Margaret Gehring begins her fifth year as head coach of the Macalester College men's and women's track and field programs after being named to the position at the start of the 2014-2015 school year.
In four seasons, Gehring's athletes have broken 22 school records, turned in 41 All-MIAC performances and qualified for the NCAA Championships seven times. In 2018, Phoebe Aguiar placed second in the 800 meters at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships with the 10th-fastest time (2:07.22) ever run at the Division III level. The performance earned her All-American honors. Also that spring, Hannah Sonsalla qualified for both the indoor and outdoor championships in the 400 meters.
Gehring also coached Logan Hovie to four MIAC championships, four NCAA appearances and three All-American finishes in the high jump from 2015 to 2016.
At the 2017 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Gehring’s women’s team scored 90.25 points to take fourth place in the team standings, the program’s highest conference finish in 30 years.
Gehring brings 20 years of successful coaching and higher education experience at the Division III level to her new position with the Scots after heading women's cross country and track and field programs at both Ohio Wesleyan University and the College of Saint Benedict – a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) member institution. During that time, Gehring coached a total of 13 All-Americans and led 23 individuals to the NCAA National Championships.
During her six years at the helm of the Ohio Wesleyan programs, Gehring led the track and field team to four North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championship titles and coached 34 individual NCAC champions, nine All-Americans and 14 national meet participants. She was named the NCAC Coach of the Year on three occasions. In addition to her coaching role, Gehring taught physical education courses, served one year as the interim Associate Athletic Director and worked on seven University committees.
Prior to her time at Ohio Wesleyan, Gehring led the Saint Benedict cross country and track and field teams for three seasons. Under her leadership, the Blazer track and field team turned in three fourth-place team finishes at the MIAC Championships and had 32 All-MIAC performers. Gehring also coached the Blazer cross country team to a second-place finish at the MIAC Championships in 1992.
Not only does Gehring bring a wealth of coaching experience to Macalester, but she has directed meets at the highest level of competition – including intercollegiate conference and national meets – and has served on several executive committees. From 1997 to 1998, Gehring served as president of the NCAA Division III Cross Country Coaches Association after a four year term as vice president. She was also an executive board member for the United States Track Coaches Association for three years.
Gehring earned her doctorate in sport and physical education from Ohio State University in 2002 where her dissertation work focused on the career longevity of Division III track and field coaches. She has been a published researcher in multiple international journals and has presented at national coaches meetings, as well as physical and health education conventions. Additionally, Gehring served as a visiting adjunct faculty at Pacific Lutheran University and the University of the West Indies.
Prior to her doctoral work, Gehring completed a master's degree in sport and exercise studies at Smith College. While at Smith, Gehring assisted with the women's cross country and track and field programs for two seasons. She earned her bachelor's in exercise science from the University at Buffalo, where she was a two-time All-American in track & field and cross country. In 1993, Gehring was inducted into UB’s Hall of Fame.
