Moyen Steps Down as Cross Country Coach; Roark Tabbed as Replacement

BOSTON, Mass. – Matt Moyen, who began the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's cross country team as a club program in 2013 and led it to a conference championship in just its second varsity season in 2015, has announced his resignation as the program's head coach. Dan Roark, who has been an assistant coach during the first two varsity seasons, has been promoted to head coach. Director of Athletics Cheryl Aaron made the announcement which takes effect immediately.

"As the cross country program's first head coach, Matt has served Wentworth and our department with great pride, professionalism and a competitive spirit," said Aaron. "He has worked tirelessly for our student-athletes and we wish him the best as moves onto a new chapter in his life."

Wentworth's 2015 campaign was extremely successful as the Leopards finished didn't have a finish lower than third in their first six meets and posted four straight first-place finishes, which culminated in the program's first Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship. Wentworth's 47 points in that meet bested 15-time defending league champion Roger Williams' 67. Three Wentworth runners earned All-CCC honors and Moyen was named the conference's coach of the year.

The 2014 campaign was indeed a memorable debut for the Wentworth men's cross country program as the Leopards finished no lower than fourth in their first seven meets, including winning the Tri-State Invitational. At the CCC Championship, Wentworth finished with 55 points, second to Roger Williams' 26. Four runners earned all-conference honors.

A 2006 graduate of Wentworth, Moyen's resignation ends a 14-run of his being a daily fixture within the department as he was a standout for the Leopard baseball team from 2002-2006 and was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2011. From 2006-2015 he remained with the program as an assistant coach, helping the Leopards to four of their most successful years in program history from 2008-2011, including a 30-win season and trip to the CCC title game in 2008.

"I feel extremely fortunate to have been provided the opportunity to build the men's cross country program from scratch here at my alma mater, an opportunity that very few coaches have," said Moyen. "When taking on this position three years ago my main goal was to build a strong foundation for both the short and long term successes of the program. I'm confident that through the efforts of the coaching staff, the strong and talented group of student-athletes we have, and our administration that I'm departing the program at a stage where that goal has been achieved thus giving me some peace of mind in making my decision."

Having spent the last two seasons on the Wentworth staff, Roark is no stranger to the Leopards' success in a short amount of time. He has assisted Moyen in all areas of the program, including practice planning and recruiting. Roark served as the head coach of the Leopards' club indoor track team during the 2015-2016 season.

A native of Dracut, Mass., Roark competed in cross country, indoor, and outdoor track and, first, Quinnipiac University and then Saint Joseph's University, both Division I institutions.

While competing in indoor track at Quinnipiac he claimed the Northeast Conference 3000-meter title, was second in the 5000-meter race and for his efforts he was named Northeast Conference Most Outstanding Rookie Performer in 2009. He also helped the Bobcats to an NEC Championship in cross country in 2008 while also earning All-NEC honors for his 11th-place finish at the championships.

Roark transferred to Saint Joseph's and ran personal bests in track of 3:54.68 in the 1500-meter, 14:48.71 in the 5000-meter, and 9:05.26 in the 3000-meter steeplechase. He qualified for the IC4A Championships twice in indoor track and three times in outdoor track.

He earned his Bachelor's degree in economics in 2012 and his Master's in Business Administration in 2013.

While not coaching, he can be found on campus as he works within the Registrar's Office as the transfer credit coordinator.

"We are very excited to have Dan Roark transition from assistant coach to our next head cross country coach," said Aaron. "Dan brings a wealth of experience as a successful student-athlete, passionate coach and loyal member of our department."

"Being named head coach of the cross country team is bittersweet with Matt stepping down," said Roark. "Matt did a tremendous job starting this program from scratch and it is easily shown with the great success the team had in a short period of time, being topped off by the CCC championship last year. "I am excited to follow the road he has paved and am eager to watch this program grow and succeed. We have a great core group of runners that I am excited to watch grow as both student-athletes and men."

Wentworth opens up the 2016 campaign on Saturday, September 3 at the Roger Williams Invitational.