MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Alverno College Department of Athletics has hired Tylar Kohnke as the new Head Track & Field Coach, as well as Assistant Cross Country Coach, announced Director of Athletics, Antonio Rivas, on Wednesday.

"I am excited to have Tylar join our department and lead the rebuild of bringing back our Track and Field programs," Rivas said, "Throughout the interview process, Tylar displayed numerous examples of how he plans to bring high-quality student-athletes to Alverno while also providing ideas to make them feel integrated and part of the community for a holistic and well-rounded experience. His experience as a Division III student-athlete and coach, along with his knowledge of Wisconsin areas, make him the right person for the job. He will do well here, and I'm looking forward to seeing him in action." 

Track & Field announced its restart in the Fall of 2025 and is working toward expected competition in Spring 2027. Kohnke will recruit over the next year for the program, while also assisting with the cross country season.

Kohnke comes to Alverno after most recently serving as the Assistant Track & Field Throws Coach at Ripon College, a role he served in from September 2023 through the previous academic year. There, he was tasked with coaching all five throwing events of the Ripon Track & Field team. In his time there, his athletes achieved 12 top ten performances in school history, two Midwest Conference individual championships, and one school record. He was also in charge of the strength & conditioning regimen for his throwers, while also serving in a variety of administrative tasks. Kohnke was also an advisor for the Ripon Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and for Chi Alpha Sigma. Along with his duties in coaching and administration, he was also an active recruiter for the team, specifically in the throws group, while assisting with other coaches on campus visits.

"I'm excited to start this journey here at Alverno College," Kohnke said, "To have the opportunity to work with student-athletes and help them achieve their goals in athletics and in life is an honor. I believe we'll be able to achieve everything we hope to here at Alverno College and have some fun along the way."

Before coaching at Ripon, Kohnke coached at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. From September 2021 until August 2023, he was an assistant coach, specifically with the throwers, working with three All-Americans and 14 All-Conference athletes. He was also a part of the coaching staff in his time as a student-athlete, helping his fellow throwers in a stint that began in September 2014 through May 2019. In his time at Stevens Point, he also implemented strength & conditioning programs for all events and recruited throwers to be a part of the track & field team.

Kohnke was a graduate assistant coach from August 2019 through May 2021 at Waldorf University, working with the throwers for the Warriors track & field team. He coached three All-Conference athletes and helped his athletes break six school records while assisting in all aspects of recruiting. He was also instrumental in designing and orchestrating a 5k run and pancake breakfast to fundraise for the team.

Kohnke earned his Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and Wellness in August 2019 from UW-Stevens Point, graduating Cum Laude. At Stevens Point, he was an accomplished thrower, earning All-Conference honors in the javelin in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. He was also a conference championships qualifier twice in the hammer throw and a three-time qualifier in the weight throw. In 2015, he earned the Most Outstanding Freshman Award and was also awarded Most Dedicated in 2018. In 2019, he served as team captain, as voted on by his teammates.