Purchase College Athletics

Solondz joined the Purchase staff in 2013 with more than 20 years of coaching experience, including stints in a variety of sports, from soccer to cycling to volleyball, where as the former NYU-POLY head coach, Solondz dominated the Skyline, leading the Jays to three league crowns and 96 wins over a six-year period. He spent one season at Poly as an assistant for the men's and women's programs before being named the women's head coach, a position he held for five years.
 
Under his tutelage, NYU-POLY would reach the championship weekend five times. His players were also decorated in the classroom and on the court. One player was named conference Scholar Athlete of the Year, 11 received All-Skyline distinction and three received Player of the Year and three took home Rookie of the Year honors during his tenure at NYU-POLY.
 
Solondz brings 29 years of coaching and playing experience to his position at Purchase, where he enters his second campaign at the helm. He plans on continuing to build and improve the program through better recruiting, an innovative coaching philosophy and the hiring of excellent support staff.

You can make a case last fall was the best season Purchase has seen in its history, as the Panthers won nine matches, including four in conference, advancing to the postseason, where they narrowly fell to third-seeded Farmingdale State in the tournament.

Under Solondz' guidance, Purchase tripled its win total from a year ago, going from three to nine wins.

"We had several goals for 2013," explained Solondz at season's end, bringing his championship pedigree to Purchase in 2013 after winning multiple conference titles.

"The first was to improve our record, which we did, but we fell short of our second goal of reaching .500," said Solondz, who won his 100th match in 2013, one of the many highlights for him and the program this fall.

"The third goal was to make the playoffs, which we did for the first time."

The second-year Panther skipper is looking forward to 2014, too. This fall, he and the squad turn their attention back to improving on that overall record and hopefully gaining ground in the conference standings with valuable playoff spots at stake.

Purchase will host the annual conference Fall Festival in November and could easily be playing for a championship on its home floor if all goes to plan.
 
Today, in addition to his coaching duties, Solondz is a proud father of three. He resides in Union, NJ, with his children, Zachary, 9, and twins Ava and Amelia, 7.