SUNY - Old Westbury Men's Soccer

SUNY Old Westbury director of athletics Lenore J. Walsh announced March 29, 2019 the hiring of John DiRico as head men’s soccer coach.  DiRico spent 24 seasons (1992-2015) at NCAA Division II Dowling College, where he transformed the program into an elite national title contender. “I am honored to have been selected to lead the SUNY Old Westbury men’s soccer program,” said DiRico.  “I want to thank director of athletics Lenore J. Walsh and the administration for this privilege and I look forward to continuing to build on the program’s success both on and off the field.” In addition to his coaching responsibilities, DiRico will assist assistant director of athletic facilities/senior woman administrator Brittany Villalta with the game day preparation and management of outdoor intercollegiate contests as the outdoor athletics facilities assistant. Compiling a record of 286-124-52 at Dowling, DiRico guided the Lions to 22-0-2 mark during a historic 2006 season saw the program win the NCAA Division II National Championship.  DiRico guided Dowling to 13 trips to the NCAA Championship Tournament, including six appearances in the NCAA semifinals from 2001-10. During his tenure in Oakdale, New York, Dowling captured 14 East Coast Conference (ECC)/New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) regular season championships and six post-season titles. The three-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Northeast Regional Coach of the Year was named the 2006 NSCAA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year.  DiRico was voted as nine times as the ECC/NYCAC Coach of the Year and earned the BigAppleSoccer.com College Coach of the Year on two occasions and it's Person of the Year selection in 2006.  A lifelong contributor to Long Island soccer, DiRico was awarded the prestigious Adelphi University Woodruff Award in 2007. After Dowling closed in 2016, DiRico would assume the head coaching position at Five Towns College and Concordia College.  Prior to taking over at Dowling, DiRico served as an assistant varsity boys' coach at St. John the Baptist High School as well as the head men's coach at SUNY Old Westbury.  He has also served on the coaching staff of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Boys Select Program as well as with the Eastern New York Boys Olympic Development Program. DiRico, a member of U.S. Soccer and the United Soccer Coaches, holds a U.S. Soccer National B Coaching License and is a former member of the NCAA Division II Regional and National rankings and selection committees. DiRico and his wife, Lorraine, are the proud parents of three children: Elizabeth, Jennifer, and John, and the proud grandparents of Kolton, Kennedy, Delia, and Paisley.

Jeff Littwin joins the Panthers as head coach after spending two seasons leading the women’s program at Five Towns College. While at Five Towns, Littwin worked to build a positive and competitive environment where players could grow and succeed. His teams earned recognition for both their effort on the field and their character off it, with several players going on to receive USCAA All-American honors. In his first season, his staff was named HVIAC Coaching Staff of the Year, a reflection of the team’s commitment and progress. Before coaching at the college level, Littwin spent fourteen seasons as the Varsity Head Coach at Roosevelt High School. There, he had the chance to work with dedicated student-athletes, helping several reach All-County and All-Conference honors and one who would go on to become a Collegiate All-American. His high school teams were also recognized multiple times as New York State All-Academic Teams, highlighting their efforts in the classroom. Littwin focuses on helping student-athletes reach their potential and enjoy the experience of being part of a team. He believes that growth happens through consistent effort, strong relationships, and shared goals. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary English Education and a master’s degree in Creative Writing from Queens College, along with a professional diploma in Educational Administration from LIU Post. Littwin is entering his 24th year of teaching at Roosevelt High School and his 27th year in education.

Frank Palumbo currently serves as the SUNY Old Westbury men’s soccer assistant coach.    Palumbo comes to Old Westbury after serving as the Brentwood Youth Soccer Club head coach. There, he helped to develop players and prepare them to compete at a high level of play and advance in their development on and off the field. In addition, Palumbo was involved in both the Travel EDP and NPL programs.    From 2010-2014, Palumbo served as the head coach for HBC Travel Soccer. There, Palumbo was able to develop a year round program focused on player’s fitness developments and technical skills.    In addition, Palumbo also has experience coaching at Dix Hills Soccer and NYIT’s men’s soccer program, where he served as a team manager and graduate assistant coach. Palumbo currently holds several coaching licenses.    In 2016, Palumbo was inducted into the NYIT Hall of Fame for Soccer.    A Long Island native, Palumbo is a Division President of Wealth Management and Insurance Services. He attended the New York Institute of Technology and graduated with a degree in business administration and marketing.