Matt Cohen ’12 is in his third season as head coach of Haverford College’s men’s cross country team in fall 2026 and also leads the men’s indoor and outdoor track & field programs. A former captain of the Fords, Cohen assumed the head coaching role on January 3, 2024, after serving on Haverford’s coaching staff since August 2016.
Under Cohen’s leadership, Haverford continues its longstanding tradition of success at the conference, regional and national levels. In 2025, the men’s cross country team finished second at the Centennial Conference Championships, and Cohen and his staff earned Centennial Conference Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Micah Lachman was named the USTFCCCA Metro Region Athlete of the Year, while Lachman and Simon Lane earned first-team All-Centennial recognition and competed at the NCAA Division III Championships.
The Fords also earned national recognition during the 2026 indoor track & field season. Haverford’s distance medley relay qualified for the NCAA Championships after breaking a 15-year-old school record with a time of 9:53.34. Jory Lee qualified for nationals in the triple jump, earning second-team All-America honors with a 13th-place finish. Eight Fords combined for 13 USTFCCCA All-Region selections during the indoor season.
Before becoming head coach, Cohen served as an assistant coach for Haverford’s cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field teams. He was elevated to lead assistant for the track & field programs in 2021, helping direct the performance program and support the long-term development of Haverford student-athletes.
Cohen’s professional background also includes experience in fundraising and alumni engagement. He held several development positions at Friends’ Central School in Wynnewood, Pa., beginning in 2014, including director of leadership giving, a role he assumed in July 2022.
Cohen earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Haverford and a Master of Business Administration from Villanova University. His coaching education includes USA Track & Field Level 1 certification and additional training in coaching the short sprints and horizontal jumps.
A native of Santa Monica, Calif., Cohen captained Haverford’s cross country and track & field teams during his senior seasons and earned Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll recognition in each season of eligibility.
