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Assistant Coach Matt Chovanec

 

Assistant Coach Matt Chovanec

Matt Chovanec '91 has returned to coach Cross Country at Alma College under new Coach Gordon Aldrich.

Coach Chovanec graduated from Alma College in 1991 with a B.A. in History. While at Alma, Chovanec was a two sport four time letter winner in Track & Field and Cross Country. Chovanec was named All-MIAA twice, team co-MVP once and served as a co-Captain for the 1990 Cross Country team.

As a high school coach at Breckenridge, Chovanec has coached two individual state champions and has had his Track teams place in the top ten at states three times, while his Cross Country teams qualified for states four out of eight years including winning the Boys Class C Regional Championship in 1998.

Chovanec has been coaching at Alma College in some capacity since 2002 including serving as the Men's Head Track & Field Coach from 2004-2006.

Coach Chovanec teaches Social Studies and Physical Education at Breckenridge High School. Him and his wife Kimberly reside in St. Louis with their three children; Hunter (8 years old), Colton (5 years old), and Kyler (3 years old).

Chovanec holds the Alma College 10,000 Meter Run record at Alma College with a time of (31:19.91) 

 

The memory and spiritual ideals of the late Bishop Thomas Makarios remain alive in a figurative sculpture that was dedicated in May 2009 near the center of campus. The Bishop, professor of religious studies at Alma for 25 years, was founder of the American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Church of India and the first Metropolitan Bishop of Canada, United Kingdom and Europe, and South Africa.

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Coach Profile

Gordon Aldrich

Gordon Aldrich was a late addition to the Alma College Coaching Staff in the summer of 2007. Coach Aldrich has joined the Alma College Family as the Cross Country and Track and Field Head Coach.

During his 26 years as a varsity Boy’s and Girl’s Cross Country Coach, Aldrich has won a Girls Open State Championship (1978), a Girls State Championship (1995), two Boy’s State Championships (1994, 1997), and was Runner-up on seven other occasions. During the same time, Aldrich coached teams to 17 conference championships, was nominated for the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association Coach of the Year 12 times for cross country, and walked away with the award four times (1994, 1995, 1996, and 1998). He was also named the Boy’s Cross Country National Coach of the Year in 1999 by the National Federation Interscholastic Coaches Association.

Aldrich was also honored with Michigan High School Coaches Association Track Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1998, and has received the Charles Sweeney Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame Track and Field Award.

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