Hall of Fame
Wingert was a staple in Wilkes athletics for over four decades serving as a coach and athletic administrator.
Wingert joined Wilkes in 1982 as men's soccer head coach, serving on the Colonels sidelines for 35 years before transitioning to his athletic administration role in 2017. He also coached the Colonels men's tennis team for four seasons (1987-90) and the women's squad for two seasons in 1985 and 1986. In 2017, Wingert announced his retirement from coaching and continued serving as Associate Athletic Director where he helped manage the 60-plus Wilkes athletic staff and served as the main contact for athletic scheduling and compliance for all 23 teams.
In his three-plus decades of coaching at Wilkes, Wingert left a lasting legacy on the men's soccer program having coached in more than 600 games reaching the 300-win plateau during the 2015 season. His teams registered double-figure victories 15 times while reaching the postseason 14 times in 26 seasons in an always-competitive Middle Atlantic Conference.
Under Wingert's guidance, the Colonels won the ECAC Southern Division championship in 1990, the MAC Northeast Division title in 1992 and a share of the MAC Freedom League title in 1997. His 1991 squad set a school record with 16 wins a year after winning 15 games, which was part of a four-year stretch with an incredible 53 wins.
Along with team success, Wingert's players were awarded both on the field and in the classroom during their time in the Navy and Gold. He coached 90 MAC/MAC Freedom performers, eight NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region All-Stars, 26 Mid-Atlantic/East Region Adidas Scholar-Athletes, and two Adidas Scholar-Athlete All-Americans during his time on the sidelines. His teams were also awarded the NSCAA Academic Team Award a record 10 straight times from 2006-2016 for obtaining a 3.0 or higher grade point average including a program-high team GPA of 3.41 in 2016.
Wingert was honored in 2008 with the Ancestral Colonel Award and a year later he received a Colonels Blazer, which honors faculty, administrators, alumni and distinguished members of the community who have made significant contributions to the progress of Wilkes.
He also served on numerous committees on campus including the Wilkes Athletics Hall of Fame, Ralston Memorial Golf Tournament and John Chwalek Open as well as being instrumental in the Bruggeworth Field project.
Wingert retired from the University in Summer 2022.
