After 25 years as the head coach of Muhlenberg women’s basketball, the special feeling that comes from being part of a team is what I’ll miss the most.
During my first few weeks at Muhlenberg, in the fall of 2001, a reporter asked one of our players, Sue Marchiano ’04, what she thought of the new coach. Her immediate reply was, “Well, he can talk!” I guess it’s only fitting that, instead of being interviewed, I’m writing my own remembrance of my 25 years at Muhlenberg.
So where do I start? I guess the beginning is always a good place. I came to Muhlenberg from NCAA Division I and had never seen a D3 game. I figured it would be less intense, not as much pressure, a more relaxed atmosphere. We opened that first season winning our first 13 games while rising to a top 10 national ranking, ultimately finishing that season 21-4.
I remember thinking, “You have totally ruined this for yourself. Now everyone is going to expect this every year.”
Rohn (pictured with Class of 2014 members Katy Mitton, Erin Laney, Colleen Caldwell, and Leeann Lanza) earned his 250th career win at Muhlenberg against Gettysburg in 2014. His 437 wins in 24 seasons on the bench are the most by any coach in any sport in Muhlenberg history.
The wonderful group of women on that 2001-2002 team established everything that Muhlenberg women’s basketball would become for the next 24 years. They were hardworking, successful, and ultra-competitive, and most importantly, they had an unselfishness and team chemistry that was unlike anything I had ever experienced as a coach. The players on that team, and all of those up to and including the 2025-2026 team, still have a remarkably close bond with each other. I thank those women on that first team for that gift and also each and every player who followed behind them in upholding that tradition. It is really what has made Muhlenberg women’s basketball so special.
I am exceptionally proud of how our players have excelled in the classroom during my time at Muhlenberg, often sporting overall team GPAs near or above dean’s list. Even more impressive has been what my players have accomplished after Muhlenberg. More than 20 are health care professionals (doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, athletic trainers), while many others have made their mark in business, education, communications, and community service. Several run their own businesses. What more can you ask for, to have players you watched grow into adults wind up successful and happy?
“What more can you ask for, to have players you watched grow into adults wind up successful and happy?”
—Head Coach Ron Rohn
Along the way, Muhlenberg women’s basketball did win 437 games and eight Centennial Conference Championships, and we played in nine NCAA Tournaments (including two Sweet 16s). The memories are too plentiful to be told in anything short of a multi-volume book. I have a lifetime of stories that make me smile, from every single season with “my team.”
Many of those mental photographs include the looks on players’ faces as they storm the court to celebrate a big win with each other. Most of my favorite memories, though, are from practices, bus rides, team meals, the locker room before and after a game, and our many team trips to Europe. Those times together — away from the scrutiny of the video stream, opponents, and fans — are something most people don’t get to see. Those are the times and moments that are just ours, just the team’s.
What will I miss the most? It is that feeling of team — of going through the ups and downs together, with and for each other. Of being part of something much bigger than yourself, and doing it with people you sincerely care about. Because that is what will endure. It is the smiles, the laughter, the stories, and, of course, the adrenaline rush of winning and losing … and being able to share all of it with people you truly love. That is something that can never be fully explained, only felt in the heart.
Ron Rohn is the winningest head coach in Muhlenberg College athletic history. He recorded the 500th win of his collegiate coaching career during the 2024-2025 season.
Mule Round-Up
SOFTBALL enjoyed a historic season, winning its first ever NCAA Division III regional title and setting a school record for most wins by any team in any sport (36). The Mules also set school records for hits, stolen bases, shutouts, and strikeouts in a season. It was their first season playing on their new field on campus.
Muhlenberg will have new head BASKETBALL coaches for both teams next season. Sadie Nelson will take over for the retired Ron Rohn after serving as associate head coach. Taking over the men’s team is Quinn Newton, who was previously head coach at University of Maine at Farmington.
Christopher Short ’27 (TRACK AND FIELD) broke or contributed to to seven school records and won gold in the 400 meters at the Centennial Conference Championships, both indoors and outdoors. He earned first-team All-America honors in the indoor 400, posting the second-best finish ever (seventh place) by a member of the Muhlenberg men’s team in an open event at the NCAA Championships.
Sylvyn Parham ’29 (WOMEN’S WRESTLING) qualified for the first-ever NCAA Championships and finished the season with a 25-7 record.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE had one of its best seasons, finishing at 12-5 and earning a spot in the national top 25 after an 11-5 home win against 10-time national champion The College of New Jersey.
MEN’S LACROSSE reached double digits in victories and earned a CC playoff berth for the fourth straight season, finishing with a 10-8 record. Muhlenberg scored at least 21 goals in a game twice, something it did only twice before in program history, including a record-setting 23-5 defeat of McDaniel.
Like softball, the BASEBALL team debuted a new home facility in 2026. The Mules set a school record with 15 runs in one inning against Dickinson, with Steven Dimovski ’28 becoming the 13th player in Division III history to record three hits in an inning, and scored nine runs in the bottom of the ninth to stun Swarthmore, 15-12.
WOMEN’S TENNIS finished with a 9-9 record for their most wins since 2011.
