Copley girls soccer coach Wally Senk named National High School Coach of the Year
Copley girls soccer coach Wally Senk has been named the 2022 National High School Coach of the Year for the Small Public High School Classification by United Soccer Coaches.
Senk earned the honor Friday after leading the Copley girls soccer team to victory in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II state championship match in November.
Copley finished the season with a record of 22-0-1.
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“I have been blessed to work with the families that I have worked with and to work with the team that I worked with this year,” Senk said. “Having those opportunities created the opportunity for individual awards.
“When we talk team, we always talk about how it is not about individual accolades. It is about what we can accomplish as a team, and obviously that worked for us this year. But if you perform as a team you are bound to receive those individual accolades because playing well as a team provides the platform for you to be the best individual.
“For me, this is surreal. This is an unbelievable accomplishment. I think this is something that every coach strives for, but you don’t necessarily look for. It is surreal to me and I am super proud. I am not big on recognition. Sometimes, I like to fly under the radar, but this is really something I am proud of.”
Senk was also selected as Coach of the Year by the Suburban League American Conference and the Greater Akron Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association, the Regional Coach of the Year by United Soccer Coaches and the Ohio Coach of the Year by the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association.
Senk is set to receive his National Coach of the Year award at the United Soccer Coaches annual awards banquet at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on Jan. 13.
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“Coach Senk is incredibly deserving of this recognition,” Copley-Fairlawn City Schools Athletic Director Andy Jalwan said. “His dedication and leadership are evident on and off the field, and drove the girls’ success throughout this entire record-making season.
"[Coach Senk] has built the foundation of an incredible program, and he and his student-athletes will serve as role models for years to come.”
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Senk has been Copley’s girls soccer coach since 2009 after serving as Cloverleaf’s boys soccer coach from 2003-2008. He has an overall career head coaching record of 200-119-58.
His tenure at Copley includes a 148-80-36 record, eight Suburban League titles, four district championships, two regional final appearances and one state championship. His Copley teams are 70-11-11 against SL foes.
Senk is a sixth-grade language arts teacher at Copley-Fairlawn Middle School and resides in Bath with his wife, Tara, and their daughter, Emerson.
Wally Senk’s path from soccer player to soccer coach
Senk grew up in Peninsula and Cuyahoga Falls. He was a student in the Hudson City Schools district as a child and then went to Walsh Jesuit High School. He graduated from WJ in 1995 and St. Bonaventure University in 2000, and earned a master’s degree from Waldon University.
Senk competed in soccer as a forward and midfielder at Walsh Jesuit, the University of Akron and St. Bonaventure University. He earned All-Ohio Division I honors twice at WJ and was a district champion as a senior, and then received All-Mid-American Conference first-team honors at UA and All-Atlantic 10 first-team and all-region accolades at St. Bonaventure.
Senk was coached by John Kissner at Walsh Jesuit, Ken Lolla at Akron and Bob Butehorn at St. Bonaventure.
Senk got into coaching as an assistant to Kissner with the Walsh Jesuit boys soccer team in 2000 and 2001. WJ finished as Division II state runner-up in each season.
Wally Senk gives a varsity letter to 25 players in 2022
Senk said he was pleased to present a varsity letter to 25 Copley players this season, including senior Emma Stransky, who was named Ms. Soccer by the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association and the Player of the Year in Division II and in the Suburban League American Conference.
Stransky, a Bowling Green State University recruit, led Copley with 44 goals and 20 assists in 2022. She scored four goals each in wins over Lexington and Bay Village Bay in the tournament, scored two goals against St. Mary's Memorial in a state semifinal and scored the lone goal in the state final win over Waynesville.
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Senk is bidding farewell to six seniors: starting forward Ashley Kerekes, starting midfielders Stransky and Allie Arnold, starting defenders Megan Brewer and Gabby Niemczura and senior reserve Zara Warford.
Six starters are set to return next season in current junior midfielders Kate Young and Emily Kerekes, sophomore midfielder Emma Niemczura, junior defenders Colleen Bauer and Sydney Leach and junior goalkeeper Kami Ayoup.
The other 13 letter winners slated to return are junior Alli Pittman, sophomores Hailey Himmelreich, Bella Montisano, Amelia Hrubik and Maddy Rainey and freshmen Sophie Arnold, Carina Frank, Maren Hider, Maddy Luecke, Zoey Van Voorhis, Alex Panzner, Rachel Dahlke and Baylee Strodtbeck.
“We lettered all 25 players in the program,” Senk said. “With the results we were getting everybody played enough halves to earn a letter. That is the first time in my career.”
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Copley girls soccer coach Wally Senk named national Coach of the Year
