KENNESAW, Ga.- The Kennesaw State Department of Athletics announced the hiring of Ryan Wagner as the new assistant coach for cross country and track and field this week. Wagner joins the Owls after coaching cross country at the University of Maine-Farmington and track and field at Colby College in Maine.

"Coach Wagner is a great addition to our staff," Owls Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Andy Eggerth said. "He brings a wealth of knowledge specific to event groups, but more importantly, he knows how to build a better athlete as opposed to simply a faster individual. His charismatic personality will certainly aid in our recruiting efforts, and his work ethic and passion for the sport complement what I feel is one of the best staffs in the Southeast."

Wagner served as the Head Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Coach at UMF for three seasons. During his tenure there, the women’s team earned three consecutive North Atlantic Conference championships in from 2008-10. He was named NAC Coach of the Year in 2009.

While spending the 2011 season at Colby, Wagner worked as an assistant track and field coach, focusing on sprints, hurdles and horizontal jumps. His student-athletes exceled under his tutelage, as he helped his sprinters to conference titles in three different events. He also worked with Dom Kone, whose 6.34 second time in the 55 Meters earned him Division III All-American honors. In total, three of his student-athletes at Colby met provisional NCAA qualifying marks in their respective outdoor events.

"I am very excited and eager to join the Kennesaw State staff, especially in the sports of Cross Country and Track & Field," Wagner said. "The wealth of experience, knowledge, and achievements among the coaching staff and student-athletes is very impressive. My goal is to improve upon the high standards set and help guide student-athletes to their true potential on and off the track. "

Prior to his time at the collegiate level, Wagner was a physical education instructor from 2002-2008 and Head Boys Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Coach from 2005-2008 at Marshfield High School in Marshfield, Mass. Under his tutelage, he oversaw the shattering of 37 boys
school records, nine girls school records and five Invitational meet records, and helped his student-athletes earn 14 national championship track & field bids.

Wagner remained in the classroom upon his move to collegiate track and field, teaching Athletic Conditioning and Personal Training while at UMF. With Colby, he served as a campus police officer as well as a reserve office for the Franklin County (Maine) Sheriff’s Department.

Along with his extensive experience in cross country and track, Wagner is a Level II certified USA Track and Field coach for combined events, endurance, jumps, sprints, hurdles and relays.

Wagner received his bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science with a minor in physical education from Syracuse University in 2000, where he competed in track and field and cross country for the Orange. Not stopping there, he got his masters in Health & Physical Education, with a concentration in Sport Management from East Stroudsburg University in 2002.

Wagner, his wife Nancy, and their three children will reside in Acworth.