Bio

Sara Rinkunas is entering her 12th year with Penn State Scranton Athletics. Sara began her career at Penn State Scranton as an Administrative Assisatant in Athletics in 2010 moved up to become the Coordinator of Athletic Programs in 2015 and then added Head Cross Country Coach to her resume in 2019.  In 2021 Sara was promoted to Assistant Director of Athletics, Intramurals and Recreation. As a Public Relations graduate of Penn State Univeristy Park in 2008, Sara specializes in Penn State Scranton Athletics publicity, media, communications and information and well as overall athletic programming and student-athlete support. 

On campus, Sara's professional achievments include earning the 2013 PSU Scranton Administrative Support Assistant Award, the 2014 Gertrude Hawk Service Award for outstanding service to the students, campus and community, the 2020 David & Joyce Mack Tressler Award for Professional Development and is a three-time Employee of the Month on campus. Sara served as the first PSU Scranton Staff Advisory Council Secretary in 2017 and is currently serving as Past Chair. 

Sara also serves on various conference sport committees such as PSUAC Men's and Women's Soccer and USCAA Track & Field and Cross Country. In her first season at the helm as Head Coach for Men's and Women's Cross Country her men's team earned three invitational 1st place trophies and her women's team produced two PSUAC top 10 finishers at the conference invitational. Academically, both teams earned over a 3.00 GPA average including six USCAA  All Academic award recipients and the USCAA 2020 Female Student-Athlete of the Year. 

As an adjunct instructor in English, Sara revitatlized the student newspaper, The Nittany News, through an article writing course she instructed. She is an award winning member of the Society of Professional Journalists and a Board Member of the Greater Scranton Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association.  Sara's experience in photojournalism puts her in place as department, event and game photographer as well as graphic designer and social media content manager. Sara's most recent project was improving the campus weight room facility which held its ribbon cutting in November 2019. She supervises department interns and advocates for student-athletes academic, athletic and individual success.