Coach Robert Shankman, in his 19th year at Rhodes, is one of the
most successful coaches in the history of the Southern Collegiate
Athletic Conference. Under his leadership, the Rhodes Cross Country
and Track & Field teams have won a combined 24 Conference
Championships since 1990. This includes a winning streak of 10
consecutive men's cross country titles, 6 women's cross country
titles, 4 men's track titles, and 4 women's track
championships.
In track & field, Shankman has coached 37 national qualifiers
and 10 NCAA All-Americans. During the '08 Outdoor season, Sophomore
Kristin Forbes lead the Lynx to the Southern Collegiate Athletic
Conference title by establishing new school records in the 200
(24.61) and the 400 (55.91). In addition, Forbes earned
All-American status by finishing 7th in the 400 at the National
Championship Meet. Other notable athletes coached by Shankman
include middle distance standouts Amy Paine and Marie Brandewiede.
With 5 All-American titles between them, both runners advanced to
the national championship 1500 meter finals in '02 and '03. Paine
finished 2nd in the 1500 at the '03 national championships. Her
time of 4:26.55 ranks as the 4th fastest 1500 in NCAA Division III
history. Brandewiede, a three time All-American, ran 4:29.65 during
the '04 season, which also ranks her among the fastest 1500 meter
runners in Division III history.
In Cross Country, Shankman has coached 14 individual national
qualifiers since 1995, while his teams have qualified 3 times for
the national meet. Last year's '07 men's team captured the NCAA
Southeast Regional Championship title, and qualifying for the
national championships for the 2nd consecutive year. In '06, the
men finished 2nd at the Regional Championships. Over the last 16
seasons, the men's program has recorded 14 top-five regional
finishes, including finishes in the top two spots in 2000, 2001,
2002, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The women's program has maintained an
equally strong presence in the region. In addition to qualifying
for Nationals as team in 2002, the women's program has posted 13
top-five region finishes over the last 14 seasons.
In addition, Shankman has received considerable recognition among
his colleagues. He has been voted SCAC Coach-of-the-Year by his
peers 16 times in cross country and 8 times in track. The U.S.
Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has also
honored Shankman with the Regional Coach of the Year awards in '02
for women's cross country, in '03 Women's Outdoor Track, and in '07
for Men's Cross Country. He currently serves as the U.S. Track
Coaches Association as the regional representative for cross
country.
Coach Shankman is a graduate of Rhodes College (formerly
Southwestern at Memphis), where he competed in the 400 hurdles from
1977-80. He received his Masters of Education degree from the
University of Memphis in 1993. Shankman is a member of the U.S.
Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. He has
also served as the NCAA S/SE Regional Meet Director and has
achieved USAT&F Level II certification status.
