The Denison University Department of Athletics announced Veronica Rocco as its Head Women’s Cross Country Coach / Assistant Track & Field Coach in August 2024.
Rocco arrives after spending the past five years as an assistant coach for both cross country and track & field programs at her alma mater, Amherst College.
In her first year as the Head Women's Cross Country Coach at Denison, the Women's Cross Country team improved upon their finish at the NCAC Cross Country Championships and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships. Jane McNamara earned NCAC Newcomer of the Year honors at the 2024 NCAC Cross Country Championships, where she also earned All-NCAC honors alongside teammate Fiona Martinelli, the first time two Denison women earned All-NCAC honors since 2018. In the Indoor Track season, the Distance Medley Relay placed second at the NCAC Championships, earning All-NCAC honors. In 2025, three women coached by Rocco added their names to the Denison All-Time List, Fiona Martinelli in the Indoor Mile and 3,000 Meters and Lexi Verdell in the 3,000 Meters Steeplechase.
Rocco while at Amherst coached the women’s and men’s mid-distance and distance runners during the cross country and track & field seasons. Rocco assisted in six Mammoth teams qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country National Championships. Both Amherst teams finished in second place at the NESCAC Championships and both were 18th in the team standings at the 2023 NCAA Championships.
During the 2023 Cross Country season, Harrison Dow was honored as the NESCAC Men’s Cross Country Rookie of the Year. Additionally, Rocco was honored as part of the 2023 NESCAC Men’s Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year. Rocco also coached Mary Kate McGranahan, who took first at the NESCAC Cross Country Championship and later earned All-American honors during the 2022 season.
The Amherst Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams both placed second at the NESCAC Track and Field Championships in 2024, and Rocco was honored as part of the 2024 NESCAC Men’s Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year. Rocco has guided student-athletes to national qualifications in all events 800 - 10,000 meters which includes Sophie Wolmer, who earned All-American honors in the 10,000 meters in 2021 and the Women’s Distance Medley Relay Team which earned Second Team All-American honors in 2024.
Rocco has guided student-athletes to 86 All-Region, 50 All-NESCAC, three First Team All-Americans and five Second Team All-Americans. She also coached the men’s and women’s 4x800 Relays to Indoor New England Division 3 Championships in 2023 and 2024, as well as the NESCAC 4x800 Relay Championships for the men 2022 and 2023 and the women in 2024. Additionally, when she assisted with the long sprints group in the 2019-2020 season, the Women’s 4x400m Relay broke the Amherst school record twice, ending the season ranked 14th in the nation.
While she was a student at Amherst, Rocco captained both the cross country and track & field teams during her junior and senior seasons. She finished as a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honoree and an eight-time NESCAC All-Academic selection. Rocco served as the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Amherst. She also chaired the NESCAC SAAC in 2019 and helped establish the first-ever Mental Health Week for the NESCAC and Amherst.
Rocco also brings several summers of coaching experience, serving as an intern for the Northern Arizona Elite (NAZ), a professional running team based in Flagstaff, and Team Run Flagstaff, a community running group.
She holds USATF Level 1 and USTFCCCA Level 1 certifications. Rocco presented “Running Social Media for Collegiate Athletics Teams” at the 2023 USTFCCCA Convention.
Rocco graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Amherst in 2019. She earned her master of science in Sport Management from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2024.
