Halston Taylor’s tenure at MIT began in 1982, as an assistant with the men’s track and field squad. Taylor would take over as the head coach of the men in 1990 and has served as Director of MIT’s Track and Field programs for the past five seasons. He has solidified MIT’s position as one of the most dominant track and field programs in the region, as he totaled his 12th NEWMAC Coach of the Year citation this past season. Both teams earned New England Division III titles in recent years, as the women’s last regional crown came at the 2011 outdoor championship and the men won this year’s outdoor meet. His teams have combined to win 18 NEWMAC Championships, including 13 of the league’s 14 men’s crowns.

The indoor and outdoor teams regularly qualify individuals for the NCAA Championships, and under Taylor’s guidance, MIT has elicited 188 All-Americans and 13 national champions, including a pair in 2010. Both teams had tremendous showings at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships, as the women finished third and the men placed fourth in the nation. Taylor has collected accolades from the USTFCCCA in each of the past four years, having been named the New England Women’s Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2011 while receiving the same honor on the men’s side in 2010 and 2012.

Before arriving at MIT, Taylor coached the women’s track club at South Carolina and was the boy’s track coach at both Granby and Mohawk Regional high schools in Massachusetts.

A native of Columbia, S.C., Taylor is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where he was a four-year letter winner and a 4:05-miler. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Physical Education, Taylor entered UMass-Amherst to study and receive his Masters in Exercise Science.

Todd Linder is entering his sixth year as the associate head coach for track and field for the Engineers. He oversees the men's and women's throws and multi-events, and is the recruiting coordinator.

Coach Linder came to MIT from the University of Rhode Island, where he was an assistant coach for the men's program coaching the jumps and throws.  Prior to this, he spent seven years at Sacred Heart University as the associate head coach for both the men's and women's track and field teams.  He coached the throws, multi-events, High Jump and Long Jump.

He is a USA Track & Field Level I and II certified coach in sprints, hurdles, relays, jumps, throws and combined events and Level III certified in throws.

Linder graduated with his Bachelor of Science from Appalachian University and earned his Master of Science in Technology Education from North Carolina A&T University.

Pete Sampson is in his fifth year at MIT, where he assists Coach Taylor with the distance runners and organizes the recruiting efforts.

Prior to MIT, Sampson coached at Brandeis University for five years, Falmouth High School in Falmouth, Maine for 10 years, and Bourne High School in Bourne, Mass. for two years, and has been fortunate to have been a part of some highly successful programs over the years.

In his 14 years as a Division III athlete and coach, his programs have won 13 New England team titles, including MITs first-ever titles for both the men's and women's cross country teams. Thirsteen of those teams also placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships. In his 20 years of coaching, he has been on the staff of 22 conference winning teams, including Falmouth's first outdoor title in 19 years and its first cross country title in 15 years.

Sampson graduated from Brandeis in 1992.

Nate Sharpe is entering his fourth season as an assistant pole vault coach, having worked with the Engineers since 2010. An MIT alum himself, Sharpe completed one season of cross country as a freshman in 2005 and was offered the opportunity to try his hand at pole vaulting. He finished his career at MIT with a personal best of 4.35m and a placement at the New England Division III Championships less than 3 months after undergoing surgery to repair a ligament in his thumb.

Since graduating in 2009, Sharpe has continued to pole vault, first in England while completing his master's at the University of Cambridge, and currently at the MIT Pole Vault Club, which he helps coach with head pole vault coach Patrick Barragán.

Sharpe lives and works as a mechanical design engineer in Cambridge with his wife Julia, who is also a track and field alumna from MIT.

Peter McNaughton’s is entering his third season with the MIT track and field teams. McNaughton is the assistant responsible for the sprinters and hurdlers, while also assisting with the steeple chasers. He has helped coach the Engineers to two New England Division III Championship titles and two NEWMAC Championship titles.

McNaughton has coached two national champions, four All-American, numerous school record-breakers, and conference champions in the sprints, hurdles and jumps.

A native of Jamaica, Coach McNaughton is a graduate of Monmouth College with a degree in business management and received his Master’s degree in sports management from Valparaiso University. He is a nine-time conference champion in sprints, hurdles and jumps, an All-American and school record-holder in the 110m high hurdles, and a Drake Relay competitor. He is also a member of the Monmouth College Athletic Hall of Fame.  

Dan Almeida is entering his second year as an assistant coach in both the triple and long jump. 

Prior to arriving at MIT, Almeida competed in track and field at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, where he was a Little East and N.E. Alliance Champion in the triple jump.  He was also a regular top finisher in the triple jump at the ECAC, New England Division III, and NEICAAA meets, and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships.  During his time at UMass, he was an eight-time recipient of the award for outstanding athletic achievement.

Almeida received his Master’s in Education from Boston College and currently teaches in Cambridge.

Nick Davis is in his first year at MIT, coaching men's and women's jumps. He joins MIT after four years at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. While at Marquette, Davis coached both the Men's and Women's jumpers and short sprinters to numerous honors, including: 2010 NCAA Indoor National Championships Provisional Qualifier in the High Jump, five preliminary round qualifiers for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, two U.S. Junior National Qualifiers in the Long and High Jump, 10 school records, three All-Big East performers, and 40 top-ten indoor and 34 top-ten outdoor performances on the Marquette University All-Time List.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, Davis competed for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he was a four-time Midwest Regional Qualifier, a 10-time Horizon League Champion, and former indoor and outdoor school record holder in the High Jump and Javelin. For his efforts, Davis was named the 2004 Horizon League Athlete of the Year.  

Davis earned both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Kinesiology with an emphasis in sport psychology, and has published three first-authored research papers in the field.  Davis currently holds Technical Coaching, Jumps Specialist, and Multi-Event Specialist Certifications through the USTFCCCA.