Gannon University Athletics

After serving as the women's golf coach for nine seasons on July 31, 2023 Scott Stano was named Gannon's Director of Golf. He was put in charge of the men’s golf program in addition to remaining in charge of the women’s golf team. In his expanded role, Stano oversees operational aspects of the Gannon women's and men's golf programs and conduct various instructional sessions, including camps and clinics, to serve the Erie area community.

The 2026-27 season will mark Stano’s 12th year in charge of the women’s golf program and his third overseeing the men’s. One word defines his tenure at Gannon – successful.

He has built the women’s program into a dynasty in the PSAC while the men’s program did something in his initial campaign never done before. The women’s golf team has run off an unprecedented seven straight PSAC Championships. Stano has led the women top eight titles in 11 years.
West Chester provided a stern challenge but in the end Gannon prevailed by eight strokes as three Golden Knights placed in the top six in the tournament. That included medalist honors for Alexandria LeCureux. A Golden Knight has now won the PSAC title six straight years.

The women’s team won four tournaments and at the end of the year finished 17th in the NCAA Div. II East Regional.

Three Golden Knights earned All-PSAC honors with LeCureux and Cloe Mateo named to the first team and freshman Anastasia Lopes named to the second unit.

The men’s team, meanwhile, enjoyed one of its finest seasons even though the Golden Knights were unable to repeat as PSAC champions. They would settle for third place after winning the conference crown for the first time in 2024-25. However, they won five of 13 tournaments including the NCAA Div. II East/Atlantic Regional. The Golden Knights and Charleston (WV) finished in a tie after 54 holes but came away with the title in a playoff. Gannon ended the season 18th at the NCAA Division II National Championships.

Stano was named the PSAC Coach of the Year and after that was selected the GolfPride Grips Div. II Atlantic Coach of the Year. Rasmus Seppanen earned PING honorable mention All-American honors and was named the PSAC Athlete of the Year.

Academics is also a key point at Gannon and the golf programs more than played a role in the success in the classroom. In fact, Gannon swept the PSAC Champion Scholar awards with Kyle Westfall named for the men’s golf team and Emily Doanhue on the women’s side. Westfall went on to earn the Elite Scholar-Athlete award for the 2025-26 NCAA Division II men's golf Championship.

The 2024-25 campaign turned out to be a momentous season for both the men's and women's golf teams. Stano directed the Gannon women's golf program to a sixth straight PSAC Championship. Meanwhile, the men's team won its first-ever PSAC crown.

For his efforts Stano was selected as both the PSAC Men's and Women's Golf Coach of the Year. He became the first coach to win both awards in the same year.

On the men's side, Stano led the Golden Knights to seven tournament titles along with a second and three thirds in 13 total tournaments. That included a tie for first place in the NCAA Div. II Atlantic/East Regional. The Golden Knights qualified for the NCAA Div. II National Championships for the fourth time in the last five years.

Honors poured in for a number of Golden Knights. In addition to Stano earning PSAC Coach of the Year recognition Mattia Parrini was the named the PSAC Men's Golf Athlete of the Year. Parrini and Seppanen would go on to earn honorable mention PING Division II All-American honors.

Stano has been named the PSAC Women's Golf Coach of the Year three of the last four years, six of the last eight years, and seven times overall. He was named the Coach of the Year in 2016-17, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

In 2024-25 the Golden Knights won three tournaments, including the PSAC Championship by 20 strokes over West Chester. They also had three second-place showings.

Gannon swept the PSAC women's postseason awards with Ditte Petersen named the PSAC Women's Golf Athlete of the Year for the third straight year and LeCureux voted the Freshman of the Year.  Petersen became just the second PSAC women's golfer to win a major award four times and the first to earn a major award all four years of her career.
 
In 2023-24 the Gannon women's golf team won its fifth straight PSAC Championship by an amazing 70 strokes in the 54-hole event. Petersen claimed Gannon's fourth consecutive PSAC individual championship by recording a three-stroke victory for her second consecutive individual title. Gannon claimed three of the top fives spots as freshman Cloe Mateo placed second, and Andrea Martinez finished fifth. 

Petersen was named PSAC Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year, making it four years in a row for Gannon. White had claimed the honor the two previous years. Mateo, Martinez, and White joined Petersen on the All-PSAC First Team. McClain made the Second Team for the second straight season. Mateo was selected as the PSAC Freshman of the Year, marking the fifth year in a row a Gannon golfer had won that award.

Petersen was named to the WGCA All-East Region Team, and she earned a spot on the CSC Academic All-American Second Team.

Gannon won six tournament titles in 2022-23, including its fourth PSAC team title in a row. Petersen claimed her first PSAC championship as Gannon won by 34 strokes in the rain-shortened, 36-hole event. White (three) and Petersen (two) combined for five individual titles.

In 2021-22, the Golden Knights won the PSAC title by 42 strokes as all five Golden Knights placed among the top 10. White won the PSAC individual title by overcoming a five-shot deficit with a third-round 77 to finish at 22-over-par 238. That marked the second year in a row that a Gannon golfer had won the title.
Petersen (tied for second), Maestro (fifth), Maria Arenas (tied for sixth), and Martinez (10th) also placed among the top 10 in the PSAC tournament.
White also extended her own run of individual honors when she was named PSAC Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season. Meanwhile, Petersen continued another Gannon streak. She became the third consecutive PSAC Freshman of the Year. White was the top freshman in 2020-21, and Arenas claimed top honors in 2019-20.
During his tenure, Stano has coached the Golden Knights to 30 tournament team titles and 26 individual titles. Also, three players have been named PSAC Athlete of the Year (Diana Munoz, White twice, Petersen) and five players (Munoz, Arenas, White, Petersen, and LeCureux) have won the individual PSAC Championship.
 
The PSAC victory was one of five tournament wins for Stano’s team in 2021-22. Gannon also claimed titles in the Charleston Invitational, Klash in Kentucky, Mercyhurst Spring Invitational, and Gannon Spring Invitational. The Golden Knights were the runners-up in Gannon’s Michael Corbett Fall Classic and the Browngolf Intercollegiate, and placed third in the Evann Parker Memorial. Gannon capped the season with a 12th-place performance in the NCAA Division II East Regional.

In 2020-21, the Knights won their fifth PSAC championship in program history in thrilling fashion by edging Mercyhurst on a playoff hole. Gannon then wrapped up the season by advancing to the NCAA East Regional where it registered a seventh-place finish, the highest in program history. Maria Arenas became the Knights' third PSAC individual champion with a one-stroke victory. White was then named PSAC Freshman of the Year and Athlete of the Year. 

Gannon claimed the PSAC championship in 2019-20 when all five golfers again finished inside the top 10. Four golfers made All-PSAC, including three on the First Team. The Golden Knights also posted wins at the Evann Parker Memorial and Glade Springs Intercollegiate.

In 2018-19, Stano led the Knights to a runner-up finish at the PSAC Championships and claimed a team title at the Mercyhurst Spring Invitational. Three Knights earned All-PSAC honors, and Stano won his first of three straight PSAC Coach of the Year awards.

Stano led Gannon to a trio of top-three finishes during the 2017-18 regular season, and Manuela Quevedo earned All-PSAC honors.
Gannon opened the 2016-17 campaign with consecutive team championships at the Evann Parker Memorial, Michael Corbett Fall Classic, Le Moyne Invitational, and Allegheny Invitational. In all, the Knights won five of the six fall events, including their third PSAC Championship in program history. The squad added titles at the Battle at the Bay and Mercyhurst Spring Invitational during the spring semester.

Led by Diana Munoz and Manuela Quevedo, Gannon made its first NCAA Tournament team appearance since 2011. Stano claimed PSAC Women’s Golf Coach of the Year after leading Gannon to a school-record seven tournament wins and six individual titles.

In Stano’s debut season in 2015-16, Munoz became the first golfer in program history to receive an individual bid to the regional championships. Stano’s team won titles at the Clarion Invitational and Ohio Valley Invitational, and the Knights captured four individual titles.

Stano was familiar to Gannon in several aspects upon his arrival. In addition to being the brother of Gannon softball head coach Michelle Wiley, Stano had spent time during the previous three years as an assistant in the Gannon Sports Information Office. He was part of game management for football, soccer, baseball, and softball events. Stano also spent time as a marketing and promotions intern with the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA D-League in 2012-13.

Stano was a four-year varsity letterwinner for the Thiel (Pa.) College track and field team from 2008-11, competing in the javelin. He was named a team captain as a senior.

Stano graduated from Thiel in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in mass media communication. He and his wife Holly reside in Erie.

Updated August 2026
 

Stano Year-By-Year Results