2012 Men's Cross Country Roster
Biography
Top Times:
4K: 12:12
6K: 19:22
8K: 24:36
10K: 31:57
2011 (Junior): Gillette earned All-PSAC and All-Region for the third consecutive season with the Raiders, placing fourth at the conference championships and sixth at the NCAA Atlantic Region Championships. In all six of his races, Gillette was the No. 2 runner for the Raiders – including a 51st-place finish at the NCAA national championships and a 101st-place effort in the gold race at the Paul Short Invitational. He began his year by setting a new 6K PR with a 3rd-place turn at the Piper Alumni Meet and finished fourth two weeks later at Kutztown’s Division II Challenge. The track season was once again successful for Gillette, as he earned indoor All-America honors running the 1,200-meter leg of the second-place distance medley relay squad. 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 outdoor championships.
2010 (Sophomore): In his second season, Gillette set new PRs in the 8K and 10K while earning All-PSAC and All-Region honors with the Raiders. He was credited with a fourth-place finish at the conference championship meet, crossing the line in unison with three of his teammates. 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. Gillette was the team’s No. 3 runner in each postseason race. During the regular season, he established a new 8K PR with a time of 24:47 at the Greater Louisville Classic. He also finished second at Kutztown’s Division II Challenge as SU’s No. 1 runner. 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 also ran on the regular season DMR squad that broke the school record with a time of 9:55.36. Also during the indoor season, 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.
2009 (Freshman): Gillette immediately became one of Shippensburg’s best distance runners after his success in the cross country and track seasons. He made his presence known to the conference with an All-PSAC, ninth-place finish at the PSAC Cross Country Championships. One week later, Gillette became an All-Atlantic Region performer with his ninth-place finish on a 10K course in 32:00. He was also the team’s No. 3 runner at the national championships, finished 83rd overall. His best 8K effort was an impressive PR of 25:22 at the Paul Short Invitational. In track, Gillette earned All-PSAC indoor recognition for a second-place finish with DMR squad and All-PSAC outdoor honors for a third-place finish in the 1,500 meters. He also placed seventh in the outdoor 5K.
Parkland High School: An eight-time letterwinner under head coaches Loretta Dodson and Doug Finley, Gillette was a three-time cross country All Star as a sophomore, junior and senior. He was the District XI Champion in cross country as a senior and medaled at the PIAA meet. Gillette also earned medals from the PIAA in the 3,200 meters as a junior and a senior after winning the District XI championships for the 1,600 and 3,200 meters as a junior and a senior.
Personal: Matthew Paul Gillette is the son of Tom and Joanne Gillette. He is majoring in marketing.
