Hall of Fame
A decorated middle-distance runner, Matthew LoPiccolo remains the outdoor program record holder in the 800-meter run (1:50.34) and the indoor program record holder in the 800-meter run (1:52.41), the 600-meter run (1:21.25) and the 4x800-meter relay (7:47.27).
Matthew earned All-America honors at the 1998 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, finishing fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.76. During the 1998 outdoor season, his time of 1:50.34 in the 800-meter run was the fastest performance in Division III that year.
The Norwich, N.Y., native earned the Plattsburgh State Male Senior Achievement Award in 1998-99 as a result of his standout career.
Date of Induction into Cardinal Sports Hall of Fame:
October 12, 2018
Where is he now:
Matthew is currently the assistant coach/facility manager at ZAP Fitness in Blowing Rock, N.C. The ZAP Fitness Foundation was founded 2001 as a non-profit training center for post-collegiate, Olympic hopeful distance runners.
He currently lives in Boone, N.C., with his wife, Amanda, and their two sons, Owen (5) and Eli (2). His greatest personal accomplishment includes marrying his wife, Amanda, in 2008 and having two awesome boys. His greatest athletic accomplishment after graduation includes narrowly missing the US Olympic Qualifying time in the 1,500-meter run while running for the Syracuse Chargers Track Club in 2004. He clocked a time of 3:43.56, which fell just shy of the qualifying mark of 3:43.00; his time roughly converted to a 4:01 mile.
Professionally, Matthew made a name for himself as an elite track and field coach, starting the SUNY Oneonta track and field program from scratch in 2000 before serving as an NCAA Division I assistant coach at Duke from 2013-17. He coached 114 SUNYAC champions, 41 All-Americans and four national champions at Oneonta in addition to leading the Red Dragons’ women’s track and field team to a third-place team finish at the 2006 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He coached Oneonta to the 2013 SUNYAC men’s indoor team championship in addition to being named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year and the NCAA Regional Coach of the Year three times. At Duke, he coached the women’s 4x400-meter relay to their first-ever appearance at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and the following year, he helped the Blue Devils earn their first-ever All-America sprint performance (women’s 4x400-meter relay, indoors).
Favorite Plattsburgh State Sports Moment:
“Earning All-America honors in the indoor 800 meters in 1998, placing fifth. But also, my senior year was quite the ride. We won the SUNYAC cross country team title and qualified for the NCAA Championships, I earned my All-America trophy indoors, and I ran the fastest 800 time in Division III outdoors that year. I had the rare distinction of competing at three NCAA Championships in a single academic year.”
