The great indoor facilities are obviously a big draw to potential recruits. But there is so much more to entice the finest student-athletes to Happy Valley.
- The top Go-To school for employment recruiters in the nation.
- Unparalleled beauty and running trails for the distance guys.
- Hundreds of involved former athletes of the program giving back.
- A rich and remarkable heritage of NCAA Champions and Olympians.
- The largest and most active Alumni Organization in the World. And hopefully some day soon, the largest and most active TRACK Alumni Organization in the World.
- A coach with all the skills required to make great things happen for all six varsity sports, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Men's and Women's Outdoor Track.
Coach John Gondak rises through the ranks to lead Penn State track and field program
By Katy Galimberti
UNIVERSITY PARK — John Gondak’s civil engineering degree was never used for its intended purpose.Thanks to our snow-bound State College native, Bob Hudson for the heads-up on this one.
He’s not designing or constructing roads or other infrastructure. Instead, he’s building the track and field program at Penn Sate.
Named head coach of the program in September, Gondak was previously assistant head coach for two years and has eight years with the Nittany Lions.
He replaced Beth Alford-Sullivan, who left after 15 years to direct the University of Tennessee program.
After going through a grueling interview process, Gondak, 41, was selected for the job from among a number of qualified candidates, he said.
“I remember (athletic director) Sandy Barbour came down to the team here, and when she introduced me she said, ‘It was a long race, but at the end of the day coach Gondak won,’ and I was very happy to win that race,” he said.
In his first season as head coach, the men’s cross country team finished third in the Big Ten, its highest finish since 2000. The women’s team finished in seventh place.
Under his coaching, Matt Fisher and Jillian Hunsberger qualified for the NCAA championships, finishing 167st and 161st, respectively.
Gondak’s specialty in middle distance and cross country stems from his own competitive experience.
While running for Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown, his interest was sparked by the popular sprint events. But, ultimately, his body had a different idea of what he would run.
“I slowly learned that I wasn’t the fastest person on the team at CB West,” he said. “I tried the hurdles, and when I went under the hurdle the first time when I was trying it I realized the hurdle was not for me.”
His high school coaches directed his focus toward the 800 meters race, which he continued to do while running track for Syracuse University.
Gondak graduated from Syracuse in 1995 as a captain of the cross country team. In addition, his academic persistence led to his being named valedictorian of his civil engineering class.
Even while enjoying success in the classroom, Gondak had an inkling his future would be in track.
On a bus trip home from a meet, he approached Dick Coleman, then the head coach of the track and field program at Syracuse. He asked the coach how he could turn his passion for track and field into a professional career.
That led to a role as a volunteer coach at Georgia Tech while he completed a master’s degree in engineering.
Gondak then continued to build his resume with stops at Toledo and Kentucky before returning to Georgia Tech, his last job before coming back to his home state to coach in Happy Valley.
Through all of his success at other programs, Gondak admits that Penn State was always in the back of his mind.
“Every coach has that one university that they’re really passionate about,” he said. “Penn State was always that university for me.”
Gondak grew up about four hours from Penn State’s campus. His parents were 1968 graduates of Penn State. When a position was open, Gondak submitted his name.
Those connections are only strengthened by his own academic work ethic.
When on the recruiting trail, Gondak said, he looks for similar characteristics in potential Penn State athletes.
He’s not thinking just about the quality of the athletic performance but about how the student fits with Penn State’s ideals, he said.
“If they can have that great mix of being strong academically but also the championship-caliber athletics, those are the kids that rise to the top in terms of our recruiting,” he said.
Once they commit to Penn State and step into the Multi-Sport Facility and into the track and field family, Gondak said, he hopes they see him as not just passionate about the success of the team but as someone who cares about their individual needs.
Still, the tall, lean coach is ultimately driven by success, bringing his work ethic into team practices. With angled features, sharp eyes and a crisp tone of voice, he embodies the image of a no-nonsense coach.
“You try to teach them the essence of competition and trying to appreciate the struggle to become the best that they can be,” he said.
Although he is constantly focused on the success of the team, his at-home family pulls him back to reality.
With one daughter, Jessica, 12, and a son Jeffery, 10, Gondak sometimes is able to wind down when getting them ready for school and helping with their homework. Along with his longtime girlfriend, his children provide a different outlet for his mind to relax.
Still, track is in the Gondak blood.
Unlike his father, Jeffery takes on the hurdles with ease. Gondak said he expects to nudge him into participating in intramural track at his middle school this year in the hope that he will develop a similar passion for track and field.
Other than his family, the Phillies — at least when they’re winning — provide some seasonal relief for the coach’s churning mind. Still, he admits, you can’t flip the switch completely off.
As the indoor track and field season kicks off with the first home meet Jan. 10, Gondak’s focus will shift over the holiday season.
“When you’re good at what you do as a coach,” he said, “you’re constantly thinking about your program — what you can do to make your current athletes as successful as they can be.”
It's known far and wide as Track and FIELD.
ReplyDeleteKind of like Laundry AND Morale Officer. They go together. Like Gin and Tonic, Song and Dance, Kelly and Medium.
I hope your New Year's resolution is to instill some order into your daily life!!
LTM