Assistant Coach, Iowa City West Girls Track & Field / XC

Coach Matsen comes into 2026 in his third year as West High Girls Track & Field’s throws coach. Coach Matsen spent 9 seasons coaching throws for Southeast Polk High School prior to coming to West. Coach Matsen also spent several seasons coaching for the West High Football team where he got to coach alongside his two sons, Reed (15) and Scott (18).

In his first season as the girls throws coach, Matsen coached Senior Helen Penning to an indoor state championship and she would later go on to get 9th at the State Championships in May. Last season, Coach Matsen took an entirely new roster of throwers and developed what should be a solid foundation for the future as we saw big improvements from the beginning of the season to the end.

Coach Matsen was also an accomplished football player where he was an All-State selection at Newton High School before heading to the University of Northern Iowa where he became an accomplished long snapper for the Panthers.