Coe College cross country coach Ben Mourer has resigned to become the new head coach at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania.

Mourer is a 2007 graduate of Allegheny, where he was a member of four North Coast Athletic Conference championship teams and was the NCAC runner-up in 2007. He also helped the Gators to four straight NCAC Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

"I've been blessed by my time at Coe College," Mourer said. "As grateful as I am for those experiences, I can't think of a better place to continue coaching than Allegheny. It is a bit of a homecoming, but I'm already more excited about the future of these teams."

Mourer has spent the last four years as the head coach at Coe of both the men’s and women’s cross country programs, while serving as the associate head coach for the track and field teams as well. Prior to being named the head coach, Mourer spent three years as an assistant coach for both programs.

"We wish Ben well in his new coaching opportunity," Coe athletic director John Chandler said. "While we are sad to see Ben go, we know he is happy to be returning to the East Coast and has left a young crop of good runners for the future at Coe."

During his seven years at Coe, four Kohawks qualified for the NCAA National Cross Country Championships. This past season, freshman Lucy Conroy qualified for the NCAA National Championships, where she placed 100th in 22:20.90, the second fastest NCAA Championship time in school history.

A national search for a new coach is under way.