Six-time Kentucky Cross Country and Track High School Coach of the Year Tony Rowe enters his sixth season as head men's and women's cross country and track and field coach at Kentucky Wesleyan College in 2019-20.
Rowe tenure has been highlighted with the ever growing record book. Seemingly each week throughout the 2018-19 season the Panthers set several records in a number of disciplines. For the past two season seasons Adam Bouchard has remained one of the Panthers top track athletes as Coach Rowe helped Bouchard reach Great Midwest Indoor Freshman of the Year honors in 2017-18.Sarah Johnson has featured similar success on the women's team as she continues to re-write the Wesleyan record books.
The roster sizes for the cross country, track and field teams has continued to grow under Rowe's direction as have the facilities. Kentucky Wesleyan opened its new outdoor track complex in September of 2017.
In 2015-2016, Coach Rowe led the Panthers' Track & Field teams to several individual titles, including several school records broken in almost every event in KWC history. Rowe also coached 12 players named to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference team, including Freshman and Athlete of the Year on the men's side.
Rowe retired after 37 years as the head boys cross country and track and field coach at Daviess County High School last June. He won a total of 10 state titles in cross country (8) and track and field (2) for the Panthers, while finishing runner-up 12 times in cross country (9) and track and field (3).
His student-athletes also have captured eight individual state championships in cross country and numerous individuals and relay state track and field titles in 400m dash, 1600m run, 3200m run, 100m high hurdles, 4x400m relay, 4x800m relay, long jump, shot put, discus and pole vault.
"I feel greatly honored and blessed to have the opportunity to lead the Kentucky Wesleyan cross country and track and field programs," said Rowe. "As I went through the process, I have been tremendously impressed with the atmosphere around campus.
"The KWC administration has a great commitment to its student-athletes and has a sincere desire to see every program succeed. I realize the foundation has been laid and I am stepping into a good situation. I am very excited and ready jump in with both sleeves rolled up. Our immediate goal will be for the Panthers to be the most improved cross country and track and field teams – men's and women's – in the GMAC in the 2014-15 school year. "
The 2001 Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee also has been twice named Boys Cross Country National Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2009 by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association and the National Federation of High Schools.
Rowe in 2007 wrote "Trails, Trials and Triumph's." The book provides an overview of the his days as a high school and college runner plus his coaching career along with coaching tips, inspirational stories, and great lessons learned from Rowe himself.
The Owensboro native lettered four seasons in cross country and track at Eastern Kentucky University for coach Art Harvey. He ran cross country and track for four years at Owensboro High School for coach Bob Puckett where the Red Devils won three Class AA cross country titles.
He graduated from Eastern Kentucky with a bachelor of science degree in physical education in 1976 and earned his masters of arts education from Western Kentucky University in 1982. He completed his Rank I education from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2003.
Rowe and his wife, Pam, have two sons, Mark and Matt both high school cross country and track coaches, and one grandson. In 2019 Mark joined his father as the Co-Head Track and Field, Cross Country Coach.
