Jacksonville State University Athletics

Following his third season on staff, Matthew Boone was elevated to head track and field coach in the summer of 2020 following the retirement of longtime leader Steve Ray. 

In his first season at the helm in 2020-21, the Gamecocks navigated a delicate schedule still encumbered by Covid-19 restrictions. The cross country season was delayed by the Ohio Valley Conference until the spring of 2021, where is ran simultaneously with the indoor track season. The only championship held the year was for outdoor track and field, where JSU placed eighth as a team led by senior Baylee Porch setting the school's heptathlon record with 4,861 points. 

Most recently, Boone directed JSU in its return to the ASUN Conference beginning in the 2021-22 season. After not having an indoor championship in 2021, Jax State placed seventh in the ASUN indoor meet, the highest conference finish since 2017. For the outdoor championship, JSU scored 40 points and finished sixth in Jacksonville, Fla., marking the highest outdoor championship points total since 2018, and best team finish since 2016 in the OVC.

Boone joined JSU's track and field staff as an assistant in January 2018, following a year and a half stint as a volunteer assistant at Mississippi State. 

In his first season with the program JSU established new field event school records in the shot put, discus, javelin, pole vault, long jump, and triple jump. The 2018 season saw senior Courtney Bennett win the OVC title in shot put (indoor) and discus (outdoor), while Marelly Balentina became the first Gamecock to qualify for NCAA Regional championship since 2012 in the javelin. 
 
As a college athlete himself, Boone was a four-year member of Florida State's track and field team, focusing primarily on the javelin throw, from 2011 to 2015.
 
At FSU, Boone was a representative on the student-athlete advisory committee as well as a member of the Florida State Athletics Board. Following his collegiate career for the Seminoles, he spent the spring of 2016 as an assistant track and field coach at Lawton Chiles High School in the Tallahassee area. His boys team claimed the 3A FHSAA state championship, while he coached the school record holder in both the high jump and long jump on the girls' side.
 
That summer Boone began his Master's work at Mississippi State, joining the track program as a volunteer assistant. Boone's main duties involved working with jump events and multi-event athletes. His athletes once again set new school marks in the women's high jump and triple jump events. He helped coach three conference scorers and four national qualifiers.
 
Boone received his bachelor's degree in exercise science from Florida State in 2015, and completed his master's in exercise physiology from Mississippi State in 2018.