Coach Robert Shankman, in his 19th year at Rhodes, is one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Under his leadership, the Rhodes Cross Country and Track & Field teams have won a combined 24 Conference Championships since 1990. This includes a winning streak of 10 consecutive men's cross country titles, 6 women's cross country titles, 4 men's track titles, and 4 women's track championships.

In track & field, Shankman has coached 37 national qualifiers and 10 NCAA All-Americans. During the '08 Outdoor season, Sophomore Kristin Forbes lead the Lynx to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title by establishing new school records in the 200 (24.61) and the 400 (55.91). In addition, Forbes earned All-American status by finishing 7th in the 400 at the National Championship Meet. Other notable athletes coached by Shankman include middle distance standouts Amy Paine and Marie Brandewiede. With 5 All-American titles between them, both runners advanced to the national championship 1500 meter finals in '02 and '03. Paine finished 2nd in the 1500 at the '03 national championships. Her time of 4:26.55 ranks as the 4th fastest 1500 in NCAA Division III history. Brandewiede, a three time All-American, ran 4:29.65 during the '04 season, which also ranks her among the fastest 1500 meter runners in Division III history.

In Cross Country, Shankman has coached 14 individual national qualifiers since 1995, while his teams have qualified 3 times for the national meet. Last year's '07 men's team captured the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship title, and qualifying for the national championships for the 2nd consecutive year. In '06, the men finished 2nd at the Regional Championships. Over the last 16 seasons, the men's program has recorded 14 top-five regional finishes, including finishes in the top two spots in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The women's program has maintained an equally strong presence in the region. In addition to qualifying for Nationals as team in 2002, the women's program has posted 13 top-five region finishes over the last 14 seasons.

In addition, Shankman has received considerable recognition among his colleagues. He has been voted SCAC Coach-of-the-Year by his peers 16 times in cross country and 8 times in track. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has also honored Shankman with the Regional Coach of the Year awards in '02 for women's cross country, in '03 Women's Outdoor Track, and in '07 for Men's Cross Country. He currently serves as the U.S. Track Coaches Association as the regional representative for cross country.

Coach Shankman is a graduate of Rhodes College (formerly Southwestern at Memphis), where he competed in the 400 hurdles from 1977-80. He received his Masters of Education degree from the University of Memphis in 1993. Shankman is a member of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. He has also served as the NCAA S/SE Regional Meet Director and has achieved USAT&F Level II certification status.