Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics

Kinsey Mattison is entering her fifth season as the head coach of the Cal Poly Humboldt women’s triathlon program. Mattison was named the first head coach in program history and has led the Lumberjacks since their inaugural season in 2023.

Under Mattison’s leadership, Humboldt has quickly established itself as a competitive NCAA Division II program. After finishing 10th at the NCAA Division II National Championships during its inaugural season, the Lumberjacks improved to fifth nationally in both 2024 and 2025.

The program earned its first West Regional podium finish in 2025, placing third, and has produced multiple CTCA All-Americans. Natalie Mitchell won the 2024 West Regional individual title before placing fourth at the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championships. Averill Payne earned All-American honors in both 2024 and 2025, while Poppy Edge earned All-America Honorable Mention recognition in 2025.

The Lumberjacks have also excelled academically under Mattison. Humboldt has consistently been among the top academic teams in the athletic department.

Mattison came to Humboldt from Colorado Mesa University, where she served as Head Triathlon and Assistant Swim Coach beginning in January 2021. During her time at Colorado Mesa, she oversaw the NCAA Division II women’s triathlon and men’s club triathlon programs while assisting with the men’s and women’s swimming teams.

She led the Mavericks to a second-place finish at the 2021 Women’s Collegiate Triathlon East Region Qualifier at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia and later that fall, Colorado Mesa captured its third consecutive Division II West Regional title.

Before entering the collegiate triathlon coaching ranks, Mattison competed professionally in triathlon. During the 2018 and 2019 seasons, she made 18 professional Ironman 70.3 starts, recording 10 top-five finishes and winning Ironman 70.3 Xi’an in China in 2019. She also finished 25th among professional women at the 2019 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France.

Prior to her professional racing career, Mattison spent four seasons as an assistant swimming coach at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She primarily worked with the Nanooks’ distance swimmers, helping athletes break school records in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle. 

Mattison earned her master’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in coaching education from Georgia Southern University in 2016. She holds USA Cycling Level 2 and USA Triathlon Level 1 coaching certifications.