heinzman's athletic background includes competing as a student-athlete at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and Health & Fitness Studies. During his time there, he was an 11-time ARC all-conference athlete, six-time national qualifier, two-time All-American, and contributed to Wartburg's first NCAA Outdoor Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship win in 2021.

Heinzman's responsibilities with Augustana's programs will commence this summer.