Men's LacrosseCoach
Athletic Accomplishments:
John Sothoron has been described as the singularcontributor to the growth of lacrosse in St. Mary’sCounty.” As an all-American goalie at Towson University, heled his team to three conference titles and was an assistantlacrosse coach there for one year before returning to St.Mary’s County in 1974. Tom Rowe (1991 Hallof Famer) offered him the position as St. Mary’s men’slacrosse coach beginning in 1975. During his six years as headcoach, John developed the men’s lacrosse team into one thatwas ranked nationally (#8) and produced the school’sfirst all-American player and the first to play in the North-SouthAll-Star game.
Other highlights of his time at St. Mary’sinclude winning two consecutive Tri-State Conference Championshipsand being named the Conference’s Intercollegiate Coach of theYear in 1979; playing Duke University and North Carolina StateUniversity at St. Mary’s; and scrimmaging SyracuseUniversity. Under his leadership, the men’s lacrosse teamproved that “you don’t have to be ranked to begood.”
After coaching at St. Mary’s, he coached for ayear at the University of Pennsylvania and since 1989 has been thefirst and only men’s lacrosse coach at St. Mary’s RykenHigh School in Leonardtown, Maryland where he has continued toproduce all-American players and garner coaching awardsincluding National Interscholastic Lacrosse Association (NILA) Manof the Year for 1997 and Coach of the Year for 2000; three-timeWashington Catholic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year;five-time southern Maryland Coach of the Year; and WashingtonPost All-Met Coach of the Year for 2000. He also received, in2000, the Gerald J. Carroll Exemplary Coaches Award for Lacrosse,given annually to a high school coach “whose success is notmeasured in victories but in the support and guidance given to thebalanced growth and development of the young men who play thegame.” He also is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame atTowson University and the US Lacrosse - Potomac Chapter, the localgoverning body for lacrosse in the Northern Virginia, SouthernMaryland and Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan region.
Most Memorable Sports Experience at St.Mary’s:
“Beating #2 Salisbury in three overtimes afterbeing behind the whole game.”
Most Missed about Coaching at St.Mary’s:
“The players.”
Words of Advice for Today’s SeahawkAthlete:
“Outwork everyone, overachieve, and believethat you can accomplish anything.”
Since St. Mary’s:
“I have been coaching lacrosse at St. Mary’s RykenHigh School for the past 22 years. I have coached college and highschool lacrosse for 32 years.”
