Daniel J. Krzyzanowicz, the reigning North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year, is set to enter his sixth year as Penn State Harrisburg's men's soccer head coach in 2021.

Among active NCAA Division III head coaches, Krzyzanowicz ranks 14th in career winning percentage (.721). That impressive number also ranks him 26th all-time in NCAA Division III winning percentage. His 247 career victories during his 17 years leading Penn State Harrisburg and Medaille currently ranks him 28th among active head coaches in Division III.

In total, Krzyzanowicz has 24 seasons of collegiate coaching experience under his belt, including 17 seasons as a men’s head coach, five seasons as a women’s head coach and one as a men’s assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level. He has also coached professionally with former United Soccer League (USL) Coach of the Year Bob Lilley as the top assistant on the Rochester Rhinos staff in 2014.

Under Krzyzanowicz’s leadership, Penn State Harrisburg turned in the most historic season in program history in 2019. It was a campaign that resulted in the program’s first-ever NEAC Championship and its first NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament berth. The Lions won 15 games, clinched the 2019 regular season conference title and secured home-field advantage for the final four of the NEAC Men’s Soccer Playoff Tournament. In the tournament championship game, the Blue & White defeated Keuka 3-2 in an overtime thriller before giving No. 4 Franklin & Marshall all it could handle in a 1-0 loss in the team’s first-ever NCAA Tournament action. Shammah Gahomera became the first player in program history to earn all-region recognition, as he was pegged a United Soccer Coaches (USC) Third-Team All-Region pick after being named the NEAC Defensive Player of the Year. For his efforts, Krzyzanowicz was voted the NEAC Coach of the Year by his peers, while Gahomera was joined by first-teamers Joey Aman and Nick Guglielmetti, second-teamers Jared Brewer and Luke Myers and third-teamers Jacob Krantweiss and Mason Jones as all-conference honorees. Gahomera (1T), Aman (2T) and Guglielmetti (2T) also earned ECAC All-Conference recognition, while Guglielmetti earned a share of the NCAA Statistical Championship for goalkeeper shutouts.

The 2018 season saw the Lions win 14 games, return to the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Tournament, qualify for the ECAC Division III Championship Tournament for the third year in a row and set a program record with a .727 win percentage. Under Krzyzanowicz’s tutelage, Aman and Ethan Hoover earned CAC All-Conference Second-Team honors for their efforts. After getting off to an 11-0 start, the Lions spent multiple weeks receiving votes in the D3soccer.com Top 25 Poll and earned an NCAA Division III regional ranking.

In 2017, Krzyzanowicz led the Blue & White to 11 victories and helped Chase Vilga and Victor Weaver to CAC All-Conference Second-Team accolades. The season culminated with an ECAC Division III Championship Tournament berth. In 2016, his first year as head coach at Penn State Harrisburg, Coach K earned the 200th victory of his career and led the Lions to a 10-win improvement from the year before in what proved to be a top-25 all-time turnaround from one year to the next. He guided the Blue & White to the the second CAC Playoff berth in program history and an appearance in the semifinal round of the ECAC Tournament. Under Krzyzanowicz’s tutelage, Weaver and Jonathan Majin were named to the CAC All-Conference Second Team.

Prior to taking the reins at Penn State Harrisburg, Coach K transformed Medaille into a perennial conference power and national contender in NCAA Division III. In 12 of his 13 seasons as head coach, he led Medaille to 12 conference championship games, nine regular season titles, six conference tournament championships and six NCAA Tournament appearances, including second-round appearances in 2009 and 2006, as well as a run to the sweet sixteen in 2010. Following the 2010 regular season, Krzyzanowicz led the Mavericks to a memorable run in the national tournament, beating No. 7 Rochester and No. 3 Swarthmore in penalty kicks to advance to the sweet sixteen before No. 1 Messiah, the eventual national champion, ended the magical run. During his final nine seasons at Medaille, his teams spent at least one week ranked in the national polls, including top-25 rankings in 2006 (No. 16), 2009 (No. 23) and 2010 (No. 16), while also receiving votes in both 2011 and 2012.

A number of Coach K’s former players have advanced to the professional ranks. In 2005, Medaille all-region honoree Andrew Larracuente was drafted by the Major Indoor Soccer League’s (MSIL) Milwaukee Wave. Adrian Butters, who played for Krzyzanowicz in 2007, went on to play professional soccer in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Australia, also earning a cap with the Guyanese national team. Following their illustrious playing careers, all-Americans Gary Boughton and Kendell McFayden were picked up by the USL’s FC New York and Austin Aztex. Boughton, who also had a short stint with Major League Soccer’s Sporting KC, continued his career on the indoor circuit and was one of the best midfielders in the Premier Arena Soccer League as a member of the Syracuse Silver Knights. Alexander Rouse became Medaille’s all-time leading goal scorer in 2011 before continuing his career in the UK.  After completing their collegiate careers in 2012, George Tor and Kevin Dhillon also went on to play professionally. Tor was originally signed by the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the MASL before continuing his career with the Rochester Rhinos. Dhillon played center back in the UK, where his father, Paul, played for West Ham of the English Premier League (EPL).

Five of his former players made a splash in Canada, as Craig Yanni, Ryan Mangano, Cory Cwiklinski, Josh Hall and Cory Phillips had stints as professionals in Canada’s CPSL. Former college teammates Jacob Conde and Alexander Cholewinski reunited when they inked professional contracts in Croatia. The most-recent former player of Coach K’s to ink a professional contract was Austin Tom, a 2014 all-American, who played for the Syracuse Silver Knights in the MASL.

In total, 15 of Krzyzanowicz’s former players have suited up in a professional uniform, either in the US, Canada or overseas following their collegiate careers. Coach K has also mentored 40-plus players on USL-Premier Development League squads. During his coaching career, he’s helped develop more than 100 all-conference players, 41 all-region honorees, 10 all-Americans, eight conference players of the year, and three conference newcomers/rookies of the year. He coached NCAA National Scoring Champions in Mangano in 2006 and Cory Cwiklinski in 2003 before Boughton set the NCAA All-Time Career Assist Record with 82 in 2009, shattering the previous mark of 62.

Between Medaille’s time in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) and NEAC, Krzyzanowicz was named the 2009, 2005 and 2002 conference coach of the year and was honored in 2009 by the Am Pol Eagle as their Citizen of the Year in the sports category. He also led Medaille’s women’s soccer program to the most wins of any head coach, as he spent five seasons at the helm. His coaching tree includes more than 40 former players who are currently coaching at the high school, club, academy and collegiate levels.

Coach K was also active as a member of the Buffalo, N.Y. community. In 2011, he led the NPSL squad, FC Buffalo, to a memorable upset victory over English Professional side Bedlington Terriers. The match against Bedlington had over 4,000 fans in attendance at well-known Robert E. Rich Stadium and was the largest attended outdoor men’s soccer game in the city in decades.

In addition to his coaching duties, Krzyzanowicz also serves as Penn State Harrisburg’s athletic facilities coordinator. He holds USC (formerly NSCAA) Premier, Advanced National and National Diplomas and earned his Master’s Degree in Curriculum Development from Medaille, a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical and Health Education from Defiance College and an associate’s degree in Physical Education from Herkimer County Community College. He was a two-year starter on the Defiance men’s soccer team and participated in both indoor and outdoor track & field.

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