2012 Coaching Staff

     Geoff Wheeler joined the Wesleyan staff in 1999 and moves into his 14th season at the helm in 2012. His teams have developed into a conference, regional and national power, culminating in 2009 with an undefeated regular-season mark (10-0-4) and a third NCAA tournament bid in a five-year period.  In 2011, the Cardinals nearly equaled that effort, going 10-0-3 over the first 13 contests before finishing up 11-3-3 with a fourth ever NCAA playoff spot.  His teams made two consecutive appearances in the NESCAC tournament semi-finals in 2003 and 2004, then won the NESCAC title in 2005, leading to two straight NCAA tournament bids in 2005 and 2006. His 2007 troops set school marks for consecutive victories (10) and consecutive shutouts (5) while the 2009 squad established the school record for longest unbeaten streak (15 games) and most shutouts in a season (12).  The 2010 Cardinals returned to the NESCAC semi-finals after upsetting Williams in the first round.
     Before arriving in Middletown, Geoff, who holds the rank of adjunct professor of physical education, spent two years as a Stanford University assistant coach in 1997 and 1998. He also enjoyed coaching stints at his alma mater, Dartmouth, as well as Middlesex School in Concord, Mass.
       A 1993 graduate of Dartmouth, Geoff was a four-year letterwinner in soccer, helping the squad qualify for the NCAA tournament twice as well as capture two Ivy League titles.  A team captain in 1992, he earned all-Ivy honors and led the team to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.  Geoff continued his playing career in Zimbabwe before returning to the states to play for the Cape Cod Crusaders of the USISL.  After he returned East from Stanford, he had times suiting up for both the Connecticut Wolves and the Boston Bulldogs of the A-League.
     Geoff currently holds his USSF A license, received an advanced national diploma from the NSCAA in 1998 and attended an NSCAA refresher course in 2006.  He also is the director of the East Coast Soccer Academy, an overnight summer camp at Wesleyan aimed to attract top student-athletes interested in playing at NESCAC or Ivy League colleges.   Geoff added regional U-17 ODP coaching to his repertoire in the summer of 2009.  In addition to his soccer coaching duties, Geoff was an assistant men's squash coach at Wesleyan from 1999 through 2010, including one season as interim head coach, and earned a master's degree in liberal studies at Wesleyan in 2007.

Rob Stone - Assistant Coach

      Joining the Wesleyan staff in 2004, Rob Stone, now in his ninth season, brings a wealth of coaching experience to the Cardinals.  His 20 years at the Nichols School in Buffalo, N.Y., combined with a short stint at St. Lawrence University, make him an invaluable asset to the program.  Rob played at St. Lawrence from 1972 to 1975, captaining the team in his senior year.  In addition to earning his undergraduate degree from St. Lawrence, Rob also received an M.Ed. there in 1978.  He then followed his passion for teaching and coaching by grooming high-school students for the college rigors in the classroom and on the field before joining the Wesleyan staff.  He helped mold former two-year captain Padraig Hughes '03, a Nichols School graduate, into an all-NESCAC student-athlete. 
      Rob holds an advanced national diploma from the NSCAA and a C License from the USSF.  He started a youth soccer program in Lake George, N.Y., and has been involved with the Empire State games.  In addition to his soccer duties at Wesleyan in the fall, Rob has assisted with the women's lacrosse squad during the spring the last six years and also assisted with Wesleyan's women's ice hockey team during the 2008-09 campaign.

Joe Buckley - Assistant Coach

     Distinguishing himself as a first-team all-NESCAC, first-team all-New England and all-ECAC soccer standout at in-state rival Trinity College before graduating in 2012 with a degree in economics, Joe Buckley comes aboard the Cardinal coaching staff for the first time this fall.  He also was a two-year soccer team captain for the Bantams.
     Joe gained his first coaching experience during the summer of 2012, assisting at the East Coast Soccer Academy at Wesleyan.
     Also a tremendous student at Trinity, Joe was named an National Soccer Coaches Association of America scholar All-American and was twice named academic all-NESCAC.  Joe was a student worker in the registrar's office at Trinity throughout his undergraduate career and also served as a teaching assistant in an upper-level economics class.  For three summers during his college years, Joe was a data analyst for Metso Automation in Shrewsbury, Mass.

Mark Woodworth - Assistant Coach - Sub-Varsity Head Coach