Rob Marinaro

Biography

One of the longest-tenured coaches in the Mid-American Conference, Rob Marinaro has been part of the Kent State’s women’s soccer staff since the program’s inception in 1997 and is in his 25th season as head coach of the Golden Flashes. The three-time MAC Coach of the Year has the second-most wins in conference history and owns a 255-217-61 record, including a 148-121-33 mark in league play. Marinaro has led Kent State to one MAC Tournament championship, three MAC regular season titles and three MAC East Division crowns during his tenure. Additionally, he has overseen the development of two All-Americans, 14 All-Region honorees and 48 All-MAC selections. In 2018, Marinaro captured the 200th win in school history and earned his 200th win at the helm of the program against Bowling Green in 2022. The success does not end on the field for Marinaro’s teams, as the women’s soccer team regularly posts one of Kent State Athletics’ highest term grade-point averages. The Flashes have been among the nation’s elite academically as noted by 10 NSCAA Team Academic Awards since 2007, which included a national Top-20 GPA for four consecutive seasons from 2009-12. Marinaro’s student-athletes have earned three CoSIDA Academic All-American honors, 28 MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete honors and over 150 Academic All-MAC honors. He led his team to back-to-back MAC semifinal appearances in 2023 and 2024, compiling a record of 22-15-5. 2023 included two first team All-MAC selections in Kelsey Salop