University of Portland Athletics

Rob Conner is in his 37th year as the head cross country and track & field coach at the University of Portland entering the fall of 2026. The Pilots have earned national recognition as one of the most consistent distance running forces among NCAA Division I competition throughout his tenure. He has led the Pilots to 24 NCAA Cross Country Championships appearances, finished in the Top 10 a total of 10 times at the national meet, and coached Pilot runners to over 50 All-America honors. In 2024, Conner was named to the WCC Hall of Honor Class.
 
Conner has coached numerous All-Americans, appeared in 24 NCAA Cross Country Championships, 23 cross country All-Americans and 33 track All-Americans. In the fall of 2024, Conner led the Pilots to another WCC Cross Country title making it the first conference title since 2014 and the 35th Conference championship in program history. Conner finished the year as WCC Coach of the Year making it his ninth time with that honor.
 
Recent successful runners include Matt Strangio, who qualified for the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships for his second NCAA Indoor 3,000-meter appearance where he earned 10th place. He then made it to the NCAA Outdoor championships in the 5,000-meter and finished sixth place earning First Team All-American honors. Conner boosted Strangio to his second straight NCAA Championships this time for the indoor 3,000-meter where Strangio finished 16th. Strangio qualified for the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 5,000-meter. By the end of the year Strangio earned WCC Runner of the Year for his performance.
 
Strangio qualified as an individual for the NCAA Cross Country championships and finished 22nd, marking the highest finish by a Pilot at Nationals since 2018. Led by Strangio who earned his second straight WCC Runner of the Year award, Portland Cross Country was back in the NCAA Championships and finished 23rd in 2023.
 
Estanis Ruiz qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in ’24, finishing sixth and earning First Team All-American honors.
 
In 2023 Cathal Doyle qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Doyle made it to the championships for the third straight year in the 1,500 meters. Doyle punched his second straight ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships again in 2022 and made it 29 out of 30 years that Portland has had at least one representative at the NCAA Championships. Following a condensed 2020 season that saw many events canceled, Conner helped Doyle to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Conner continued his run of qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2021 where the squad finished 16th.
 
In 2019 Conner again led Portland to a team win at the NCAA West Regional before the Pilots finished tenth place at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. This was the 20th NCAA Championships appearance for the Pilots, and the 10th top-10 team finish. Webb was Portland's 22nd All-American honoree at the NCAA meet.
 
Conner guided the 2018 cross country team to their third podium finish in five years as the team placed third overall at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The accomplishment follows up last year’s most successful performance at the NCAA meet in program history when the Pilots finished second as a team. This year Portland matched their school record of three Pilots earning All-American honors at the NCAA meet. Conner and the Pilots defended their West Region title to earn their third program title, with Conner claiming his sixth West Region coach of the year honor.
 
After Portland’s second place finish at the national meet in 2017, Conner was named the Slats Gill Sportsperson of the Year at the 2018 Oregon Sports Awards, joining legendary Portland soccer coach Clive Charles as the only Pilot head coaches to win the award.
 
The first podium finish in cross country for Conner came during the 2014 season when Portland finished third as a team at the NCAA meet. That showing was the culmination of eight consecutive Top 14 finishes at the championship meet for the Pilots, a feat only accomplished by three other schools.
 
Conner has led the Pilots to 35 West Coast Conference cross country titles, while the team has been ranked in the national Top 25 all but one year since 1991.
 
Pilot cross country was put on the map during Conner’s fifth year at the helm. The historic 1993 season saw All-American Pete Julian lead Portland as it steamrolled through an undefeated regular season and finish 12th in the program’s first-ever NCAA Championship meet.
 
Prior to handing the coaching reins to former pupil and assistant coach Ian Solof in 2002, Conner also guided the Pilot women’s cross country team to 12 conference titles in 13 years. The 1993 Pilot women placed sixth at the NCAA West Regional and the 1994 team, led by All-American Nicole Karr, placed seventh at regionals.
 
Track success has also been a constant for Conner and the Pilots as at least one individual has qualified for the NCAA Track & Field Championships each season since 1992. Portland competitors have competed in 66 individual events at the NCAA meet with 40 All-America honors earned. In 2016, the Pilots reached their highest indoor ranking ever at No. 20.
 
Many former Pilots have gone on to successful professional running careers after graduating from The Bluff. Michael Kilburg and John Moore competed at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. Woody Kincaid and Scott Fauble competed in the 2016 United States Olympic Trials. Tayte Pollmann signed a professional trail and mountain-running contract with Nike in 2017 and competed in numerous international events, while track graduates Derek Mandell and Josh Ilustre competed in the 800-meter for Guam at the 2008 and 2016 Summer Olympics, respectively.
 
WCC Coach of the Year (9): 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2024
 
West Region Coach of the Year (7): 1993, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019
 
Top Men’s Individual NCAA Cross Country Performances