- "I chose Virginia Wesleyan because of the feel of the campus, its size and its physical location along the coast"
- Transferred to VWC from Louisiana State University
Career Highs
Outdoor
5000M: 17:09.43 – (Wake Forest Open – March 21-22, 2014)
1500M: 4:32.68 – (2014 Aggie Invitational – April 12, 2014)
Indoor
Mile: 4:56.24 – (Captains Invitational & Combined – January 30-31, 2015)
Cross Country
8K: 28:17.5 – (NCAA Division III South Regional – November 16, 2013)
5K: 18:15.3 – (Adidas XC Challenge – September 20, 2013)
Statistics
Track & Field | Cross Country
Sophomore (2014-15): Ran a season best of 4:36.07 in the 1500M in the outdoor season… Placed 10th in the 3000M at the Kent Taylor Invite in the indoor season.
First-Year (2013-14): Competed in cross country, indoor and outdoor track… Set his 8K best at the NCAA South Regional… Placed ninth in the 4x4 relay at the Vince Brown Invitational.
Before VWC: Posted a career-best time of 4:50 in the 1600 meter run… Career-best time of 10:19 in the 3200 meter run… Best 5K time in high school was 17:03… Selected as Hermitage's Most Valuable Runner as a junior and senior… Member of National Honor Society, Key Club and Triangle II.
Personal: Son of Robin Foster and Roger Cooke Jr… Has one brother, Roger P. Cooke III, a student at Louisiana State University.
Get to Know Matt
- Enjoys hip hop, rap, and country music, and spending vacation time in Emerald Isle, North Carolina
- Favorites include the book "The Art of Dancing in the Rain," the movie "The Strangers," and the TV series "Top Gear," "Burn Notice," and "The Walking Dead"
- A fan of Olympian Lolo Jones and celebrities Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan
- Self-description in 10 words or less: "positive, loyal, adaptable, dedicated, respectful, honest, hard-working"
- My favorite aspect of being an athlete is: "pushing yourself to see how fast you can go, being part of a team, something bigger than myself"
- The part of my game I've improved the most is: "running faster over long distances"
- My personal athletic goal at VWC is: "to help the team go as far as we can go and to break 4:30 in the mile"
- If I could spend one day with a famous person from any time period it would be: "Benjamin Franklin, so I could watch and see his inventions while they were still prototypes, knowing how big they will become. I would also want to spend a day with him to see what the United States was like in the 1700's"
- People might be surprised to know: "I am very interested in photography and digital media"
- It's the year 2030 and: "I have a job in the environmental science field working in the "field," not in an office. I have a happy family and am able to take many vacations"
- The most important advice I've received is: "when it hurts, just keep going" -- high school track coach Craig Headly
