Tom Leeser has announced his retirement as head coach of the Penn College men’s and women’s cross country teams, ending a four-year tenure marked by notable achievements. The college will conduct a national search to find his successor.
“It was time for me to step away and have more time with my family,” Leeser said. “I have enjoyed my time leading the cross country programs at Penn College and building the relationships that I have with the student-athletes that came through the program. Watching the success that the men’s program had is something special and the continual growth of the women’s program are the biggest highlights that I can look back on from my time as their coach. I am very proud of the accomplishments we have made over the past four years and hope that it carries over with the next coach.”
During Leeser’s leadership, Penn College’s men’s team secured two United East Conference Championships and two third-place finishes. Leeser received conference coach of the year honors in both 2023 and 2024. Under his guidance, the women’s team improved each season, achieving a fourth-place finish at the 2024 conference championship—their best result since 2018, according to information from the official website.
The Wildcats earned 32 all-conference accolades during this period. Mitchell Campbell became the first four-time all-conference runner in program history. Rosey Thomas received the United East Fall Senior-Scholar Athlete award in 2023, while Alec Rees (2023 & 24), Kayleigh Miller (2024), and Elaina Brady (2025) were recognized with Elite Academic Awards.
Penn College Wildcats Women’s Cross Country competes in NCAA Division III as part of intercollegiate athletics at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Pennsylvania [source]. The team participates in the United East Conference [source], integrating vocational-technical education with competitive athletics [source]. The program draws athletes from across Pennsylvania and beyond, including Virginia [source], fostering community through a balance of academics and athletics [source].
Former athletes such as Tamara Pavlov are recognized in Penn College’s Hall of Fame [source]. In recent seasons, Alexis Durn earned first-team all-conference honors after finishing eighth at the 2025 United East Conference Championships, where Penn College placed fifth overall [source].
Leeser’s departure marks a transition for a program that has shown consistent progress under his direction.
