The Carlow University Department of Athletics is excited to announce the hiring of Ashley Soske as the new head coach of men’s and women’s cross country.
Soske is currently a tenure-track assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Carlow and has been coaching cross country for five years.
She joins the Celtics having previously coached at Fox Chapel School District and Pittsburgh Public Schools for a combined five years.
Soske previously taught in the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh for five years prior to joining Carlow University in January.
Soske said she is most excited about bringing more awareness to the sport and creating a collaborative environment for the student-athletes.
Soske earned a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Allegheny College. She earned dual Master of Social Work and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and holds a Doctoral degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California.
Outside of the classroom, Soske qualified three separate times for the USA National Championship in sprint triathlon and successfully completed an Ironman triathlon.
Soske’s goal for the cross country program is to provide student-athletes with an environment where they can focus on academics while also competing in a sport they enjoy.
“I want the athletes to remember that running is supposed to be fun,” Soske said. “While it is a competitive collegiate-level sport, I don’t want them to get burnt out. Our athletes are competing at the NCAA Division III level because they love it.”
Soske also stated she wants the student-athletes to feel seen and heard in the program. Her main goal as the season quickly approaches is to establish consistent communication with the team and start building relationships with the student-athletes “so they know they have a voice.”
She set up a shared drive where athletes can post workouts and challenges for the day with a space to provide feedback about their perceived efforts during training.
“I want them to be able to understand that not every day is going to be a ‘personal best’ kind of day,” Soske said. “I want them to continue their passion for running and take the skills they learned in college well into adulthood.”