Updated: July 27, 2018 at 1:27 a.m.

Former runner Matt Lange will serve as an assistant coach for the cross country and track and field teams after spending the 2017-18 season behind the starting line, head coach Terry Weir announced Wednesday.

Lange will join the coaching staff for the 2018-19 season after competing for a single season at GW as a graduate student. He left a lasting mark on the program when he and 2018-graduate Carter Day became the first athletes in program history to qualify for NCAA competition in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

“Matt understands what it takes to live, study and train at an elite academic institution,” Weir said in the release. “I got to see firsthand his ability to mentor, and his positive energy is perfect for this position.”

Lange holds the program record in the 10,000-meter cross country race with a time of 31:13.4 and is part of the record-holding 4×1600 meter relay team.

Before coming to GW to pursue a master’s degree in tourism administration, Lange was a member of the track program at Furman University, where he received his degree in 2017.

Lange will help oversee a squad that rose to program highs this year in its fourth season. In addition to qualifying for their first NCAA meet, the Colonials took home three first-place finishes at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships and earned their first individual medals in team history at the A-10 Indoor Track and Field Championships.

This post was updated to reflect the following correction:
The Hatchet incorrectly identified Matt Lange as a recent graduate in a photo caption. Lange is currently a graduate student. We regret this error.