Matthew H. Dunlap, originally of Farmington and a Bates College graduate, has been named Coach of the Year for 2011-2012 at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

Dunlap has served as Assistant Coach for cross country and for Nordic skiing since 2009.

The award, presented at the annual University Athletic Banquet on May 5, recognizes the outstanding coach among all coaching staff for all the university’s varsity sports.

Dunlap was noted for his leadership in the cross country running program in Fall 2011, when the women qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships — their first-ever appearance.

The team entered the championships ranked 22nd in the nation, then improved its ranking to 17th on the basis of a strong performance. This was the highest ranking ever for a University of Alaska cross country running team.

According to Head Coach Scott Jerome, Dunlap’s award was also historic, as it was the first time since the inception of the award that Coach of the Year has ever been assigned to an assistant coach.

At Bates, Dunlap served as captain for the men’s cross country team as well as the Nordic ski team. He competed in distance events in outdoor track, earning varsity letters in all three sports for all four years. Dunlap twice qualified for the NCAA National Championships in cross country.

Prior to joining the staff at the University of Alaska, Dunlap served in Maine as assistant cross country coach at Greely High School and as Nordic head coach at North Yarmouth Academy.

He is a graduate of Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, where he was All-American in cross country and Nordic skiing.