Past Jacksonville MVP, Coach Tomko Guides rowing/Aquatics; Barat Career Assist Leader, Former coach Goodman Joins Crusaders
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) --Three-year Jacksonville University rowing Most Valuable Performer and former coach Brian Tomko has assumed the position of head rowing coach and director of aquatics at Susquehanna University. Both the Susquehanna men’s and women’s rowing teams are club-level programs.
He succeeds Ted Swinford, who was Tomko’s head coach at Jacksonville. Swinford was head rowing coach and director of aquatics at Susquehanna for the past two years and is now a coach for the Sarasota (Fla.) Scullers regional high school rowing program.
In another coaching announcement, Barat (Ill.) College career assist leader and former men’s basketball assistant coach Bryan Goodman of Chicago, Ill., is now an assistant men’s basketball coach at Susquehanna.
Goodman succeeds Doug Wingard, who served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Susquehanna the past two seasons. Wingard is now an assistant coach at Lock Haven University.
BRIAN TOMKO
Tomko was the Most Valuable Performer on the Jacksonville rowing team for three seasons between 1992 and ’94, serving as captain in each of his last two seasons. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry in 1994, and remained at the university as an assistant coach during the fall of 1994.
During the 1996-97 academic year, he enrolled in the master’s program for secondary science at Beaver College. While in Philadelphia, he also trained for international competition.
Following his collegiate career, he secured a position as a chemistry instructor and rowing coach at The Bolles School in Jacksonville from 1994 to ’96. During that time, he helped to start the Bolles School Crew program. Tomko went on to guide all of his boats to the finals at the state championships in the spring of 1995, with two of them finishing second. He also coached two boats to the finals at the Scholastic Nationals.
Tomko went on to Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville as a science instructor for the 1997-98 academic year. While there, he also became rowing coach at Stanton Prep. Under Tomko, the Stanton program won the team trophy at the Southern Indoor Sprints and had six of eight boats make the finals of the state championships in 1998. Three of his boats went on to earn medals at states during that competition.
His aquatics experience includes being a lifeguard and swimming instructor at McKeesport Area High School between 1988-89. In that capacity, he was a Red Cross certified lifeguard and also conducted swimming lessons for children ages 5-8 and 9-12.
“Brian brings to us experience as both a rower and coach and seems to have the enthusiasm to continue moving our club programs forward,” said Susquehanna Director of Athletics Don Harnum.“He also has the experience to improve upon our aquatics activities.”
“We hope to build on some of the success that Ted (Swinford) had with the program,” said Tomko. “We’ve got a good bunch of kids, although most of them are freshmen and non-experienced rowers. I think the women have the potential to be very strong, and while the men don’t have the numbrs, they have the talent to be strong down the road.”
He and his wife, Jill, reside in Selinsgrove with their children Jake (5) and Wyatt (10 mo.).
BRYAN GOODMAN
Goodman was a varsity point guard between 1992 and ’96 at NAIA Barat College in Lake Forest, Ill., eventually becoming the school’s career assist leader with 245. He was elected a captain by his teammates and the coaching staff as both a junior and a senior, earning the team’s Most Valuable Player Award as a senior in 1995-96. He was an NAIA Academic All-American Scholar-Athlete in 1995-96.
As a senior, Goodman was also the school’s assistant director of intramural athletics. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in interdisciplinary social science from Barat in May of 1996. He is presently a candidate for a master’s in history degree from DePaul University.
Upon graduation, he stayed on at Barat as an assistant men’s basketball coach for the next two seasons (1996-98). He also served as the school’s director of the Fitness Center during that time. During that time, he also served as a basketball clinic instructor at Bucknell University in the summer of 1997, and the head clinician for boarding camps at Oklahoma Christian University — teaching basketball fundamentals to boys and girls ages eight through 18 — the summer before.
Goodman also gained some coaching experience as the head coach of a Choctaw High School Summer League team in Oklahoma City, Okla. in both 1993 and ’94.
“We are fortunate to have a person like Bryan’s caliber join our staff. He brings with him valuable college playing and coaching experience,” said 10th-year Susquehanna men’s basketball head coach Frank Marcinek.“He will be a real positive addition to our coaching staff.”
Goodman resides in Lewisburg.
The Crusader men’s basketball team returns 14 letterwinners and all five starters from a team which posted the program’s seventh-straight winning season at 15-10 last year. The 1998-99 squad opened practice last Saturday and will begin the new season by hosting SUNY-New Platz in the 8 p.m. game of the opening night of Susquehanna Kiwanis K.I.D.D.’s Tournaments on Friday, November 20. Marietta College and the College of Staten Island will play in the 6 p.m. game that night, with the consolation and championship games slated for 6 and 8 p.m. respectively the following night.
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