Matt Sutton was hired in February of 2023 to serve as head coach of both cross country programs along with a primary assistant for track and field. He arrived after spending three years as a distance specialist at Adrian College.
Sutton helped grow the cross country rosters immensely while at Adrian, as both programs had a combined 12 student-athletes (including just four on the women's side) upon his arrival. After just a few years, his recruiting efforts helped grow the roster to a combined 32 faces. The Bulldogs took fourth on the men's side at his final Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA) Championships, marking the program's highest finish in nearly a decade.
Sutton and this staff earned the 2025 OAC Coaching Staff of the Year accolades following the men's cross country title. The Cardinals dominated at the conference meet, where Sutton also coached the OAC Individual Champion, Payne Ratliff. Sutton has helped guide multiple Cardinals to the NCAA Championships in track and field, while the men's cross country program took 8th of 40 schools at his first Great Lakes Regional.
Sutton is a 2017 graduate of Georgia College where he was a four-year member of the cross country team from, eventually graduating with a bachelor's degree in exercise science. He was also a two-time member of the Peach Belt Conference All-Sportsmanship Team (2015 and 2017).
Sutton remained at his alma mater in Milledgeville to launch his coaching career, serving as graduate assistant for the 2018 season while earning a master's degree in human performance. He then stepped in as the interim head coach in 2019 to handle all recruiting efforts, practice plans, team operations, etc. Both programs generated team GPA's above 3.25 during that span.
"Otterbein is such a well-rounded and desirable location," said Sutton. "I can see myself recruiting here when you consider those attributes with the recent athletic success. I hope to keep building on these already strong traditions and add my own energy at the same time."
His coaching experience started in the fall of 2017 where he served as a volunteer assistant at Baldwin High School. He also served as a volunteer assistant of the Baldwin Blazers AAU/USATF Junior Track and Field team during the summer of 2019.
Sutton, who also holds a Track and Field Technical certification from the USTFCCCA, resides in nearby Gahanna with his wife, Emily.
