In his 20th year as the head coach of the men's and women's cross country at Mansfield University, Mike Rohl has elevated the program in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
It is impossible to talk with Rohl and not come away excited about cross-country at Mansfield University. Coach Rohl has infused his programs with his enthusiasm, commitment and success.
Upon assuming the post, he pushed to increase the squad size while working to improve individual and team performance. Those early building blocks have paid off handsomely for the Mountaineer program with record finishes at the PSAC and NCAA Championships.
Rohl's program saw back-to-back NCAA Outdoor Championship qualifiers in 2016 and 2017 with senior Kelsey Carlsen and freshman Hunter Watkins each making a trip to nationals to compete in the javelin. Watkins earned All-American status as a rookie with a 12th place finish at the 2017 championships. It capped off an incredible season for Watkins who earned All-PSAC, All-East and All Atlantic Region accolades. Watkins also took home a bronze medal at the 2017 Junior World Championships in Sacramento, Calif.
During the 2013 outdoor season, Rohl coached the first National Champion in Mansfield University history in Brenae Edwards who won the 10K race at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Pueblo, Colo. by just under a minute. Edwards finished second in the 5K race two days later to earn her second All-American nod of the championships. Also earning a pair of All-American honors at the championships was junior Jess Scordino who finished 6th in both the 10K and 5K events. The performance of Edwards and Scordino vaulted the Mansfield women’s team to a 10th place overall finish in the nation, the highest ever for Mountaineer track and field.
2013 was also a huge year for Mountaineer women's cross country, who went on to the program's first PSAC Championship. The Mountaineers got top 10 finishes by Jess Scordino, Kristy Scordino and Lauren Norton to claim the title. Two weeks later, the Mountaineers took second at the NCAA Atlantic regional championships to earn at trip to the national meet in Spokane, Wash. At the NCAA Championships, Jess Scordino and Lauren Norton earned All-American status to lead Mansfield to a 9th place overall finish. Mansfield was ranked nationally throughout the 2013 season, being as high as No. 11 in the USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll, and garnered several No. 1 rankings in the Atlantic Region poll. Rohl was named PSAC Cross Country Coach of the Year following the historic season.
In 2011, Rohl coached the women's cross country squad to the program's first national ranking, being polled as high a No. 22 during the season by the USTFCCCA. The 2011 squad was led by senior Brenae Edwards who earned All-American honors with an 8th place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
During his first four years, 142 new school records were broken or reset in indoor and outdoor track and field alone. His 2005 women's cross country team finished 5th overall in the PSAC Championship and in the NCAA East Regional. In 2005, the women's team finished a school record eighth overall at the PSAC Indoor Championship while posting a school record seventh place finish at the PSAC Outdoor Championship.
A 1989 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Rohl brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Mansfield University. He has coached track athletes from the high school level to the Olympic elite. His coaching credits include a number of All-Americans while serving as assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire and the University of West Georgia. Elevated to head coach at West Georgia where he earned his MA in English, Rohl left that position to concentrate on a bid for the U.S. Olympic team in racewalking at the 2000 Olympics.
As a competitor, he was a stellar athlete. A four-time collegiate All-American, he is a former USTAF National Champion and has been a nine time member of the U.S. national team. He first competed in the U.S. Olympic trails in 1988. A devastating injury threatened to end his track career and he surrendered his prime competitive years to rehabilitation. He made a comeback for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic trials where he placed fourth, missing a berth on the U.S. Olympic team by one place.
Rohl is USATF Level II certified in jumps and throws and was named coach of the U.S. national team for the US-Canadian Dual Meet in 2005. He serves on the NCAA Coaches Awards Committee as well as being the chair for the US Racewalking National Championship Site Selection Committee.
Coach Rohl and his wife Michelle, a four-time Olympian and assistant coach, live in Mansfield with their five children, Molly, Sebastian, Ayla, Gabe, and Jude.
