Hall of Fame
Matt Gillette is an All-American in three sports (indoor track & field, outdoor track & field and cross country) who contributed to two national championship relays in indoor track & field and who finished his career as one of the most decorated and prolific runners in the history of Shippensburg University men’s distance running.
In cross country, Gillette was an All-American as a senior in 2012, placing 17th at the NCAA Division II National Championships to achieve the highest national place finish by an SU runner in 21 years. He completed 10,000 meters in a time of 30 minutes. It was the culmination of a cross country career in which he was a four-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region runner. Gillette achieved career finishes at the PSAC Championships of ninth, fourth, fourth and third, and career finishes at the NCAA Atlantic Region Championships of ninth, tenth, sixth and fourth. Gillette played a major role in the team’s 2010 PSAC Championship – the first conference title in school history. He became just the 10th All-American in school history with his performance as a senior.
In indoor track & field, Gillette was a two-time NCAA national champion and three-time All-American in the distance medley relay (DMR), running the opening 1,200-meter leg on SU’s 2011 national championship team and 2012 third-place squad before running the 1,600-meter anchor leg on SU’s second national title in 2013.
Individually, Gillette was named the 2013 PSAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year as a senior. In addition to his anchor leg on the national-champion DMR that ran 9:45.24 – a time that remains the PSAC record to this day – Gillette earned individual All-America honors with a third-place finish in the 3K. During the regular season, Gillette broke Steve Spence’s long-standing PSAC record in the 3K by running 8:09.33 at The Armory. At the 2013 PSAC Indoor Championships, Gillette was named the PSAC Championships Most Valuable Track Athlete and also the PSAC Championships Overall MVP after winning conference titles in the mile and the 3K and with the DMR.
In outdoor track & field, Gillette was a four-time NCAA Championships qualifier – making it to nationals three times in the 1,500 meters and once in the 5K. Gillette earned All-America honors in the 1,500 meters, placing seventh as a sophomore in 2011 – a year in which he also won the PSAC Championship in his signature event.
Overall in track & field, spanning indoors and outdoors, Gillette was a 14-time PSAC Championships placewinner, 10-time All-PSAC award winner, a six-time PSAC Champion and five-time All-American who graduated with school and conference records in the 3K and the DMR.
As a junior, Gillette ran fourth at the PSAC Cross Country Championships and sixth at the NCAA Atlantic Region Cross Country Championships and functioned as the team’s No. 2 runner in all six of his cross country races – including a 51st-place finish at the NCAA National Championships. The track season was once again successful for Gillette, as he earned indoor All-America honors running the 1,200-meter leg of the third-place DMR at nationals. Gillette earned a PSAC championship with the DMR and placed fifth in the mile. Outdoors, Gillette was a national qualifier in the 1,500 meters for the second consecutive year and placed second in the event at the PSAC Championships.
In his second season, Gillette was credited with a fourth-place finish at the PSAC Cross Country Championships, crossing the line in unison with three of his teammates en route to SU’s first team title. At the regional meet, Gillette finished 10th with a 10K time of 32:02. He set his 10K PR at the national championship meet with a 54th-place finish in 31:57. During the regular season, he established a new 8K PR with a time of 24:47 at the Greater Louisville Classic. In track, Gillette ran the 1,200-meter opening leg of the SU indoor distance medley relay squad that won a national championship in 9:57.25, posting a split of 3:02. He ran on the regular-season DMR squad that broke the school record with a time of 9:55.36. Gillette won the PSAC title in the mile with a time of 4:10.84 that later resulted in All-Region accolades. Outdoors, Gillette was an All-American in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:58.82. He won the PSAC title in the same event and finished seventh outdoors in the 800 meters. His outdoor season PR in the 1,500 meters was 3:48.24 – an effort that earned him All-Region honors.
As a freshman, Gillette immediately became one of Shippensburg’s best distance runners. He was ninth at both the PSAC Championships and Atlantic Region Championships before serving as the team’s No. 3 runner at the NCAA National Championships with an 83rd-place finish. In track, Gillette earned All-PSAC indoor recognition for a second-place finish with the DMR and All-PSAC outdoor recognition for a third-place finish in the 1,500 meters. He also placed seventh in the outdoor 5K.
Gillette has maintained optimal physical fitness following his graduation. He recently won the Edinburgh Marathon in Scotland, running the requisite 26.2 miles in 2:17.57. By virtue of his performance, he qualified for the USA Track & Field (USATF) Olympic Team Trials, marking the second USATF trials qualifier for Gillette after achieving the feat in 2016 through a half-marathon.
A native of Orefield, Gillette earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Shippensburg in May 2013. He graduated with his MBA at Shippensburg in 2016. He currently works as a buyer and planner for Hydac Technology Corporation based out of Bethlehem. Gillette married his wife Lindsay in 2020 and they are the proud parents of daughter Emma, born November 2022. The couple lives in Allentown.
