Brett Marhanka, Wheaton Sports Information
WHEATON, Ill. -- Wheaton College men’s soccer coach Dr. Michael Giuliano has announced that the 2014 season will be his last as head men’s soccer coach for the Thunder.
Giuliano will remain at Wheaton until December 31, 2014. Beginning in January of 2015 he will assume a teaching/coaching position at Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross, Ga.
Giuliano notes of his decision, “Leading the Men’s Soccer program at Wheaton has been one of the great privileges of my life. This is the finest college and one of the finest soccer programs in the nation. I thought I would be the coach at Wheaton for the next fifteen years, but God had other plans.” He continues, “My amazing wife Barbara has been following me around the country for over thirty years while I pursue my dreams, and now it’s time for me to honor her dreams. In Atlanta, she will be involved with a great organization that develops and implements strategic ways to stop the human trafficking crisis. And what’s equally exciting is that it appears I will be able to be involved with the same organization in one of their programs that aims to challenge men to take a more public and activist stand to end trafficking both locally and around the nation.” He concludes, “I love to teach, I love to mentor and disciple players and students, and I love to coach championships. I have had the opportunity to do that in my time at Wheaton. This exciting new challenge at Greater Atlanta Christian High School will allow me to continue to do all three day in and day out.”
Giuliano began his tenure at the helm of the Thunder men’s soccer program in 2007. He has compiled a 99-38-18 record in his seven seasons at Wheaton, with a 69.7-percent winning percentage. Giuliano has won the CCIW’s “Coach of the Year Award” three times in his tenure and mentored three CCIW Player of the Year winners, as well as three All-Americans.
Giuliano has led the Thunder men’s soccer program to four CCIW Championships in his tenure with league titles in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013. His Wheaton teams have won five CCIW Tournament Championships (2007-09 and 2012-13), with five NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament appearances, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament Sectional Final in 2012.
Coach Giuliano says of the upcoming 2014 season for the Thunder, “I am so thankful that I get one more season to enjoy these young men. I told them that if this is my final year of college coaching after 28 years, then I want us to go out on top. And I told them that we all need to do everything in our power to make that happen. I think these men are about to write a great final chapter to my time at Wheaton.”
Wheaton Athletic Director Julie Davis mentions, “Though Wheaton and the men’s soccer program will miss coach Giuliano, I am confident he will be a blessing to Greater Atlanta Christian and will continue to build into the lives of his students.” She concludes, “I am very excited for the Giuliano family as they write this new chapter of their lives.” Davis notes that that a national search to replace Giuliano will begin this summer.
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services eight member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). During the 2012-13 academic year, the CCIW honored over 1,400 academic all-conference recipients, 15 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-Americans, 30 CoSIDA Academic All-District recipients, 68 all-Americans and one national championship team.