Head Cross-Country Coach, Matt Koenigs

Matt Koenigs
Head Cross-Country Coach
Phone: 425.249.4736
E-mail: matt.koenigs@tlc.edu

Head Cross-Country and Track and Field Coach Matt Koenigs joins the Trinity staff with an established record as a program builder. In 2006, he  inherited a struggling Everett Community College program and spent the next six years developing both the men’s and women’s distance running squads into one of the Nation’s best at the JC level.

His Women's Cross-Country teams have won five consecutive Northern Region Cross-Country Championships (2007-2011) and in that same period of time have the longest active streak among women’s teams of podium finishes at the NWAACC XC Championship (2nd in 2007 & 2008, 3rd in 2010 and 1st in 2009 and 2011). The NWAACC Cross-Country Titles in 2009 and 2011 were the first two NWAACC Women’s Team Championships in school history. In 2009, the Trojan Women brought home the school’s first NWAACC Title in any sport and did so in dramatic fashion where their 23 points represent the 5th lowest point total in NWAACC Championship history.

His Men's Cross-Country teams have enjoyed a similar degree of success, winning six consecutive Northern Region XC Championships (2006-2011) while also placing 2nd at the NWAACC XC Championship in four consecutive years from 2007-2010. In 2011, his Men’s team won its first NWAACC Title where their 21 points represent the lowest point total ever recorded by an EvCC team at the NWAACC XC Championship.

The top 3 NWAACC finishes by both the men's and women's XC teams in 2007 ended a 23-year drought, beginning in 1984, without a podium finish at the NWAACC Meet by either program. In 2009, the Trojan Cross-Country team also earned the school's first ever NWAACC Combined Cross-Country Championship, which is awarded to the school with the lowest combined men's and women's team score; in 2011 the Trojans also won the last NWAACC Combined XC Championship ever to be awarded as beginning in 2012, Combined Titles have been eliminated as a Championship awarded by the NWAACC Conference.

In his six years, the Track and Cross-Country programs have seen 49 All-American, 83 All-NWAACC and 49 N. Region First Team performances while also producing seven individual NWAACC Champions. Koenigs’ NWAACC Champions include 2011 XC Champion Bereket Piatt, 2009 10,000m Champion Megan Hall, 2010 & 2011 1500m Champion Seth Pierson, 2010 10,000m Champion Kelly Talkington, 2012 800m Champion Kaitlin Fisher and four-time NWAACC Champion Shawna Schooley (2009 & 2010 XC, 2010 3k Steeple & 2010 1500m). Under direction of Coach Mary Parker, the Trojan’s Field events program, which started back up in 2011, earned its first NWAACC Title in nearly 30 years when Janell Alyea won the 2012 Discus title. Koenigs’ programs have also produced six individual champions at the Northern Region Cross-Country Championship in Taneal Detschman (2007), Yon Yilma (2008), Emmanuel Contreras (2009), Bryton Reim (2010 & 2011), Shawna Schooley (2009 & 2010) and Katie Strong (2011).

In Cross-Country, Koenigs has received Coach of the Year honors three times at the NWAACC level and on six different occasions in the Northern Region. In 2011, he was named the NWAACC Men’s Cross-Country Coach of the Year after previously being selected 2007 and 2009 NWAACC Women's XC Coach of the Year. He was selected Northern Region Men's Coach of the Year in 2007 & 2009 and as Northern Region Women's Coach of the Year in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.

Coach Koenigs enjoyed a successful running career prior to beginning his coaching tenure at EvCC. A standout runner at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, in 1998 he was the District 1600m champion and placed 6th at 4A State on the Track in the 1600m (4:21.98) and the 3200m (9:23.99). Koenigs was the Wesco 4A District Champion in Cross-Country in 1997 and competed at the High School State XC Meet on three occasions. Also a successful swimmer, Koenigs placed 7th in 1998 at 4A State Swimming in the 500yd Freestyle (4:56.43). He competed collegiately for Western Washington University where he ran track and Cross-Country for the Vikings from 1998-2000 focusing on the 1500m and 3000m Steeplechase. His athletic career, having been recently revitalized, is back on track and has expanded to include triathlon and multisport. Koenigs was the age group National Champion at the 2012 National Aquathlon Championship where he qualified to represent Team USA at the 2012 World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand.

After earning his BA in Business Administration at WWU in 2002, Koenigs matriculated to the University of Washington School of Law. Graduating from law school and passing the bar examination in 2005, Koenigs chose to forgo a legal career to pursue his passion of coaching distance runners. Says Koenigs of his decision to give up a potential legal career: "Life is too short to do something that you don't enjoy. I love running and I love coaching; the choice for me was an easy one."

Assistant Cross-Country Coach, Mitchell Elias

Mitchell Elias
Assistant Cross-Country Coach

Mitchell Elias joins the Eagles after his first year of collegiate coaching during the 2011-2012 school year when he assisted with Men's and Women's Track and Field as a distance and steeplechase coach and as an assistant for Cross-Country at Everett Community College. Elias's first season coaching at EvCC saw both the men's and women's Cross-Country teams win NWAACC Championships.

Elias joined the EvCC program originally as a student-athlete and was elected as a team captain. He participated in the College's inaugural track season and earned All-American honors in the steeplechase. He helped to lead his Men's Cross-Country teams to consecutive second place finishes at the NWAACC Championship in 2007 and 2008. After two years at Everett, he accepted a scholarship offer to compete for the University of Great Falls in Montana. At UGF, Elias was one of the first athletes to represent the school at the NAIA Indoor National Championship and was selected by his peers to represent them as their captain for both Cross-Country and Track and Field. Upon completing his Collegiate eligibility, Mitchell returned to Everett with his wife, Tiffany, to begin his coaching career.

Mitchell and Tiffany live in Everett with their newborn son, David. This fall, he is completing his last term at Western Washington University where he will graduate with his Bachelor's Degree in English with a focus in Creative Writing.

Assistant Cross-Country Coach, Tiffany Elias

Tiffany Elias
Assistant Cross-Country Coach

Coach Tiffany Elias earned a Master of Science in Organizational Management from the University of Great Falls in May of 2012 and a B.S. in Health and Human Performance from the University of Great Falls in May of 2010.

Prior to coaching at Trinity, Elias was on staff at Lane Community College (2006-2008) where she helped coach sixteen All Americans, including Jordan McNamara who went on to compete for the University of Oregon and is now competing professionally for Nike’s Oregon Track Club Elite. In 2010, Elias began coaching for the University of Great Falls, and in that year they sent 6 athletes to the NAIA National Championship in Cross Country and Track & Field. In 2011, Elias and her husband Mitchell moved to Everett and they both joined the coaching staff at Everett Community College. In 2011, EVCC walked away with the men’s and the women’s team championship trophies. In 2012, EVCC produced five All- Americans on the track including one NWAACC Champion in the women’s 800 meter run. In 2012, Elias helped to coach the women of EVCC to their second straight NWAACC title with a score of 21 points and five female All – Americans. On the Men’s side, EVCC placed third overall and produced one individual All - American.

As an athlete herself, Elias competed at Lane Community College from 2004-2006 where she was team captain of the 2005 NWAACC Champion Women’s Cross Country team. She also received individual all- conference honors on the track in the 800, 1500, and 3000 meter steeplechase. After a two year coaching stint at Lane Community College (2006-2008), Elias moved on to compete at the University of Great Falls from 2008-2010. In her time at UGF, Elias competed at the 2009 NAIA National Championship in Cross Country. In 2010 she ran in the 10,000 meters at the NAIA National Outdoor Track & Field Championship.

Elias is also an Admissions Counselor at Trinity.

Elias is enthusiastic about working with the Trinity cross country program in its infancy, and she hopes to help establish a successful program that encourages student - athletes to be successful in the classroom and in athletics.