Rob Ahrens is in his fourth season overseeing the men’s and women’s cross country teams after taking over both programs in July of 2022. He joined the Gannon coaching staff after serving as the head coach of the cross country and track & field programs at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa. since 2018.
In his first three Ahrens led his team to strong showings in the PSAC Championships and the NCAA Div. II Atlantic Regional. As important, his teams have excelled in the classroom.
In 2024 the Golden Knights men’s harriers placed fifth at the PSAC Championships then went on to come in 11th at the Atlantic Regional, two spots better than the year before. The PSAC showing was the best-ever in the conference meet and featured two runners who earned All-PSAC honors. Ely Personius crossed the finish line in 16th place while Luke Malena was 28th. Two weeks later Personius became an All-Region performer for the second time, finishing 23rd.
A youthful women’s squad came in 11th highlighted by freshman Emily Bowers earning All-PSAC honors thanks to an 18th place finish. With two freshmen and a sophomore leading the way the Golden Knights came in 12th at the Atlantic Regional.
In the classroom both the men’s and women’s teams earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors and led the PSAC in highest GPA in their respective sports. The women earned a team GPA of 3.793 while the men came in at 3.746.
In 2023 the women’s team came in 11th at the PSAC Championships and 13th at the Atlantic Regional, while the men were 12th and 13th, respectively. Cait O’Rourke (13th) and Emma Steele (18th) were All-PSAC performers for the women. Both went on to earn All-Region accolades as well. Caleb Mandel earned All-PSAC honors for the third time on the men’s side, and Personius was an All-Region runner.
Ahren’s first Gannon squads maintained the tradition of strong running along with excellent academics. The men’s team finished eighth out of 16 teams at the PSAC Championships, and two weeks later came in 15th out of 23 teams at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. The women’s team was 10th out of 18 teams at the PSAC Championships, then turned in a strong showing at the Atlantic Regional, coming in 12th out of 21 teams.
The women’s team showcased two runners who earned All-PSAC honors in O'Rourke and Steele. O'Rourke placed 14th to earn first team accolades and become just the third Gannon runner ever to earn multiple All-PSAC honors in her career. Steele came in 21st to earn second-team recognition.
On the men’s side, Mandel ran to a spot on the All-PSAC first team, coming in 13th. He previously earned second team honors in 2020.
Gannon swept the PSAC Champion Scholar awards. Mandel was named the PSAC Men’s Cross Country Champion Scholar for the third straight year and Claire Livingston was recognized as the PSAC Women’s Cross Country Champion Scholar.
Five women’s runners and four men’s runners landed on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 2022-23 Academic All-District Track and Field/Cross Country Teams. The women were represented by Cait O'Rourke, Emma Steele, Claire Livingston, Jeanne Peters, and Elissa Scheel. The men’s honorees included Mandel, Ely Personius, Gavyn Hansotte, and Alex Chelton.
Ahrens’ teams in both cross country and track & field were dominant at Marywood, winning every conference title. The Pacers would win 12 Atlantic East Conference championships during Ahrens’ tenure, including capturing both men’s and women’s cross country titles in 2018, 2019, and 2021, along with men’s and women’s track & field crowns in 2019, 2021, and 2022. All told, Ahrens was a 12-time Atlantic East Conference Coach of the Year.
In his first year, the men’s and women’s cross country teams won the inaugural Atlantic East Conference Championship with four of the top five finishers in the women’s race and six of the top ten finishers in the men’s race. The Pacers captured Men’s Runner of the Year honors (David Haines), Men’s Rookie of the Year (Michael Kelly), and Women’s Rookie of the Year (Katie Shea). Additionally, Ahrens was voted Atlantic East Conference Men’s Coach of the Year and Women’s Coach of the Year. At the 2018 Mideast Regional Cross Country Championships, Haines finished 22nd, earning USTFCCCA All-Mideast Region honors.
The Atlantic Conference renamed the Coach of the Year award the Coaching Staff of the Year, and he teamed with assistant coach Kevin Borrelli to win it in 2019 and 2021.
In 2022, the Marywood dominated the men’s race with a total of 16 points to Gwynedd-Mercy’s 65 points. Pacers finished first, second, fourth, fifth and seventh. They would go on to finish 13th at the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional, the highest finish ever for Marywood. In all, ten runners earned all-conference honors with Thomas Lee named the Runner of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
The 2021 women’s team was nearly as dominant, capturing first place with 22 points compared to 64 for runner-up Immaculata. Marywood runners claimed the top three spots. The Pacers went on to finish 17th at the Mid-Atlantic Regional. Katie Shea repeated as the Runner of the Year after winning the honor in 2019, as well. Taylor Seprosky was selected the Rookie of the Year.
In 2019, Shea was named the Runner of the Year and Alexandra Antonecchia was the Rookie of the Year on the women’s sides. The men’s award winners were Haines repeating as the Runner of the Year and Meshack Bett selected the Rookie of the Year. Haines was a two-time NCAA qualifier.
Just as in cross country, Ahrens swept the track & field coach of the year honors during his three seasons. In his first season with the track & field teams, 46 indoor and outdoor program records were set. Marywood dominated the newly formed Atlantic East Conference, winning the women’s conference title by over 80 points and the men’s title by over 50 points. Both titles were the first-ever track & field conference championships won by Marywood. The Pacers took four of the six individual conference awards.
The titles and awards would continue in 2021 and 2022 as Marywood made it three straight titles for both the men and the women. Marywood received Coaching of the Year honors for both each year, with the men earning three major postseason awards in those two years and the women also garnering three. All told Marywood had nine USTFCCCA All-Region honorees in indoor track & field and seven more during the outdoor season. The Pacers set 71 program records in track & field in three years.
Gannon’s strong academic philosophy will go hand-in-hand with Ahrens’ success in the classroom. His teams annually earned USTFCCCA Team Academic honors. His cross country teams won eight USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Awards while the track & field teams were also recognized eight times.
Marywood also swept the Atlantic East Elite 20 awards for cross country and track & field in 2021-2022. This award is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA from one of the top two teams at the championship. Caleb Bakalyar (men) and Hayley Gaines (women) were the recipients in cross country while Nate Skrutski (men) and Brianna Roth (women) were the winners in track & field.
In 2020, Ahrens received Co-Advisor of the Year honors at the Marywood University Student Leadership Awards Ceremony.
Ahrens previously served as the head coach for the Clarks Summit University cross country program where he served as an assistant coach and interim head coach in 2014. Additionally, he has eight years of head coaching experience at the local high school level. Most recently, he was the head varsity cross country and assistant track and field coach at Mid Valley High School. He took Elk Lake High School to a PIAA Class A runner-up finish at the girls cross country championships in 2016. Prior to that, Ahrens was the head coach at Abington Heights, taking the Comets to the District 2 Class 3A girls cross country championship in 2013 and the boys cross country team to a pair of district runner-up finishes in 2012 and 2013.
Ahrens coached former Penn State and Providence runner Tessa Barrett during her high school career. Barrett won the 2013 Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals Individual Championship in 2013, a state championship, and set the PIAA cross country course record. Additionally, he coached multiple district champions and state medalists.
In 2015, he created Running Ahrens, a development running group hosting camps and clinics across Northeast Pennsylvania. He is the meet director for indoor track meets at Clarks Summit University, involved in all aspects of meet management.
As an athlete, Ahrens has enjoyed a successful post-collegiate distance running career. His accomplishments include winning the Hershey Half Marathon, Scranton Half Marathon, and Binghamton Bridge Run, in addition to placing in the top 5 in the Steamtown Marathon three times.
In 2009, Ahrens graduated with a bachelor's degree in Bible Studies with an emphasis in Youth Ministry from Baptist Bible College (now Clarks Summit University). In 2023, he completed a Master of Science degree in Higher Education Administration from Marywood University.
He holds a Level 2 USATF Certification in Endurance as well as a USTFCCCA Endurance Event Specialist Certification.
Updated July 2025
