CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Following a national search, Lesley University Director of Athletics Dan Campagna has announced the appointment of Aidan Konhaus as Head Coach of the Lesley University Men's & Women's Cross Country and Track & Field programs, effective October 2, 2024.
"I'm thrilled to be a part of the next chapter of Lesley's Cross Country and Track & Field programs," said Konhaus. "I am impressed with the vision Lesley has for its athletic programs and even more so by the people working to make that vision a reality."
Konhaus enters the role coming from Davis & Elkins College (Elkins, West Virginia) where he served as both an Assistant Cross Country Coach and an Assistant Sprints Coach for the T&F program. He helped guide the D&E cross country squads (both genders) to the 2023 NCAA Division II National Championship Race in Joplin, Mo. This was on the heels of a second-place finish by the men's squad in the '23 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region regional meet to earn the nationals berth. In 2022, he was a member of the coaching staff that coached the Senators first Cross Country All-American, Emeric Arnaud, who earned NCAA Division II All-American Honors following his performance at Nationals held at Chamber Bay Regional Park in University Place, Wa.
"We are ecstatic to have Aidan join Lynx Nation to lead our Cross Country and Track & Field programs," said Campagna. "His strong background in coaching paired with his experience and knowledge of a liberal arts education helped him rise to the top of a competitive pool and I'm excited to see the positive impact he'll have in this leading role."
A graduate himself from Davis & Elkins, Konhaus was a decorated runner competing on the Senators Men's Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field and Outdoor Track & Field squads. He earned All Mountain East Conference (MEC) All-Conference honors in Cross Country during both his junior and senior campaigns, helping the program qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championship race during his final XC season. In addition, he earned All-Region accolades during his junior season following a Top-25 finish at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championship meet with a 22nd place finish in the 10K race with a time of 32:30. Another notable career highlight was when Konhaus posted the individual win in the 10,000m race at the Mountaineer Classic with a time of 31:38.08 on April 2, 2021 during his outdoor campaign.
"This is a fantastic time for collegiate track & field," added Konhaus. "With the improvements in technology and training, we're seeing records broken at unprecedented levels and I believe the Lesley XC/TF programs are ready to ride this trend and reach new program heights."
Konhaus graduated from D&E with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and was a two-time MEC Academic All-Conference selection as well as at USTFCCCA Scholar Athlete recipient. He also was a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). After graduating, in addition to coaching at Davis & Elkins, Konhaus also served as an adjunct faculty member for several years teaching an Introduction to Drawing course.
Recreationally, Konhaus has been a member of multiple running clubs including the Philadelphia Track Club.
Lesley University is a proud member of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) and proudly graduates more mental health professionals and specialized education teachers than any other college or university in New England. Located just outside Boston and spanning from Porter Square to Harvard Square in the vibrant city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Lesley extends the NAC into one of the most dynamic learning environments in the country.
Lesley is renowned for its unique portfolio of programs focused on Education, Mental Health and Well-Being, and Art and Design. The university also offers Business and Liberal Arts programs that support these key disciplines and a special program, the Threshold Program, for neurodiverse individuals to learn on-campus or be supported in independent living and working. More than half of Lesley's student population of 4,500 are graduate students.
Celebrating over 25 years of excellence, the North Atlantic Conference was founded in 1997 as the North Atlantic Women's Conference (NAWC) to provide opportunities for female student athletes to compete in postseason tournaments. The NAWC added men's sports and was renamed the North Atlantic Conference in 1999. The NAC currently sponsors 18 men's and women's championships as members of NCAA Division III, including baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's outdoor track & field, and women's volleyball.