University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics

                John Sumoski remains one of the most highly decorated Pitt-Johnstown men’s soccer players in the program’s history.  Mr. Sumoski, a native of Readington, N.J. and a graduate of Hunterdon Central High School, ended his Mountain Cat career in 1990 as a two-time Mid-Atlantic All-Region selection and a three-time First-Team All-Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Soccer Association (WPCSA) choice.
                Mr. Sumoski came to Pitt-Johnstown in 1987 and scored three goals and had one assist on his way to earning the team’s Mr. Hustle Award for coaches Mike Smith and Dr. Todd Olsen.  As a sophomore, he added three more goals and three more assists and earned First-Team All-WPCSA and was selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player.
                However, it was the following two seasons that Mr. Sumoski made his mark on Pitt-Johnstown soccer.  In 1989, he more than doubled his previous two years’ scoring output by netting 13 goals and collecting three assists.  Mr. Sumoski was named to the Mid-Atlantic All-Region Second Team and to the WPCSA First Team.
                Mr. Sumoski, whose 37 career goals still ranks second in Pitt-Johnstown history, then capped off his career with a school-record 18 goals and seven assists to garner First-Team Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors and first-team all-conference honors for the third consecutive year.  His 18 goals also ranked in the Top-10 in NCAA Division II in the final national statistics.
                After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Computer Science in 1991, Mr. Sumoski chose a career path outside of his field of study.  He opted to coach, where he started at Pittsburgh’s Baldwin High School as the head girls’ soccer coach from 1993-1996.  He also guided the Penns Forrest Futbol Club to 10 boys and girls state championships between 1993 and 2000.
                In 1995, Mr. Sumoski took his talents to the college level as an assistant coach and interim head coach at Carnegie Mellon University from 1995-1998.  From there, he was named head women’s soccer coach at Carlow University for three seasons, then moved to Central Michigan University as an assistant coach while he worked on his Master’s Degree in Athletic Administration/Coaching.
                From there, Mr. Sumoski found a home as the head women’s soccer coach at Wilkes University.  From 2002 through the present, Mr. Sumoski has guided Wilkes to 13 Freedom Conference Tournament appearances and three appearances in the finals, including a conference championship in 2005.  He also guided three teams to the ECAC South-Atlantic Region Tournament.
                Mr. Sumoski, the Freedom Conference Coach of the Year in 2002, 2004, and 2012, has coached 12 All-Mid-Atlantic Region players, 65 all-conference players, including Lyndsey Ellis, the 2010 Freedom Conference Player of the Year.  He also coached four Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year players (Christina Waldele-2003, Kammie Roth and Catherine Simone-2004, Samantha Hockley-2013). 
                His teams also get the job done in the classroom.  Mr. Sumoski has coached four Academic All-Americans and 63 Freedom Conference Academic Honor Roll athletes.
                In addition to coaching, Mr. Sumoski serves as the athletic department’s Advisor for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), where he directs and guides student-athletes in community service projects and acts as a liaison between the student-athletes and the athletic department.
                Mr. Sumoski has earned several certifications and licenses, including his USSF ‘A’ License, National Youth License and his NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.
                Mr. Sumoski resides in Shavertown, Pa.
                “My time at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown was filled with many great memories both on and off the field through great friendships and mentoring from coaches and professors to teammates,” Mr. Sumoski said.  My coaches, Mike Smith, and later Dr. Todd Olsen gave me such a wonderful opportunity and taught me so much about the game and life.  I couldn’t say more about my teammates, they gave me the encouragement and belief to be the best I could be.  This is very humbling, and so much credit goes to my family, teammates and coaches.”