In this episode, John talks about his career path that led him back to his alma mater and eventually its AD chair. He also talks about great leadership lessons and the challenges of running a Division 3 program.
John Sutyak ’00 was named Wheaton College’s director of athletics and recreation in April 2012 after serving as the department’s interim director of athletics since June 2011. He oversees a highly competitive department that includes 21 men’s and women’s varsity programs, 14 club sports programs, intramural sports, and general student, staff and faculty recreation. He is the second director of athletics during the college’s coeducational era, which began in 1988.
Hired in 2006 as the college’s assistant director of athletics, Sutyak also served as the associate director of athletics before assuming the interim athletic director post in 2011.
Sutyak worked in a dual role as Wheaton’s assistant sports information director and an area coordinator in the Residential Life Office during the 2002-03 academic year after earning his master’s degree from Springfield College in 2002. He served as an assistant baseball coach at Western New England University during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, where he played a part in the team’s first GNAC championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001. He also served in different capacities on Yale University’s athletics administrative team from 2003-06 as he assisted with varsity sports operations, athletic facilities supervision, and as game operations coordinator for multiple sports.
In addition, Sutyak has worked for the National Football League (NFL) serving as a member of its Player Participation Crew during New England Patriots home games since 2005.
A 2000 Wheaton graduate and former four-year baseball player with the Lyons, he was a member of Wheaton’s first varsity baseball team in 1997, the program’s first two NEWMAC championship teams in 1999 and 2000, and a part of its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. He also tied the NCAA record for home runs in one inning with two against the University of Southern Maine in 1998.
[Courtesy: Wheaton athletics]
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