The Distinguished Alumni Series is part of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference's 25th anniversary, where the conference will be recognizing former AMCC student-athletes who have excelled in their area of study. The Distinguished Alumni Series will run every Thursday throughout the academic year.
Tim Wassell made significant impacts on Penn State Altoona’s soccer programs as both a player and a coach.
As a goalkeeper for Penn State Altoona’s men’s soccer team from 2004-05, Wassell was a two-time All-AMCC first-team selection while also earning NSCAA Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors in each of his seasons. In the Lions’ all-time records, Wassell ranks first in program history in goals-against average (0.73) and shutouts (19), second in saves (135), third in save percentage (.813), and fourth in saves per game (3.14). He also holds the team’s single-season record for shutouts with 10 during the 2004 season, and he is tied for the program’s single-season record for the most games played with 22 in 2004. Wassell capped his collegiate playing career by being chosen as Penn State Altoona’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2005.
Photos of Tim Wassell from his time as a goalkeeper on Penn State Altoona's soccer team in 2004-05 (left) and now as a member of the coaching staff for Penn State's women's soccer program.
After graduating from Penn State Altoona with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, Wassell served as the goalkeeping coach for the campus’ men’s and women’s soccer teams in 2006, then took over as head coach of the women’s soccer program from 2007-09, during which the team compiled a 48-11-5 overall record. In 2008, Wassell and the Lions went 17-0-2 during the regular season and conference tournament, won their first-ever AMCC championship, and made their first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance, during which the team took its first and only loss of the season by a 1-0 decision to Otterbein. During Wassell’s tenure as the women’s soccer team’s head coach, he was twice named the AMCC Coach of the Year (2007 and 2008) while also being named the NSCAA Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year in 2008. His teams recorded 39 shutouts during his time at the helm of the program, and he coached 18 All-AMCC honorees and three NSCAA Great Lakes All-Region selections.
Today, Wassell is in his 12th year as a member of the coaching staff for Penn State University’s Division I women’s soccer program. He was promoted to the role of associate head coach in July 2021 and has contributed to the team’s success as its recruiting coordinator while directing the team’s goalkeepers and defensive unit. Wassell’s recruiting efforts helped Penn State land four top-4 classes since 2014, as ranked by Top Drawer Soccer, including the No. 1 recruiting class in 2019. He was an assistant coach with the 2015 Nittany Lions squad that won the program’s first NCAA national championship.
Wassell was also recently recognized by his alma mater for his soccer playing and coaching prowess, when he was inducted into the Penn State Altoona Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the inaugural class in October 2021.
