Geoff Wheeler Nails “The College Talk”
Geoff Wheeler — the longtime Wesleyan University men’s soccer coach, with strong ties to Staples and Westport — educated and entertained a large crowd of nearly 100 tonight.
His subject was important: “The College Process.” With insight, wit and plenty of strong examples, Wheeler discussed the differences between Divisions I, II and III; the myths and realities of scholarships; the ins and outs of ID camps; how to write a compelling email and make a quick video, and the importance of personal contacts. His bottom line: know yourself; figure out what you want out of college; be realistic; be honest — and work hard.
Wheeler is no stranger to Staples. He played at 2-time Ivy champ Dartmouth with Jono Sollinger ’86 and Chris Mitchell ’91. At Wesleyan he coached Eric Steffen ’96, Bobby Guadagno ’99 and Dylan Hoy ’13. He’s worked closely with former Brown University coach Mike Noonan ’79 (now at Clemson University), and current Connecticut College coach Ken Murphy ’76.
Wheeler — who has also been an assistant coach at NCAA national runnerup Stanford University, and played professionally in Zimbabwe — was a teammate of Staples assistant coach Kurt Dasbach on the Westport Over-30 team, from 2001 to 2006.
“It was a great evening,” said Staples head coach Dan Woog, who welcomed players and parents from Fairfield Ludlowe, Fairfield Warde and New Canaan Highs to the event too. “Geoff covered a lot of territory. He opened a lot of eyes. I already got a text from one of our guys who said, ‘I know a lot more now, and I feel a lot more confident.’ We look forward to keeping our college connections going strongly — and to keep that Wesleyan pipeline alive and well!”
Geoff Wheeler makes a point. Staples players (from left) Griff O’Neill, Brendan Mahoney, Danny Jersey and Sam Kantor listen intently.
Kason Kreis (foreground) and others in the large crowd at Staples’ “College Night.”
