With 23 years of coaching experience, Damion McLean brings a wealth of knowledge in developing, strengthening and training successful track & field athletes within the Sun Belt Conference. McLean began his coaching career at Appalachian State in 2003 and assumed the role of head track & field coach in June 2018.
2025-26 Season
The 2025-26 season marked one of the most successful years in Appalachian State Track & Field and Cross-Country history under McLean's leadership. The Mountaineers captured both the men's and women's Sun Belt Cross Country Championships, while the men successfully defended their conference title. The program produced 20 Sun Belt All-Conference selections, the most in program history, and recorded the highest outdoor conference finishes by both the men's and women's programs since joining the Sun Belt in 2015, with the men finishing second and the women third.
McLean's program also produced multiple Sun Belt specialty award winners, including Freshman of the Year Noah Martinson, Freshman of the Year Tessa Massa, Outdoor Freshman of the Year Ashlynn Wimberly, Men's Field Performer of the Year Matthew Gray, and Coaches of the Year Annie Richards and Brad Herbster. The cross-country season also saw 2025 Sun Belt All-Conference honors awarded to eight Mountaineer men and five
women.
The indoor season was highlighted by numerous school records and conference honors, including Matthew Gray's progression in the pole vault to 5.73 meters (18-9.50), ranking second in the NCAA and 19th in the world at the time. Gray ultimately became one of the nation's premier collegiate vaulters, while Kendall Johnson lowered the women's 60-meter record to 7.32, ranking among the nation's top performers. Other school records came in the 1,000 meters, 300 meters, 400 meters, 3,000 meters, women's 4x400-meter relay, DMR and women's pole vault.
The outdoor season continued the program's historic momentum. Gray captured the Sun Belt pole vault championship and cleared 5.84 meters (19-2), breaking the facility, school, Sun Belt regular-season and championship-meet records. The mark ranked No. 1 in the NCAA, No. 5 in the United States and No. 11 all-time in NCAA outdoor history, while placing him No. 13 in the world. Gray was named Sun Belt Field Performer of the Year.
The Mountaineers also produced Sun Belt champions in the men's 1,500 meters (Derek Waite), men's steeplechase (Ethan Lipham) and men's pole vault (Gray), while collecting All-Conference honors across sprints, distance, jumps and relays. The women's 4x400-meter relay broke the school record with a time of 3:38.19.
App State advanced seven athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including four men and three women, with Gray advancing to the NCAA Championships in Eugene. The men's team finished tied for 47th nationally, its highest NCAA team finish since 1988, ranked 14th among mid-major programs, and finished as the highest-ranked Sun Belt program in the country while placing ahead of 12 ACC programs.
The program also established a school record with 10 athletes qualifying for the USATF U20 Championships. Gray went on to qualify for the 2026 USATF Outdoor Championships in New York, where he finished eighth in the men's pole vault.
2024-25 Season
The men's and women's cross country and track & field programs prospered during the 2024-25 season. The Mountaineers reset 18 program records, collected 10 specialty Sun Belt awards and 29 All-SBC accolades, in addition to five SBC Athlete of the Week honors. McLean also continued to champion academic success as the men's and women's cross country teams and men's and women's track & field teams earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors.
Overcoming the effects of Hurricane Helene during the cross country season, the Mountaineers swept both Sun Belt Cross Country team titles for the first time during the program's Sun Belt era. The men successfully defended their 2023 championship, while the women captured their
first team title since 2018.
The outdoor season was highlighted by the program's first NCAA Outdoor Championship women's pole vault qualifier, as Lilly Nichols earned All-American Honorable Mention honors. Six Mountaineers qualified for the NCAA East First Round, while Patrick Freeman won the men's pole vault at the prestigious Penn Relays. App State also produced its first USATF qualifier in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase after Calbert Guest broke the
program record.
2023-24 Season
Under McLean's direction, the Mountaineers continued to make significant progress across all three seasons, breaking eight program records and collecting 24 All-SBC honors and eight SBC Athlete of the Week selections. McLean coached 2024 Sun Belt Women's Outdoor Track & Field Newcomer of the Year Ashlee Osaji and helped develop Taylor Smith, with both athletes surpassing the program's outdoor long jump record.
Seven Mountaineers qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round, the most in program history at the time. McLean also helped Nicole Wells and Kendall Johnson advance to the 2024 USATF U20 Championships.
2022-23 Season
McLean coached triple jumper Jada Branch to the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships, making her the first Mountaineer since 2005 to compete at the national outdoor meet. Branch and pole vaulter Matthew Gray later represented App State at the USATF Elite and U20 Championships. Five Mountaineers earned All-SBC honors and four advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
2021-22 Season
McLean coached Peighton Simmons to her second consecutive indoor triple jump conference championship and a runner-up finish in the long jump at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships. During the season, seven athletes earned indoor All-SBC honors and eight earned outdoor All-SBC honors, while four Mountaineers qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
2020-21 Season
McLean coached Peighton Simmons to Sun Belt championships in both the indoor and outdoor triple jump, making her the first female Mountaineer to accomplish the feat since 2010. Three jumpers — Eric Haddock Jr., Maya Hanks and Simmons — qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
2019-20 Season
In McLean's second season as head coach, the men's program produced three school records, including two from De'Shawn Ballard in the 200 and 300 meters. On the women's side, Jessica Dixon broke the program's 400-meter record en route to winning the Sun Belt championship.
2018-19 Season
In his first season as head coach, McLean guided the women's program to seventh-place finishes at both the Sun Belt Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The men's team finished sixth indoors and eighth outdoors.
Collegiate Career
A 2002 graduate of Appalachian State, McLean captured Southern Conference outdoor long jump championships in 2000 and 2001 and qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2001. He currently ranks among the top performers in App State history in the long jump, with a collegiate personal best of 26 feet. His collegiate career also included competition in the triple jump, high jump, 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay.
During his fifth year in 2002, McLean served as an undergraduate track assistant working with sprints, hurdles and jumps. After graduating in May 2002, he worked in advertising before returning to Boone as a full-time coach in 2003.
McLean has two daughters, Bry'anna and Kyli.
