Melissa Gates Rohrer begins her fifth season as the aquatics director and head coach for the men's and women's swimming programs in 2022-23.
Rohrer has gained momentum with both the men's and women's teams through her first three years, coaching two school record holders and the men's first Landmark Conference Champion. Casey Marshall '20 managed both at the Landmark Conference Championships in 2020, winning the 100 fly in a school record time of 50.38. Sarah Marston '24 became Rohrer's first school record holder on the women's side, touching the wall in 1:58.61 in the 200 free during the abbreviated 2021 spring season.
In her first year, Rohrer helped guide her men's team to a 6-4 record and a second consecutive fifth-place finish at the Landmark S&D Championships. Marshall was a part of four record-setting performances at the 2019 edition of the league meet, including two individual school records. Marshall took down his own records in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly events. The program's 200-yard free relay and 200-yard medley relay marks were also reset.
On the women's side, the Blue Jays were 4-7 in 2018-19, but finished a program-best sixth at the Landmark S&D Championships. E-town had eight top-ten finished between their relay and individual entrants. Juniro Sara Lingo had the Jays' best performance of the championship meet, taking fourth in the 400 individual medley.
Gates' job transition takes her 18 miles west, but she remains in Lancaster County after spending the previous two seasons as the aquatics director and assistant coach under Ben Delia at nearby Franklin & Marshall College.
The Diplomat men and women combined to win 20 medals at the Centennial Conference Championships during Gates’ time at F&M. Both squads placed fourth at the conference meet in 2018, with the men’s team claiming an impressive 12 medals highlighted by gold from the 200-yard medley relay and Eric Dietrich-Peterson in the 100 butterfly.
Freshman Chris Schiavone was part of four medal-winning relays, while also taking silver in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle races. Schiavone competed in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle at the NCAA Division III Championships in Indianapolis in March.
The F&M men were also fourth at the 2017 Centennial Conference Championships on the strength of six medals, while the women placed fifth as a team and had two individuals medal to conclude Gates’ first season with the program.
Gates hopes those experiences will help translate to success with the Blue Jays.
Gates was the head varsity and junior varsity swim coach at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, California during the 2015-16 school year. She led the Pandas to a Sunshine League championship and a seventh-place finish (of 48 teams) at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 3 meet.
Prior to her time on the West Coast, Gates coached with the Rock Hill YMCA Rays in Rock Hill, South Carolina (2015) and the Midtown Athletic Club in Bannockburn, Illinois (2014).
Gates, a Leola, Pennsylvania native, was a three-time national champion and 10-time NCAA DII All-American swimmer at California University of Pennsylvania. She won back-to-back national titles in the 50-yard freestyle as a junior (2011) and senior (2012) and was the 2012 champion in the 100 freestyle. Her time of 22.62 in the 50 freestyle national championship race in 2012 was an NCAA Division II record at the time.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) named Gates its Swimmer of the Year in 2012 and she continues to hold conference and conference championship records in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and as a member of the Vulcans’ 400 freestyle relay. Gates established nine school records (four individual, five relay).
Gates received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from California (Pa.) in 2012. She continued to swim competitively following graduation, qualifying for the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Updated: 1/20/2023
