(Story Courtesy of Centenary College)
SHREVEPORT, La. – The Centenary Department of Athletics and Director of Athletics and Wellness Ronda Seagraves announces the hiring of Emmett Rutkowski as the head men’s soccer coach, effective April 1st.
"I am extremely excited and humbled to be named the next head men’s soccer coach at Centenary College of Louisiana. I want to thank Mrs. Seagraves for the opportunity to lead the men’s soccer program into a new era,” said Rutkowski. “The program has a rich history of success athletically and academically and I look forward to competing in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference."
Rutkowski joins the Centenary staff after serving as an assistant coach at Mercer University in the Atlantic Sun Conference since July 23, 2013.
"I am extremely pleased that Emmett Rutkowski will be taking over the reins of the men's soccer program. Through the search process he distinguished himself as a 'go getter' with a passion for recruiting, teaching and developing players,” stated Seagraves. “His background and experience are a great fit as Centenary completes the transition to NCAA Division III membership. Having played and coached at the DIII level as well as building a recruiting base at two strong private DI institutions Coach Rutkowski understands the type of student-athletes the Gents recruit. He is a great fit for our institution and the men's soccer program."
While at Mercer, Rutkowski helped lead the Bears to the A Sun semifinals and mentored preseason A Sun goalkeeper and defender of the Year, Greg Ranjitsingh and Ashani Samuels. The Bears also excelled in the classroom as 80 percent of the men’s soccer team received a 3.0 GPA or higher for the 2013 fall semester and the squad earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award.
Prior to his stint in Macon, Ga., Rutkowski served as the goalkeeper coach for the Dartmouth Big Green during the 2012 season. In his lone season at Dartmouth, he guided starting goalkeeper Noah Cohen to a 9-7 record, a 1.30 goals against average, two shutouts and a Team MVP honor.
Rutkowski spent two years as an assistant coach at Frostburg State in Maryland. During his time with the Bobcats, the team improved from 4-10-3 in his first season to 11-3-5 in the second year.
Rutkowski played his college soccer at the University of Mary Washington from 2006-2010, where he was a first-team All-Conference and All-Region goalkeeper as a senior. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UMW in 2010.
After playing semi-professionally in the Premier Developmental League (PDL) with the Fredericksburg Hotspurs, Rutkowski went back to school and earned his Masters of Education from Frostburg State in the spring of 2012. Rutwokski also holds a USSF National "B" Coaching License and an NSCAA Goalkeeping “Level II” diploma.
