Rob Ahrens will enter his second season at the helm as the head coach of the Marywood University Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field programs. In his first season with the Pacers, Ahrens led the Pacers to Atlantic East Championships in all four sports and was selected the Coach of the Year four times.
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. Individual awards won by the Pacers included Men’s Runner of the Year (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, sophomore David Haines finished 22nd, earning USTFCCCA All-Mideast Region honors.
In Ahrens 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 University. The Pacers took four of the six individual conference awards as well with Men’s Rookie of the Year (Ryan Atcavage), Men’s Field Athlete of the Year (Jake Kraycer), and both Track Athletes of the Year (David Haines and Katie Shea). Following this success, Coach Ahrens received two more Atlantic East Coach of the Year honors for men’s and women’s track & field.
2019 also brought unprecedented success to the Track & Field teams on the regional level. The men’s team placed third and the women were sixth at the ECAC Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, topped only by a second place finish by the men and third place finish by the women at the Outdoor Championships. Ryan Atcavage (pole vault, decathlon) and Jaden Rhoden (long jump) captured USTFCCCA All-Mideast Region Awards. Rhoden’s 7.35m (24-1.5) jump finished as the sixth best Division III mark in the nation, and he was the event’s Top Regional Performer.
In 2020, Ahrens received Co-Advisor of the Year honors at the Marywood University Student Leadership Awards Ceremony.
Ahrens has previous head coaching experience with the Clarks Summit University cross country program where he served as an assistant coach and interim head coach in 2014.
Additionally, Ahrens has eight years of head coaching experience at the local high school level. Most recently, he has been 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.
Ahrens led Abington Heights to a District 2 Class 3A girls cross country championship in 2013. He took the Comets' 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. Prior to his appointment at Marywood, Ahrens worked as the buyer and retail manager at National Running Center in Clarks Summit.
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 2009. He holds his Level 1 coaching certification from USA Track & Field.
As an athlete, Coach Ahrens has had 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 his free time, Coach Ahrens enjoys doing his own running, playing ultimate frisbee, attending church, spending time with family and friends, and cheering for Cleveland sports teams and Everton Football Club. He resides in Dunmore.
