Jay Sothoron
Head Coach

Jay Sothoron is a former Second Team All-American at Herkimer County Community College, located in upstate New York.

"We're very excited to have Jay join the university. With his knowledge and experience with lacrosse he'll bring a new era to the program," said Wheeling Jesuit athletic director, Danny Sancomb.

"This is a great opportunity. I'm excited about the future of Wheeling Jesuit University lacrosse. I feel that we have talent to be competitive on the national level," said Sothoron this past week. "Wheeling returns the majority of the 2008 squad and has a strong class coming in."

Sothoron also thanked interim Coach Chris Fox for taking over the Cardinal team during difficult times after the sudden death of Coach Kevin Tyska this past January.

"The university has a fantastic academic reputation, a very supportive administration, excellent facilities and a truly unique and beautiful campus. I'd like to thank everyone who was involved in my hire and I look forward to the 2008/09 season," Sothoron added.

Sothoron was both the team captain and named MVP during his last year at Herkimer Community College, when his team was ranked #1 in the country going 18-1 despite losing in the national championship game. Sothoron graduated from the two-year community college and went on to finish his playing career at Division III Greensboro College, Greensboro, N.C.

He was a starter his junior and senior year as a standout player. After graduation in 1999, Sothoron was hired as the first assistant and the defensive coordinator. He spent two seasons coaching at Greensboro until returning to his high school alma mater, St. Mary's Ryken High School in Leonardtown, Md.

Sothoron worked at St. Mary's as assistant athletic director and varsity assistant lacrosse coach for five years. In 2006 Sothoron was named U.S. Lacrosse National Assistant Coach of the Year for secondary schools. During the 2007 season Sothoron was promoted to associate head coach. St. Mary's Ryken (SMR) won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Championship with a record of 19-2. In 2007 SMR received its first national ranking and was ranked 13th in Maryland. During Sothoron's five years at the high school, SMR compiled a record of 71-22. Sothoron has coached at numerous lacrosse camps over the years. He is a camp commissioner at the University of North Carolina lacrosse camp and he is the director of the southern Maryland youth lacrosse camp.

He and his wife, Nikki, currently reside in Leonardtown, Md., but will be moving to Wheeling in August.

Wheeling Jesuit has fielded a lacrosse team since the fall of 1999, when the initial Cardinal team took shape under the guidance of Coach Bear Davis. Last season closed with a team record of 4-8, though it was an especially challenging year due to the untimely death of the Cardinal head coach.

The first game for Sothoron and his team will be in February 2009.

The youngest of 28 Jesuit colleges or universities in the United States, Wheeling Jesuit has 17 men's and women's athletic teams, most of which compete in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) and NCAA Division II.

The athletic teams have won more than 45 WVIAC titles, fielding 40 Academic All-Americans, and receiving 29 WVIAC Coach of the Year awards. More than 25 percent of the University's full-time day undergraduate students participate on an athletic team.