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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh Athletics has announced a restructuring of the coaching staff of the track and field programs. Head Track and Field Coach Matt Utesch is stepping away from his role after 25 seasons leading the Mountain Hawks. Three members of the coaching staff, all of whom competed for Utesch as Lehigh student-athletes, have been elevated into new roles. Head Men’s Cross Country Coach Todd Etters ’02 will assume the additional role of Head Men’s Track and Field Coach. Khayla Atte ’05 has been elevated from assistant coach to Head Women’s Track and Field Coach. Assistant coach Brooke Astor ’14 is moving into a new role as Director of Recruiting and Student-Athlete Development.
“Coach Matt will be missed in our department, as a colleague and friend,” said Associate Athletic Director Stacy Shiffert, who is the program administrator for track and field. “Part of his coaching legacy is not only visible through athletic accolades, but also through having three alumni of our program take over key positions in the upcoming year. He has developed student-athletes and coaches who have gone on to do great things after their time competing for Lehigh.”
A three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year at the Patriot League Championship meet, Utesch steps away after mentoring Lehigh student-athletes to 165 Patriot League individual or relay championships in 25 seasons. Lehigh athletes won 27 major awards at the Patriot League Championships from 1998-2022.
Individually, four athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships on five occasions, most notably Courtney Avery, who was a two-time All-American in the high jump, earning second team honors in 2016 and becoming Lehigh’s first female first-team All-American with a sixth-place finish in 2017. Vaclav Malek became Utesch’s first athlete to qualify for the season-ending NCAA Championships, doing so in 2005 in the decathlon. In addition, Ryan Mahalsky qualified for the NCAA Championships and was an honorable mention All-American in the 10,000 meters in 2015 and Lucas Warning was a second team All-American in the shot put in 2017.
Off the track, Utesch’s teams were regularly recognized for academic success by the USTFCCCA. He coached two Patriot League Outdoor Scholar-Athletes of the Year: Matt Christman in 1998 and Evans Kosgei in 2011.
“The change in leadership provided a unique opportunity to reimagine the track and field staffing structure given the strengths of our current staff,” said Deputy Director of Athletics Sue Troyan. “Brooke, Khayla and Todd each bring strong leadership qualities to the support they can provide to our programs, while also understanding the importance of working together as a staff and team in how they support our student athletes. We’re excited to see how they will continue to support the growth and development of our student-athletes through this new structure.”
Etters is entering his 15th season as Lehigh’s Men’s Cross Country coach and his 21st overall working with the cross country and track and field programs. His time leading the men’s cross country program has been highlighted by the program’s first Patriot League Championship in 2012, an accomplishment that netted Etters Patriot League Coach of the Year honors. Etters has coached 19 All-Patriot League performers in cross country including one individual champion (Tyler Mueller, 2013). Evans Kosgei was named Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2011 and is one of four Mountain Hawks to qualify for the NCAA Championships in cross country under Etters, joining Mueller (2013), Ryan Mahalsky (2014) and Patrick Reilly (2017) .
On the track, Etters works closely with Lehigh’s men’s middle distance and distance group. He was instrumental in Mahalsky’s All-America outdoor campaign in 2015 and this past year mentored by Kyle Burke, whose senior campaign included seven school records, three Patriot League titles, an IC4A title and an appearance at the NCAA East Preliminaries.
Atte is entering her fourth season on Lehigh’s coaching staff. She returned to her alma mater in 2019 and spent the previous three seasons working primarily with the sprinters and hurdlers. The 2021-22 season was highlighted by four school records being broken in the women’s program and Jonathan Bennett’s solid indoor season on the men’s side that included a school record in the 60-meter hurdles. In addition to these records, Atte has coached one Patriot League champion and one ECAC all-east competitor. The season boasted the addition of 10 sprinters to the “Top 10” all-time list. In her first season, Zach DeLone broke the school record in the indoor 200 meters.
The former Khayla Lowe was a four-year letter winner for the Mountain Hawks from 2001-05 and won a Patriot League championship in the indoor pentathlon in 2004. Since returning to Lehigh, Atte has been active off the track as well. Atte is a Lehigh Athletics’ Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Anti-Racism advisory council member. She is a founding advisor for Lehigh’s of Student-Athletes of Color and is a member of the Patriot League’s Anti-Racism Committee. She was awarded the 2021 Club Advisor of the Year award by the Dean of Students Office.
Astor enters her ninth season on the coaching staff in this newly-created position. She will continue coaching her event groups – multi-events, hurdles and jumps – and will now have oversight of student-athlete recruitment, working collaboratively with each head coach and the Associate Athletic Director for Recruitment. Astor will oversee and coordinate student-athlete development initiatives, with an emphasis on Individual Development Plans; and will collaborate with the head coaches on program principles, values, objectives and priority planning. She will oversee the scheduling of all organized team activities and serve as the staff liaison to other support areas within the athletics department.
A 2014 Lehigh graduate, Astor has worked with 23 Patriot League champions covering the multis and jumps. Trevor Knowles won seven Patriot League titles in the heptathlon/decathlon, while on the women’s side Courtney Avery won seven Patriot League titles in the high jump and was a two-time All-American. The winner of Lehigh’s Graduating Female Athlete Award in 2014, Astor was also a seven-time Patriot League champion and was twice named Patriot League Indoor Field Athlete of the Meet at the league championships.
“I am excited to see Khayla, Todd and Brooke take leadership roles in our track and field program,” Shiffert said. “All three have made significant contributions in supporting roles of our program and are well deserving of their new positions for this season.”
“The elevation of Brooke, Khayla and Todd into leadership positions is a tribute to the legacy that Matt has left on the Lehigh track and field program,” Troyan added. “Matt’s former student-athletes, staff members and alumni will continue to grow the track and field program while making a positive impact on the student athlete experience.”
Debbie Utesch returns for her 26th season as the women’s cross country head coach and an assistant coach for the track and field program. Allison Taub returns as the Mountain Hawks’ assistant coach, working with the throwers.
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