Bio

Head Coach Rob Lander has led Panther Cross Country since the sport was reestablished at Chaffey in 2015.  In his inaugural season, Coach Lander's women's team captured the Foothill Conference title and both teams advanced to regional and state championships. Since then, Chaffey College’s cross country teams and/or individuals have qualified for the 3C2A Cross Country State Championships every year.

Coach Lander, a first generation college attendee and a community college alumni himself, has coached at many levels of competition including NCAA I, NCAA II, high school, and now the 3C2A). Some highlights include being named a Southern California Coach of the Year in 2003, the San Gabriel Valley Coach of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014 and the All Inland Valley Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2014.

Most recently, in 2022 Chaffey College captured 3 out of the 4 Inland Empire Athletic Conference XC Championships (Women’s team championship, Women’s individual championship, and Men’s individual championship).

"Focus on what you have control over: preparation, effort, and attitude," reminds Coach Lander. "Each year I challenge my team to come up with an additional concept of something we have total control over in sport and life in general. Lots of ideas come up, but after some discussion the consensus is that all the ideas actually fall under preparation, effort or attitude." 

Coach Lander holds a master’s degree in Kinesiology with a 2001 thesis (A naturalistic investigation of elite distance runners’ cognitive strategies for coping with exertion pain during performance) that is referenced in a 2010 publication of Athletic Insight Journal (Volume 2, Issue 2). Coach Lander uses a scientific approach to his training, using the latest research in exercise physiology, biomechanics, and coaching pedagogy to help guide his athletes.

  Coach Lander has had the opportunity to channel his mentors (Rich Ede, and Mark Williams, my high school XC/Track Coaches. Jim Hiserman, former Sonoma State University XC/Track Coach. John Elders, retired Cal State Fullerton XC/Track coach. The late/great Ken Ravizza, Cal State University Professor and world leading Sport Psychologist. Also some famous distance coaches/exercise physiologists including Arthur Lydiard, Jack Daniels, David Martin and Peter Coe just to name a few) with his teams at Chaffey.  "I've had the great privilege to work with many outstanding student-athletes here at Chaffey. I am forever proud of these countless men and women that have finished their educational goals and are now making meaningful contributions to society.”

When he's not coaching or teaching, Lander enjoys running (close to 80,000 miles and counting!) playing chess, reading, watching Lakers' games, and playing bass guitar. He loves music (Jazz, R&B, Blues, Bluegrass, Rock, Reggae, Country, Folk, Big Band, Latin, Afro-Cuban...).  His taste in food packs the same punch - Indian, Thai, Mexican and a "good ol' fashion hamburger." He lives in a log cabin in Crestline with his wife Sam, two children, a cat and a dog.