Kent State Track & Field Camps

Nathan Fanger is in his seventh year as an assistant coach in charge of the throwing events after competing for the Golden Flashes from 1996-2000.

Under his guidance, 17 of his athletes have been Mid-American Conference (MAC) Champions, including four-time MAC Champion Brian Hallett (1999-2004).  Eleven Golden Flash throwers have qualified for the NCAA Mid-East Regional Championships and four for the NCAA Championships throughout Fanger’s coaching career at Kent State.  Last year he helped Julie Ward (2001-2004) toward achieving All-American status in the javelin.  

 Fanger was a standout athlete during his years as a Golden Flash.  He is the only four-time discus champion in Mid-American Conference history and is one of three Kent State athletes to have won an individual event at the MAC meet in each of their four years.  Twice he qualified for the NCAA Championships in the discus and he holds Kent State’s school record with a discus throw of 194-3. He also helped lead Kent State to the MAC championship in 2000, 2002, 2002-2003, 2004 and 2005.

A native of Kalispell, Mont., Fanger graduated with a degree in education and resides in Brimfield with his wife Lori and their son Jonathan.

Mark Croghan is in his second season as the head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach at Kent State.  Previously the head coach at the University School in Cleveland, Ohio, Croghan works primarily with the KSU distance and middle distance runners.

 At the University School in Cleveland, Croghan coached multiple events including sprints, hurdles and distances. Concurrently, Croghan also was co-director of adidas All-Star Distance Camp, where he taught high school distance runners and was responsible for the planning, marketing and operation of the camp.

“Mark will help elevate our cross country program immediately,” Lawson said. “Having a former Olympian and national champion on our coaching staff is a tremendous benefit for Kent State cross country and track and field. I am thrilled to have Mark and am very pleased with the first addition to my coaching staff at Kent State.”

 A standout distance runner at Ohio State, Croghan represented the United States in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the 1996 Atlanta Games and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was the U.S. National Champion in the event in 1991 and from 1994-1997.

 As a collegiate runner, Croghan was the NCAA National Champion in the steeplechase in 1990 and 1991. He was named the Jumbo Elliot Award winner in 1991 as the nation’s Outstanding Collegiate Track Athlete. Croghan was inducted into the Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

 Following his time as an athlete at Ohio State, Croghan served two years as the head men’s and women’s distance coach. He was in charge of developing the middle- and long-distance runners, coaching Robert Gary to All-America status three times and the 1996 Olympics. He also coached eight All-Big Ten selections.

Adrian Ghioroaie
Assistant Coach

Former Kent State alum, Adrian Ghioroaie, will be starting his first year as the Golden Flashes assistant coach.  A native of Bucharest, Romania, Ghioroaie came to Kent for the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

“Adrian brings outstanding technical knowledge in the jumps and sprints,” Head Coach Bill Lawson said.   “He’s had great success coaching women’s multi-events and he also provides a nice flavor to international recruiting.”

Before his arrival in the United States, Ghioroaie held the Romanian Junior National Champion title in both the triple jump and the 4 x 100 meter relay in 1998.  In 2001, he placed third in the Romanian National Championships in the triple jump. 

Prior to Kent State, Ghioroaie attended the University of Texas at El Paso where he contributed to the 2002 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship team.  That year, he was the WAC indoor champion in the triple jump as well as the runner-up in the long jump.  Adding to his successful season, he went on to place third in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships.  For his efforts, he was named to the 2002 All-American squad.

In 2004, Ghioroaie became a Golden Flash after having to sit out the 2003 season due to injury.  He won the MAC champion title in the triple jump, was a member of the MAC champion 4 x 100 meter relay team and placed fourth in the 100 meters.  During the Mid-East Regional Championships, he placed 12th in the triple jump and ran the anchor leg on the Golden Flashes' 4 x 100 meter relay team.

2005 proved to be just as successful as the previous season.  Adrian claimed back-to-back championships in both the triple jump and the 4 x 100 meter relay at the Mid-American Conference Championships.  He was a member of the 4 x 100 meter relay team that set the conference and school record that same season.

After graduating from Kent State, Ghioroaie was hired as the graduate assistant coach for the University of the Cumberlands where he coached the first female NAIA Indoor All-American for the university.  In 2007, he became the assistant jumps, sprints and multi-events coach at Jacksonville State University.  During his tenure, he produced four individual Ohio Valley Conference Champions in the long, triple and high jump events as well as two NCAA Regional qualifiers.

While attending Kent State University, Adrian received his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education with a minor in sociology.  He currently has three classes left in his graduate studies where he is seeking a Masters of Arts in Physical Education.  Adrian also earned his USA Track and Field Level 1 Coaching Certification in 2006.

Steven Rajewsky
Assistant Coach

A native of Blue Earth, Minnesota, Rajewsky begins his first year as an assistant coach for the Kent State track and field program.

Formerly serving as the Interim Head Coach at Ball State University, Rajewsky is familiar with the Mid-American Conference.  During his tenure at BSU, he and his staff produced a total of eight MAC championships by six athletes, one MAC all-time record holder in the 100 hurdles and one MAC championship record holder in the 100 meters. Nationally, the Cardinals sent seven athletes to the NCAA Mid-East Regionals, had one All-American in the 100 hurdles as well as a 2008 United States Olympic Trials Qualifier.

Prior to his position at Ball State, he was a volunteer assistant with the University of Minnesota women’s track and field team.  In 2006, the University of Minnesota claimed the Big Ten Outdoor Championship with six Big Ten individual champions and three Big Ten Freshmen of the Year honors.  As a result, Rajewsky and the rest of the Gophers' staff were named the Big Ten Coaching Staff of the Year.

“Steven brings a lot of experience with being from the Big Ten and being a part of the Big Ten Coaching Staff of the Year,” Lawson said.  “He brings in an expertise of sprints and hurdles as well as a great background of jumps and multi-events.  Steven carries a professional demeanor about himself and he is very career-minded which definitely shows that this is the area he wants to excel in.”

During his collegiate career (2000-2004), Rajewsky attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was a provisional NCAA Championship Qualifier in 2003, a six-time all-conference winner in the 400m, 600m, and various relays and a member eight MIinnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference chamiponship teams in both the indoor and outdoor track.

Steven earned his Master of Arts in sports administration in higher education at the Ball State University where he graduated in May of 2008.  While attending the University of  St. Thomas, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, and earned his teaching licensure in secondary education with a focus on social studies.

Philip Rickaby
Assistant Coach

Former Kent State University track and field standout Philip Rickaby is in his first season as a member of the Golden Flashes' coaching staff.

“Phil is great technical coach and has a very good working knowledge of Kent State track and field due to him being an athlete here himself,” said Lawson.  “I believe he will do an outstanding job in the recruiting aspects and will be a tremendous help to me in the decathlon.  He brings a very professional demeanor about himself.”

A native of Winmalee, Australia, Rickaby came to the United States and KSU in 2004.  Prior to his arrival in the U.S., Rickaby was a three-time Australian Junior Triple Jump Champion in 2000, ’01 and ’02.  During his collegiate career, Rickaby continued to add to his collection of athletic accolades in various events.  Known for his triple jumping and long jumping abilities, Rickaby also proved to be a top contender in the javelin.

As a freshman, Rickaby claimed the Mid-American Conference champion title in the triple jump, which paved his way to an All-Conference First Team selection that same season.  In 2005, 2006, and 2007 he again earned First Team All-Conference honors capturing thee MAC Champion tiles in the javelin and qualified for the NCAA National Track and Field Championships in 2006.

In his final season of competition, Rickaby was named to the ESPN the Magazine and CoSIDA Academic All-American Second Team for his efforts.

From 2006 to 2008, Rickaby served as a graduate assistant at Kent State where he was an instructor of a "Fundamentals of Track and Field Coaching" class, a course which he currently still serves as an instructor.  In addition, he served as a volunteer assistant coach in 2007 and was named Kent State's Track and Field assistant meet manager in 2006. 

Rickaby earned his Bachelor of Science degree in human movement studies in 2006 from Kent State University. In May of 2008, he graduated with a Masters of Arts degree in sports management from KSU.  He also earned his Level 1 United States of America Track and Field Coaching Certification in 2007.

Dan Klatt
Student Assistant

Dan Klatt will serve as a student asistant coach for the Golden Flashes for the second-straight season after completing his athletic career during the 2007-2008 season.

Klatt was a member of the Golden Flashes' cross country and track and field teams from 2005-2008. He will assist head cross country coach Mark Croghan in coaching the distance runners.

With the Golden Flashes, Klatt recorded career-bests in the 5000 meters (15:09.82) and 10,000 meters (32:04.98) in 2006. Prior to Kent State, Klatt was voted all-conference all four years of high school. During his senior season, he earned all-America and all-Illinois honors for the Warriors his senior season. he also helped the Warriors to conference titles 2002-2004.

Klatt, 22, is the son of Bob Jr. and Bob Klatt.

Nicholas Ivancic
Student Assistant