12/06/2015
Lowell Sun
By Barry Scanlon
LOWELL -- As a star runner at Haverhill High, Jaclyn Solimine received interest from several colleges, including Northeastern and WPI.
She wasn't sure what to do. Then she visited UMass Lowell and met coach Gary Gardner.
"Talking to other coaches it seemed like more of a business deal. With Gary, it was more personal. He was interested in me as a person, not just as a runner," Solimine said.
Gardner "was a pretty big reason" she choose UMass Lowell, said Solimine, now a junior.
Gardner won the recruiting battle for Solimine the way he's won a truckload of meets and Coach of the Year awards for more than a decade at UMass Lowell -- with a personal, consistent approach.
The 43-year-old Gardner has led the River Hawks' cross country and track teams through a seamless transition from Division 2 to Division 1. On Oct. 31, the UML men won the America East Conference cross country title.
"That made it really special. That's something we really wanted to do for the athletic department," Gardner said.
The next day, three high-profile men's recruits committed to the school.
"One of the things we do as a staff is we want to coach kids the way you'd like someone to work with your kids. That's always what we talk about," said Gardner. "We always tried to be as competitive as we could be, but we just didn't have the resources. We definitely had the advantage of competing on a primarily Division 1 schedule anyway."
Gardner, in his 14th season at UML, has one of the most challenging jobs on campus. He is the head coach of the men's and women's programs. A total of 120 athletes -- 70 male, 50 female -- are his responsibility.
"That's a lot of people to keep track of," said Gardner, who lives in Auburn with his wife, Caitlin, and their sons Kiernan, 10, and Cavan, 7.
How does he do it?
"With some help," a laughing Gardner said.
Gardner is quick to credit his eight assistant coaches, three of whom are full-time employees. Three of his part-time coaches -- Barbara Smith, Mike Ekstrand and Dayo Ibraheem -- have been with him during his entire run at UMass Lowell.
"That has allowed us to be consistent with what we do," he said.
Gardner has consistently won since taking over for the legendary George Davis. Ironically, the North Attleboro native rejected Davis and UML when he was a star high school runner.
Gardner chose Keene State, but Davis followed his career and when he decided he wanted to step down, he called Gardner. Davis served as Gardner's assistant for one season after Gardner was hired by athletic director Dana Skinner.
"He was real supportive of me and wanted me to be successful. I still talk to George every couple of weeks. He wants to know who we're recruiting," Gardner said with a laugh. "He still keeps up with a lot of the high school stuff."
Gardner has coached two national championship athletes while at UML -- Nicole Plante (10,000 meters) in 2007 and Jacqui Barrett (shot put) in 2010, at the same track in Charlotte, N.C.
"That was a pretty good feeling," he said of coaching Division 2 national champs. "For a while there I didn't think we were going to be good and lucky on the same day."
Plante and Barrett are just two of the more than 160 athletes Gardner has guided to achieve All-American honors. Ex-Lowell High star Patrick Morasse, UML's school record-holder at 1,500 meters, is another favorite.
"Any time the chips were down he was money," Gardner said.
Local flavor on his teams
Transitioning from Division 2 to Division 1 has forced some UMass Lowell coaches to scour the nation for talent. Gardner's recruiting territory has expanded, but he still loves attracting high-caliber Merrimack Valley and New England athletes.
Gardner said moving to Division 1 has allowed him to land high-profile local stars, naming Paul Hogan of Burlington and John Abraham of Lowell as two examples.
"The good kids, especially in the Merrimack Valley, we want to keep them at home," he said. "If you can't keep the good kids at home, you're not going to get the good kids in New Jersey and Connecticut."
When UMass Lowell was about to go Division 1, there was a scenario in which Gardner would coach the men or the women, but not both. But Gardner opted to continue to coach both genders.
"Obviously you have to coach the athletes differently. You can't have the same personality to coach college men and college women. It just doesn't work," Gardner said. "I enjoy it."
After graduating in 1994 from Keene State, where he was a five-time All-New England selection, Gardner became a graduate assistant at Trinity College in Connecticut. He then served as the head coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy from 1998-2002 before landing UML's job.
"He's one of the best coaches I've ever had. He just knows what's best for you and the team," said junior Nick McArdle, a former Lowell High standout. "He's very approachable. He connects with everyone."