CUC athletics saw major changes this summer, with new leaders in the positions of athletic director, head baseball coach, and head cross-country coach.
John Jaramillo took over from the previous athletic director, Janet Wolbert, who had served in that role since 2023. Jaramillo had most recently served as the director of intercollegiate athletics at Roosevelt University, where he helped them rebuild following the COVID-19 pandemic and their transition from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, which is a separate category of schools that are not a part of the NCAA, to Division-II.
Along with Jaramillo, CUC welcomes a new head coach of the baseball team in Matt Smith, and a new head coach of the cross-country program in Chris Dvorak.
“Our new coaches are very passionate, bring energy, and can balance being detail oriented and bring great leadership. Coach Smith brings a love for CUC and is extremely smart. While Dvorak loves his athletes, has been a part of Chapel, and is willing to embrace the challenges that come,” Jaramillo said.
Jaramillo is looking to change the athletic struggles in recent years in many sports.
“This is an awesome opportunity to impact students and staff,” said Jaramillo. “I want to set Concordia up to win in all things we do, not just the wins and losses.”
Jaramillo hopes to find a solution for the revolving door that is the coaching positions at CUC. Since COVID-19 in 2020, every men’s sport at CUC has gone through at least two coaches, with football, volleyball, and cross country each on their third coach. Women’s sports, however, have been a little more stable with women’s basketball, dance, and softball having the same coach since 2020.
“Ideally, you would want stability, but change is inevitable,” said Jaramillo. “We want to keep the excellent people and coaches, but those people are in high demand,”
Finding the right coach at the Division-III level can be the key to winning. Two of the more successful programs at CUC in the last decade have been softball and dance, both of which have had the same coach for 10 years. Across the NACC, two of programs who have won the most last few years have been Aurora University’s football program, as they have won 7 of the last 9 NACC titles, and Wisconsin Lutheran’s basketball program who have won 5 of the last 6 NACC titles. Both of these programs have had the same coach since before COVID-19.
Jaramillo has set clear standards for any potential future coach openings.
“I am looking for good, caring people, who are organized and able to connect with athletes and recruits,” said Jaramillo. “Athletes should also want to compete for the coach.”
Following their best season since 2019, baseball head coach Kolin Conner left this past summer to take the head coaching job at the Indiana University Kokomo. Conner had been the head coach of the program since the summer of 2019. In Conner’s time with the program, he led the Cougars to a 100-110 record and three NACC tournament appearances. CUC looked within the program for their new head coach and promoted previous pitching coach and assistant head coach Matt Smith to head coach. Dominant pitching played a massive role in the teams resurgence last season.
Smith, the new baseball head coach, is an alumni of CUC and played on the baseball team from 2004-2007. He is still top ten in CUC history in saves, appearances, saves in a season, and strikeouts per nine innings.
“I feel extremely blessed and lucky to be able to give back to students like this university gave back to me,” said Smith. “The goal is to be here 25-plus years and to be a staple for years to come for our athletes.”
Coming off their best season this decade last season, Smith has high expectations for this team. With a roster containing 22 juniors or seniors, the players on this team know what it takes to win and reach their goals. It will be important for them to teach and pass down the expectations to the freshman, and incoming transfers.
“I want them to operate as a unit and foster a player-led locker room and team, which will foster success,” said Smith.
Along with baseball, cross-country also had a change in leadership with new head coach Dvorak taking over for previous coach, Malachi Allgood, who had been there since 2022. Dvorak comes to CUC after previously coaching cross-country and teaching at Indian Creek High School in Illinois.
Dvorak has set out clear goals for both the men and women. He wants the team to build off the foundation the previous staff had built and hopes for the boys to finish in the top half of the conference and the girls to finish even higher than that.
“I want runners to know they will grow, can achieve stuff like All-Conference, and they will be built and supported in the program. I want our runners to get a lot of value out of their experience,” said Dvorak.
The men’s cross-country team has already competed in two meets so far, finishing 6th in both races as a team. In the first meet, freshman Dominic Carlson finished with the team best time, while in the second meet sophomore Nathaniel Boksa finished with the team best time. On the girls side, the team finished 4th in their one meet with freshman Rose Losey finishing with the team best time. The team will look to build off these early results as the season continues.
Jaramillo has set clear standards for any potential future coach openings.
“I am looking for good, caring people, who are organized and able to connect with athletes and recruits,” said Jaramillo. “Athletes should also want to compete for the coach.”
With these two new coaches, CUC hopes to have found their long-term leaders for these programs. Smith will now lead his alma mater as the new head coach and Dvorak will look to continue to build the cross-country program. Jaramillo will also look to lead CUC into a more successful on and off field era in athletics.
