CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- MIT men's and women's cross country head coach Riley Macon has stepped down from his position to become the head cross country coach at Division I UNC Charlotte.
The 2024 NCAA DIII Women's Cross Country and 2022 NCAA DIII Men's Cross Country National Coach of the Year, Macon completed his sixth year at MIT and his fifth year as the men's and women's cross country head coach and assistant track and field coach in 2025-26. He also served as the program's interim head coach during the 2020-21 academic year, while also working as an assistant coach for cross country and coached the distance runners on the track and field teams in 2021-22.
"My time at MIT will be one of the most impactful periods of my life," said Macon. "The amazing students I've been fortunate to coach have made me rich in experiences and deep relationships. I'm so grateful to Julie Heyde for her guidance over the program for the last three years. I'm thankful to Aaron Aaker for his attention and care for our program. I am forever grateful to Dr. Grant for taking a chance on me 6 years ago."
Macon was named the East Regional Men's and Women's Coach of the Year in 2022, 2023 and 2024, also gaining national accolades in the same years that he helped lead the MIT men's cross country team to its first national title in 2022 and the women's team to its first national crown in 2024. In 2023, he was named the NCAA DIII Indoor Track and Field National Assistant Coach of the Year as the MIT men won the national. The NCAA men's title in 2022 was MIT's first NCAA team championship in any sport.
"Riley has proven himself to be a nationally recognized transformational coach for our cross country and track and field programs," said Dr. G. Anthony Grant, Director of Athletics/DAPER Department Head. "Over the last five years, he has been instrumental in leading our teams to national prominence but beyond these remarkable achievements, Riley has been an exceptional mentor, educator, and advocate for his student-athletes, truly embodying the core values of MIT Athletics. We are deeply grateful for his tremendous contributions to MIT and wish him nothing but success as he leads the cross country program at UNC Charlotte."
Last season, Macon helped guide both the MIT men's and women's cross country programs to top ten finishes at the NCAA Championships. During the indoor season, he coached Rujuta Sane to the women's 5000m national championship at the NCAA Championships. Sane'svictory added another national title for Macon, as he previously coached Ryan Wilson '22 to men's national titles in the indoor and outdoor 800m in 2021-22 and in the indoor mile and the outdoor 800m and 1500m in 2022-23, as Wilson would leave MIT as the Division III national record holder in the indoor mile.
In 2024-25, the women's cross country program earned its first national title and the MIT men finished 13th nationally, while MIT's men's and women's squads won team titles at the East Region Championships, NEWMAC Championships during the season. The victory at nationals for the women's cross country program set off a historic string of firsts, as the Engineers would go on to win both the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles and become the first DIII women's program to complete the triple crown sweep of all three titles in the same season. Macon played a key role as an assistant throughout track and field season, with MIT winning numerous All-America honors on both the men's and women's side. In addition to the women's team titles, the men's program finished seventh at indoor nationals and 17th at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships.
"Working with Riley has truly been a pleasure and a privilege for me that I will cherish. He is a fantastic coach and a better person," said Julie Heyde, MIT's Director of Track and Field and Cross Country. "Riley's enthusiasm for student learning and growth, his care for the athletes he coaches, and his positive outlook on not just the possibilities in our sports but in all aspects of life, are remarkable traits that help make him one of the best distance coaches in the country and will continue to serve future student-athletes. I am very sad that he won't be working next to us here at MIT, where his impact has been immeasurable, but I am sincerely happy for him and Whitney taking this new step."
A search for Macon's successor at MIT is already underway.
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