Biography

To view Matt’s biography on the Team USA Minnesota website, click here

Matt Llano, 23, is from Poughkeepsie, New York, where he lived until moving to Chesapeake, Virginia and then to Annapolis, Maryland.  As a freshman at Broadneck High School in Annapolis, Matt began running sprint events (55m to 300m) to improve his speed for soccer and to stay in shape during the high school off-season.

After joining a nationally-ranked travel soccer team his sophomore year, he realized that his heart was no longer invested in soccer and he gave it up the following year to run Cross Country.  His high school personal bests were 2:00 in the 800m, 4:25 in the mile, and 9:44 in the 3200m.  In the Fall of 2005, Matt committed to run for the Spiders at University of Richmond in Virginia.

At the collegiate level, Matt steadily progressed each year, qualifying for the NCAA Championships four times (two times each in cross country and outdoor track) and earning Division I First-Team All-America status for his 9th place finish in the 10k in 2010.  In his final year as a Spider, the University of Richmond Men’s Cross Country team won their first-ever Atlantic 10 Conference Championship title and went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships, where they finished 24th.  Matt narrowly missed earning his second All-America distinction by 3 seconds, finishing 44th.

While still in college, Matt competed in two US Championship events to prepare him for the professional running career he would be embarking on upon graduation.  The first took place in February 2011 at the USA Cross Country Championships in San Diego, CA where he claimed 21st.  He followed that performance by placing 23rd in the deepest field ever assembled at the USA 15k Championships in Jacksonville, FL at the Gate River Run.

In his final season of NCAA eligibility, Matt lowered his personal bests in the 5k (14:00.01) and 10k (28:43.30) and garnered Honorable Mention All-America honors in his final NCAA Championship appearance.  He joined Team USA Minnesota in September 2011, which enables him to continue to pursue his dreams of competing at the international level at World Championships and the Olympic Games.  He is coached by Dennis Barker.  For more information on Matt’s recent performances, check out the “Races” tab at the top of this page.

Matt’s parents, Bob and Sue, are his biggest supporters, along with his three siblings: Christine, Lee Ann, and Robert.  Matt graduated in May 2011 with a B.S. in Psychology, B.A. in Latin American & Iberian Studies, and B.A. in Theatre.

Copyright © 2011 Matt Llano – All Rights Reserved

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