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Iowa Central Community College

Gaherty Joins Track/Cross Country Staff as Assistant

Alum Gaherty joins Iowa Central as assistant coach
Posted: Jun 30, 2023

Emilie Jenson

Public Information Coordinator

Iowa Central Community College Cross Country and Track & Field is pleased to announce that Iowa Central alumna, MacKenzie Gaherty will be returning to Fort Dodge as an assistant cross country and track and field coach this season. 

 "I am thrilled to have a former athlete like Coach Gaherty joining our staff. She brings youth, fresh ideas and energy to our programs," stated Coach Dee Brown, Director of Cross Country & Track and Field at Iowa Central. "Having been through our program, she knows how I like to run things and what my expectations are for our athletes and can help guide them in the proper direction. It is a bonus that she has been through two other successful programs after graduating from Iowa Central."

Gaherty will work with the men's and women's distance runners while also serving as a housing coordinator on campus. She will begin her duties mid-July.

 Most recently Gaherty was an assistant coach for Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota where she primarily helped with the distance athletes. The women's team was named MIAC conference champions for the 2023 outdoor season. 

 Gaherty attended Minnesota State University, Mankato where she competed on the cross country team as well as the track and field team. She was a member of three conference championship teams for track and a member of the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship qualifying team for cross country. At MSU she was named to multiple academic All-American honors as well as All-Conference honors and All-Region honors.

 Prior to MSU-Mankato, she attended Iowa Central Community College from 2018-2020, where she competed on the track and field and cross country teams. At Iowa Central she was a part of two national champion half marathon teams and one national champion cross country team. In her final season as a Triton in 2020 she was a part of the All-American 4x800 relay team at the NJCAA Indoor Championships. Gaherty was voted as a team captain for cross country in 2019.

 Gaherty graduated from MSU-Mankato in December of 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Exercise Science.