Matthew Harmeyer was hired as an assistant coach and director of operations for the UNLV track & field/cross country programs prior to the 2023-24 academic year.
Harmeyer joined the Rebels after spending the previous five years as an assistant coach at Northern Arizona where he was in charge of jumps and combined events. At UNLV, his coaching focus is jumps and multi-events.
"I have had the opportunity to watch Coach Harmeyer grow and develop into a teacher of the sport over the past few years," UNLV head coach for track & field/cross country Carmelita Jeter said upon announcing his hire. "His relationships with his student-athletes have allowed him to coach them up to another level. Choosing Matthew to help me elevate this program as its director of operations and multi-event coach was a no-brainer. His skills and work ethic will fit right in with my goals and aspirations for this new era in UNLV track & field/cross country. I'm so excited and we are ready to hit the ground running."
During Harmeyer's second season leading the jumps & multi-events, Grace Cunningham earned MW Outdoor Track & Field All-Mountain West accolades after placing third in the high jump with a height of 1.70m (5' 7"). Freshman Juliana Roberson recorded the fifth-best indoor triple jump in program history with a leap of 12.38m.
Harmeyer's efforts helped UNLV student-athletes reach lifetime bests in both the long jump and triple jump during the 2023-24 season; Camryn Harris improving 0.96m in the long jump and 1.48m in the triple jump.
In 2022-23 at NAU, Harmeyer coached an NCAA Indoor Championships contender in long-jumper Mitchell Effing, who finished 14th overall at the national championships and earned second-team All-America honors. Effing set the school record in the triple jump and finished second at the Big Sky Indoor Championships. Harmeyer also coached Madeline Wilson to a school record in the pentathlon, scoring 3,882 points.
The outdoor season proved to be even stronger for Harmeyer's jumps squad in 2023 as it claimed two individual championships at the Big Sky Championships and sent four student-athletes to the NCAA West Regional. Effing took gold in the triple jump and finished second in the long jump, while Wilson finished first in the 200-meter and second in the 100-meter (ranked No. 2 in Big Sky history). The long jump was also a strong event for the NAU women with Jenna Figueroa placing second and Kenashalee Kerr finishing third.
"I would like to give a sincere 'thank you' to Coach Smith and my former student-athletes for challenging me and molding me into the coach I have become," Harmeyer said. "When I reflect on my career, NAU track & field will always be the place that spring-boarded me to achieve greatness in this profession.
I want to thank AD Harper and Coach Jeter for believing in my abilities to handle essential parts of the operation within the UNLV program and to lead jumps and combined-event athletes to the highest level in the classroom and on the track. Our family is incredibly ecstatic to be joining the UNLV family and Rebel Nation!"
Harmeyer coached two individual event champions the year prior at the 2022 Big Sky Indoor Championships. At the league's outdoor championships, the women's team scored the most points in Big Sky history, sending three student-athletes to the NCAA West Regional.
In 2021, Harmeyer coached his women's triple jumpers to the 14th-best event group in the NCAA. And in 2020 before the COVID shutdown, the jumpers and combined-events athletes contributed to both the men's and women's teams victories at the Big Sky Indoor Championships.
In his first season at NAU, Harmeyer led two athletes to the NCAA West Regional Meet in the long jump. He also led his triple-jumper to a third-place finish at the Big Sky Indoor Championships.
Prior to joining the Lumberjacks, Harmeyer was an assistant coach at Cornerstone University where he was in charge of sprints, hurdles, relays, jumps, and combined events. During his time there he coached 60 WHAC conference scorers, including the 2017 Indoor Triple Jump Champion, 24 NAIA National Qualifiers, and four USTFCCCA All-Americans. He also led athletes to two freshman records in the women's heptathlon and men's 100-meter, as well as program records in the women's 400-meter and men's pole vault.
Harmeyer began his coaching career in 2013 as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, Iowa State University, where he was a letter winner in the decathlon. While at ISU, he assisted with jumps, combined events, and throws, helping to guide the team to 42 All-Big 12 honors, two Big 12 Conference Champions, a two-time Division I shot put National Champions, and seven All-Americans.
