Matthew Crow’s journey to becoming one of the most accomplished student-athletes in Slippery Rock track and field history began not on the track, but on the diamond.
“Originally, I was a baseball player,” said Crow. “I kind of just went out and ran track for fun. I always loved playing baseball, but to be honest, I wasn’t that good at it. I never saw myself playing baseball at the higher level, in high school or college. I was a very small kid in high school, I would never be able to last seeing an 80-mile-per-hour fastball coming at me.”
Originally from Honey Brook, Pa., Crow shined during his high school career on the track. At Twin Valley High School, he lettered all four years, holding the school record in both the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles.
Despite the numerous accolades, Crow received minimal interest from collegiate institutions in continuing his track career.
“I wasn’t really recruited in high school at all, so I didn’t have many choices when it came to schools to run track,” he said. “Really, it came down to academics, and Slippery Rock felt like home to me. Coach Jordan gave me the opportunity, and that’s what attracted me to come all the way out here.”
“We cast a broad net, we’re looking for kids from all over the place,” said head coach Bill Jordan. “The reason why we get kids from all over the state is because of our reputation. We’re very fortunate here at The Rock to have a really good education to back up our track and field program.”
Crow, a sports management major, attributed the school’s nationally recognized program as a major factor in his decision to continue his academic studies on the western side of the state.
“Slippery Rock has a very good sports management program, which kind of stood out during the decision process. Luckily, my dad helped me out in that aspect,” Crow said.
Among the reputation the school holds both on the track and in the classroom, the rural atmosphere of The Rock cemented his decision following a visit to campus.
“Slippery Rock felt like there was a lot more green space than other schools, the campus just kind of felt ‘outside.’ It really brought out the beauty more,” he said.
Despite Slippery Rock feeling like home, the move across the Commonwealth proved to be the first challenge in Crow’s collegiate career. Luckily, a former adversary from his high school days made the transitional process into college life smoother.
“It was very difficult, but AJ Virata, he lived near me back in high school. I used to compete against him, and he was a sophomore when I came in as a freshman,” said Crow. “He took me under his wing, and taught me everything that’s different out here in western Pennsylvania compared to back home near Reading and Philadelphia. He made that transition way easier for me.”
Virata, also an accomplished track star from eastern Pennsylvania, attended Red Lion High School, roughly 60 miles from Twin Valley.
“Between him and some of the other guys on the team, they’ve definitely been the most impactful on my life here and my transition into college,” said Crow.
As with any college student, Crow’s time during college has been one of growth, both mentally and physically.
“I’ve changed a lot since high school,” Crow explained. “Coming in, I was very weak and skinny. Getting put through it was definitely a big shocker.”
“He’s gotten significantly faster and stronger, and the big thing is that he’s grown in his mentality towards hurdling and his knowledge of the event. He’s just the best student you could ask for,” said Jordan. “The kid is incredibly knowledgeable about his body.”
Despite the initial lack of physical attributes, Jordan claims that Crow has always had the determination to shine.
“He was always determined and a tenacious competitor from the get-go. He’s slowly developed over time, so there wasn’t really one particular race where he all of a sudden became a superstar. He’s been kind of just a slow, steady progression the entire way along,” the coach said.
Crow credits Jordan, who is an alumnus of Slippery Rock University and former Rock track star himself, as a big reason for the program’s success.
“I think just him having that knowledge about SRU and the athletes here, that helps us become successful because he knows how it is. He’s not just a coach coming from, you know, California, trying to run things differently. He knows how things work around here, and he’s building off it to make us better,” Crow said.
With Virata graduating last year, Crow has found himself as one of the new leaders for the underclassmen.
“When I came in, [Virata] was the leader. Now me and Kadin [Johnson], we’ve had to step up because everything was handled for us before,” Crow said. “AJ always had the answers, and now sometimes I have to improvise and think on the fly because that stuff’s never happened before to me.”
“He’s definitely a positive person with the rest of the squad, that has been encouraging to the freshmen,” said Jordan. “You can see Austin Kurta has taken off in the hurdles recently, and a lot of that is because of Matt’s guidance along the way.”
Crow had similar praise for the freshman sprinter out of West Mifflin, Pa.
“I love him, he’s getting better and better every day. I want to be someone that he’s going to want to be in the future,” Crow said. “What I leave on the track is just for the people behind me to take in and be better.”
Although being a leader may come natural for some, Crow has found out that giving advice isn’t exactly a “one size fits all” situation.
“Advice is hard because everybody’s going through it in their own separate way. I just tell them it’s gonna be hard, and you may burn out freshman year, but you’re gonna get through it,” Crow continued. “I think I’ve been through burnout freshman year, and even last year; I could be burnt out now for all I know. It’s just that I know what the end goal is, and I know the feeling. You’re not going to feel good every day or even want to compete, but you still have to show up and get out there.”
“I think Matt sets a great example for them, and he definitely shows them that hard work can pay off if you keep on top of it,” said Jordan. “The freshmen really rally around him.”
As is unfortunately the case for many athletes, Crow’s time at The Rock has been hindered by injuries.
“It started off back in November of my junior year. I didn’t really know what was going on, it was just a lot of pain around my ankle and on the heel bone. I started pushing it more and more. The more I pushed, the slower I got.”
The injury has proved to be as much of a mental challenge as a physical one.
“I couldn’t even work a full shift standing on my foot.” Crow continued, “not being able to do the simplest part of your sport really challenges your perspective, and I’ve started to sit back and realize the small things. It’s taught me to fall in love with the sport again. I was getting too caught up with the times and winning before.”
Unfortunately for Crow, the medical difficulties wouldn’t stop there.
“I got really sick, I had Lyme disease and rhabdomyolysis.”
After visiting multiple medical professionals with no progressions in his health, Crow came back to school where he finally started to return to form.
“I started working with Dr. [Christopher] Hughes, and he really helped me out. I think that’s the only reason I’m healthy now,” he said.
Despite the obstacles, Crow says the setback has given him a new wave of confidence.
“Anything that’s thrown at me, I can get through it. I didn’t think I could get through this injury, but I’m getting through it.” Crow continued, “I’m doing this for my teammates, but I’m also doing this for myself. All summer I went to doctors, MRIs, EMGs, all of that stuff. What’s the point of stopping now? If I got through the past eight months, I can get through these last three.”
When his time at SRU concludes, Crow says it may not be the sport itself that he misses, but the lifelong friends he’s made while competing.
“Having an opportunity to just be outside for two hours, having fun, laughing with my friends, that’s one of the best feelings. It’s not about the times, the medals or success. It’s that. We eat lunch and dinner together every single day. No matter how I feel during it, I know those guys are always going to make me laugh and feel better,” he said.
“Most importantly, they’ve made lifelong friends through track and field,” Jordan said. “What we believe in with our program is that we’re helping kids cultivate their future, both from a friendship standpoint of their teammates here, but also from an academic and track and field standpoint. When they buy into all three of those things, it works out really well here.”
Despite the setbacks the past year has provided, the decision to continue what he started on the track has proved to be the right one for Crow.
“It’s honestly been a harsh reality, because I had to make a decision at the beginning of the year. Talking to my coaches and teammates, asking ‘am I going to go through with this?’ I don’t want to walk away from this season not knowing what it could’ve been,” he said.
Despite his number of achievements, Crow says that the focus is what’s in front of him, not behind.
“I think, as a person who always wants to keep doing better, it’s a struggle for me to look back on the success that I’ve had,” he said. “It’s done, it’s in the past. I gotta focus on what’s next.”
“He’s really hard on himself, and holds himself to a really high standard. He’s not a kid where we have to force him to go out there and get stuff done,” said Jordan. “He’s the kid that we have to hold back so that he doesn’t do too much and hurt himself. He’s always pushing himself to be better and better.”
Jordan claims that Crow could leave Slippery Rock as not just one of the most decorated stars in program history, but the conference as a whole.
“The real question is whether or not he’ll leave the conference as one of the best all-time hurdlers ever, and I really think he has the ability to do that with how he’s setting his season up.” Jordan continued, “He’s a once-in-a-generation talent that we’re really excited to have.”
