Grand Valley State track & field head coach Jerry Baltes announced the hiring of Matt Conly as the assistant coach for throws. Conly joins the Lakers from California State University Northridge where he was the assistant coach for throws since October of 2018.   

"We are thrilled to bring Matt and his 11 years of knowledge and experience to our program," coach Baltes said.  "I am very confident he has the ability to help our student athletes reach their full potential in the classroom, in the ring, and most importantly on into life."
 
During his time at CSUN, Conly coached four throwers who captured Big West Conference Championships, including one Big West Conference record.  Within one season, Conly coached two NCAA Championship Qualifiers in the hammer throw and javelin. 
 
Prior to Cal State Northridge, Conly was the men's assistant coach for throws at the University of Minnesota for two years where he coached four NCAA Championship qualifiers and two individuals who recorded podium finishes at the Big Ten Championships. 
 
In addition, Conly was an assistant coach at Bowling Green State and West Virginia.  At BGSU, Conly coached four All-Americans, four Mid-American Conference Champions and 14 NCAA East Preliminary Round Qualifiers. 

"I want to thank coach Baltes, Keri Becker and the staff here for the opportunity to be a part of the GVSU family.  They were fantastic through the interview process and presented me with the chance to be a part of a really special program and made me feel at home," Conly said.  "The winning history of the program speaks loudly for itself and it was something that I wanted to be a part of here at GVSU.  I can't wait to hit the ground running and guide a throws program that already has a great history of success and talent.  I'm excited to help do everything I can for the program and to contribute to our pursuit to compete for national championships!"
 
Conly graduated from Ball State University in 2008 with a dual major in Physical Education and Health Science.  As a javelin thrower, Conly is ranked fifth all-time on the Ball State record list and is a two-time letter winner.