John Sutyak is returning to his home state.
The 45-year-old Scarborough native was introduced as Husson University’s new director of athletics on Tuesday at the Hall of Fame Room in the Newman Gymnasium on the Husson campus in Bangor.
He is replacing Frank Pergolizzi, who retired in June after 10 years at Husson.
For the last three and a half years, Sutyak had been the director of athletics at Ferrum College, an NCAA Division III institution in Ferrum, Virginia. Husson is also a Division III school.
“Husson has been a school that has continued to grow,” said the former Wheaton College baseball player, assistant sports information director and athletic director.
“When I was a student-athlete at Scarborough High School in the mid to late ’90s, Husson wasn’t as big as it is now. It has become a large regional university and the athletic program has continued to be successful,” Sutyak said.
He was on the NCAA Division III softball committee and, for several years, Husson’s softball teams would earn berths to regionals but would never win a game there.
“Now they are winning games at the regionals, and that really shows the growth of the department. I credit [Pergolizzi] for a lot of that,” Sutyak said.
Sutyak is inheriting a Husson program that won 10 conference championships and sent four teams to NCAA postseason play. He wants the program to provide the student-athletes with a great experience and prepare them for the future.
“This is an opportunity for me to come home to a place that really cares about its athletic program and isn’t apologetic about being successful,” he added.
Sutyak wants all of Husson’s teams to compete at a high level and get its student-athletes meaningful competition, despite its limited options due to its geography.
Most of Husson’s sports compete in the North Atlantic Conference. Husson is in the Commonwealth Coast Conference in football.
“Sometimes, what you are doing is the best option for you. But some of our sports need more opportunities and we have to figure that out,” Sutyak said. “I’m looking forward to working on that.”
He said Husson’s continued investment in its infrastructure was one of the lures for him.
“As someone from outside, I’ve been able to watch that happen steadily over the last 10 to 15 years. The steady growth has been impressive,” he said.
Husson improved a number of locker rooms over the summer and by the end of the fall, it will have automatic motion cameras at Boucher Field, the Winkin Sports Complex and the Newman Gymnasium.
“We hope to continue to add more technological enhancements to our facilities, especially our streaming capabilities,” he said. “I know a lot of the parents of the student-athletes live far away and can’t be here all the time. And our alums are invested in wanting to watch.”
When he was at Ferrum, Sutyak oversaw the addition of men’s and women’s track and field, helped lead a renovation of the softball facility and was also involved in the establishment of an endowment to help support the football program.
At Wheaton, he was involved in the development and construction of the school’s first artificial turf field, the $3.8 million Diane Nordin Athletic Field.
He is open-minded when it comes to adding more varsity sports, but it has to be done the right way, he said.
“A lot of schools add sports to add bodies. If you don’t invest the right way, you won’t get the return on your investment. Nothing drives you nuts more than if you start something and don’t finish it or you aren’t competitive,” he said. “And it has to be financially feasible.”
Sutyak, who earned his undergraduate degree at Wheaton College and his masters at Springfield College, also feels strongly about establishing strong recreational programs so all the students can be active, not just the varsity athletes.
He thanked a number of people, including his parents, wife Carmen and influential people at his previous jobs, along with Husson President Dr. Robert Clark and the search committee at Husson University.
Clark said the things that stood out for him were Sutyak’s energy, experience and enthusiasm.
Husson football coach Nat Clark said Sutyak is a “personable guy who is able to connect with people right away. He did a good job at his two previous stops, and he knows the pulse of New England collegiate athletics. I’m excited to have him here.”
