Press Releases

December 5, 2002
Veteran Colonials Return as New Men's Volleyball Coaches

Lenihan and Wawrzyniak Join Forces to Reclaim Success on the Court

Contact:
Darren Johnson
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081

Former Colonial John Lenihan has been hired as Southampton College's newest men's volleyball head coach.

Wawrzyniak and Lenihan

"I hired John for a number of reasons," said athletic director Mary Topping. "Primarily, he is in touch with the Long Island volleyball community, which will be valuable to him in his recruiting; and he went to Southampton College himself, so he is aware of the needs of his players on a day to day basis." Lenihan, a 2001 graduate of the College, is a first-time coach, but already his players respect him and his talents. Senior co-captain Scott Schult, who also played with Lenihan for two seasons, said, "He brings a lot of intensity and heart to the game. I know that he always gave 110 percent as a player and the team has already seen that devotion translate into his coaching."

During Lenihan's playing career, he was the main setter for Southampton. He was known for his ability to spread the ball out along the net. On any given play, he could have all three hitters making runs. This allowed the Colonials to break down any blocking line of the opponents if they had the time to form one.

Lenihan picked 6-8 Peter Wawrzyniak as assistant coach, another former Colonial. Where Lenihan excelled in setting, Wawrzyniak was a strong middle blocker. In his junior year at Southampton, Wawrzyniak had 155 kills, 83 digs and 83 blocks. Lenihan feels that he chose the right person to be his assistant, because not only did the two of them play together for three years, Wawrzyniak also was the assistant coach for the Lady Colonials this past season. Schult added, "You'd think it might be weird to play for coaches you used to be teammates with, but it's not. I have a lot of respect for John and Pete; I did as a player."

Lenihan and Wawrzyniak have some fundamental goals for the team, but both men played under former coach Scott Gleason, who started the men's volleyball program at Southampton College, and are accustomed to success. The team is currently ranked in the Odneal Division, but Lenihan would like to elevate them back to the intermediate Hay Division, where they were last season, and eventually to the uppermost Tait Division. The past two seasons have been rough ones for the Colonials, each led by different head coaches. Last year's record was 5-14. However, in the 1990s, the men's volleyball team won five titles and Lenihan is, according to Topping "dedicated to rebuilding the program to where it used to and needs to be."