Matt Gross used his third season with the indoor track program as a training period for outdoor track, where he is an All-American in the javelin. He earned that lofty status during his junior season in 2019 when he finished sixth of 20 javelin throwers at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a PR throw of 60.75 meters. Gross also won the ECAC javelin championship and earned New Jersey Athletic Conference Second Team honors as a junior.
Unfortunately for Gross, the 2020 outdoor track season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During his first seven semesters at Rutgers-Camden, Gross earned numerous academic honors in addition to a pair of All-NJAC track honors. He has captured three letters apiece with the indoor and outdoor track programs.
Academics: New Jersey Athletic Conference Academic Honorable Mention for the 2018-19 scholastic year…New Jersey Athletic Conference Academic First Team for the 2019-20 scholastic year…ECAC 2018 Spring Semester Academic Honor Roll; Rutgers-Camden Athletic Director’s Honor Roll 2016 Fall, 2017 Fall, 2018 Spring, 2018 Fall, 2019 Spring, 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters…Dean’s List student…Member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Outdoor Track 2020: Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indoor Track 2019-20: Served as the men’s indoor track team captain…Competed in the shot put in six indoor meets while preparing for his specialty, the javelin throw, during outdoor season…Set his PR in the shot put of 10.87 meters, finishing 25th of 42, at the Frank Colden Invitational (Feb. 8)…In a pair of early-season meets, had a shot put of 9.22 meters (29th of 35) at the Fastrack Season Opener (Dec. 6) and 9.19 meters (23rd of 26) at the Wagner Seahawk Shootout (Dec. 13)…Posted a 10.67-meter shot put at the Dutchmen Invitational (Jan. 17) to place 10th of 14, one meet before his PR performance at the Colden invitational…Nearly matched his PR at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships (Feb. 24), finishing 20th of 32 with a 10.85-meter shot put…Finished 10th of 15 at the ECAC Championships (March 6) with a shot put of 10.56 meters.
Outdoor Track 2019: NCAA All-American in the javelin…USTFCCCA All-Atlantic Region...Competed in eight meets in the javelin, including the ECAC and NCAA Championships…Won ECAC javelin championship…Earned New Jersey Athletic Conference Second Team recognition in the javelin…Threw ECAC qualifiers in all six of his meets leading up to the ECAC Division III Track & Field Championships (May 15), when he notched his short-lived PR of 60.04 meters to finish first of 12 javelin throwers and capture the ECAC title…Eight days later, finished sixth of 20 in the javelin at the NCAA Div. III Track & Field Championships (May 23), throwing a PR of 60.75 meters to earn All-America honors…That event earned him Rutgers-Camden Raptor of the Week recognition on May 27…Threw over 50 meters at every event, beginning with a 59.81-meter throw at the Danny Curran Invitational (March 30) to finish first of 29 athletes…Placed second of 13 in the javelin (55.77 meters) at the Oscar Moore Open (April 5)…Finished first of 28 at the Widener Invitational (April 20) with a javelin throw of 56.78 meters…Placed second of 19 with a javelin throw of 59.93 (briefly his PR) at the NJAC Championships (May 4), earning NJAC Second Team honors…Captured two honors as the NJAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week (April 1 and May 27).
Indoor Track 2018-19: In his lone meet of the indoor season, finished 27th of 40 with a shot put of 9.90 meters at the NJAC Championships (Feb. 18).
Outdoor Track 2018: NJAC Honorable Mention in the javelin…Threw ECAC javelin qualifiers in all six of his competitions leading up to the ECAC meet, then finished fourth of 18 at the ECAC Div. III Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 16), recording a 50.93-meter throw under slick, wet conditions…Notched his PR in the javelin at the NJAC Championships (May 5), finishing third of 19 to earn NJAC Honorable Mention with a throw of 58.38 meters…Won the javelin competition in an 11-man field at the Oscar Moore Open (April 6) with a throw of 56.42 meters…Finished third of 12 in the javelin (52.06 meters) at the Delaware Classic (March 24) and fourth of 19 in the event (54.32 meters) a week later at the Stockton Invitational…In a pair of 19-man fields in the javelin competition, finished fifth at the Osprey Open (53.22 meters, April 13) and third at the Lions Invitational (56.82 meters, April 27).
Outdoor Track 2017: Threw the javelin in seven meets, including the ECAC Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships (May 16), when he captured a point by finishing eighth with a throw of 49.92 meters…Named Rutgers-Camden’s Raptor of the Week May 1 after his performance at the Lions Invitational (April 28), when he finished seventh of 30 with an ECAC-qualifying javelin throw of 53.20 meters, his personal best…Finished ninth of 22 in the javelin (51.75 meters) at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships (May 6)…Opened his first collegiate outdoor track season at the Golden Rams Invitational (March 25) with a throw of 48.46 meters, finishing fifth out of 17 athletes…Placed third of 14 with a javelin throw of 51.76 meters at the Stockton Invitational (April 1)…Finished third of seven with a throw of 48.83 at the Oscar Moore Open (April 8)…At the Gwynedd Mercy Mid-Week Twilight meet (April 12), finished fourth of 29 javelin throwers with a toss of 51.72 meters.
Indoor Track 2016-17: Competed in six meets in the shot put…Also participated in the weight throw at the Widener Field Meet (Jan. 27), finishing 11th of 11, while also placing 16th of 18 in the shot put (8.67 meters)…Made his collegiate debut at the Bow-Tie Classic (Dec. 3), placing 17th of 21 in the shot put (8.56 meters) and had a shot put of 9.29 meters at the Wagner Seahawk Shootout (Dec. 9), finishing 26th of 32…Notched a personal best shot put of 9.97 meters to finish 33rd of 41 at the Collegeville Classic (Jan. 21)…Finished 47th of 54 in the shot (7.95 meters) at the St. Joseph’s College Indoor Invitational (Feb. 11)…Closed the indoor season at the NJAC Indoor Track & Field Conference Championships, finishing 25th of 28 in the shot put (8.31 meters).
High School: Captured three varsity letters in track and field at Cherokee High School…First Team All-Conference in the javelin…Placed 11th in the state…Graduated in 2016.
Personal: Born January 22, 1998…Nicknamed “Slim”…Marketing major at Rutgers-Camden…Younger brother Will also is a member of the Rutgers-Camden track program…Matt is the son of Beth and Jeff Gross of Marlton.
