Thiel College Men's Volleyball

HENRY GORTON at a Glance Position Head Men's Volleyball Coach At Thiel Second Season (2027) Coaching Experience Seventh Season Alma Mater SUNY Brockport Career Record Year Overall PAC Home Away Neutral 2026 23-9 11-1 11-2 8-2 4-5 Career 23-9 11-1 11-2 8-2 4-5 Career HIGHLIGHTS - COACH Led Thiel to a PAC championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season as head coach Guided the Tomcats to a program-record 23 victories in 2026 Coached the first AVCA All-American in program history Coached AVCA All-Americans in each of his collegiate coaching seasons Mentored the PAC Player of the Year Member of the 2024 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year at St. John Fisher Served as head coach of the Ohio Valley Region U19 All-Star Team in 2026 All-Star team reached national gold bracket and finished third to become first OVR team to nationally medal since 2019 Career HIGHLIGHTS - PLAYER Played in the semi-pro Volleyball League of America (VLA) for multiple seasons on the Niagara Frontiersmen Helped guide the team to the VLA Finals Cup in 2023 At Thiel Henry Gorton enters his second season as head men's volleyball coach at Thiel in 2027. 2026 Led Thiel to its second-straight PAC championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2026, becoming the first program in school history to make consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances Guided the Cats to a program-record 23 victories in 2026 Mentored Kaleb Proudfoot, the first AVCA All-American in program history Guided Ezra Oesterling and Proudfoot to AVCA All-Region II accolades and Proudfoot to PAC Player of the Year status Thiel achieved its first national ranking since 2014 on Feb. 3 at No. 20 The Tomcats climbed as high as No. 17 on Feb. 10, the second-highest ranking in team history Thiel won a program-record three matches over ranked opponents  Before Thiel St. John Fisher (2023-25) Gorton spent three seasons as an assistant coach at DIII power St. John Fisher.  Member of the 2024 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year 73-23 record while on the staff 17 victories over nationally ranked opponents The Cardinals qualified for the 2023 NCAA Tournament with a 24-8 record Spencerport HS (2020-25) Gorton spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Spencerport HS in New York. Under his leadership, the Rangers captured five consecutive sectional titles and secured podium finishes at the New York State Championships, placing second in 2021 and 2022, and third in 2023. Coaching Experience Years School Position 2026-Present Thiel Head Coach 2023-25 St. John Fisher Assistant Coach 2020-25 Spencerport HS Assistant Coach Education SUNY Brockport Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration

Roche is in his third season as head coach of the Thiel College mens volleyball team. In his first season as head coach, he led the Tomcats to their fourth consecutive apperance in the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) Postseason Tournament and 11 wins in the regular season.   A native of Cochranton, Pa., Roche played Division I volleyball at Saint Francis University, competing against teams such as Penn State, George Mason, Harvard and Princeton in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA).   A 6-foot-6-inch middle blocker, Roche served as the captain for the Saint Francis Red Flash his senior season in 2012-13.   Roche was a blocking machine throughout his career with the Red Flash. As a senior in 2013, he finished third in Division I with 127 blocks, which also placed him fifth on the programs single-season list.   As a junior, Roche finished third in Division I with 146 blocks, which also placed him third on the programs single-season list. Roche was an All-EIVA second team selection as a junior, a season in which he collected two EIVA Defensive Player of the Week honors.   Roche earned his bachelors degree in accounting from Saint Francis. Since graduation, he played in the professional Premier Volleyball League (PVL) with the Keystone Penn Blast team. He also served as the head coach for an 18s Tool City Club volleyball team.   Roche worked multiple volleyball camps while he was a student-athlete at Saint Francis. He also volunteered with the Cochranton boys volleyball program.    

DAVID GONZALEZ '25 at a Glance Position Men's Volleyball Assistant Coach At Thiel Second Season (2027) Coaching Experience Second Season Alma Mater Thiel Career HIGHLIGHTS - COACH Became the first person in school history to win PAC titles in consecutive years as a player and a coach Played a key role in Thiel capturing its second-straight PAC championship and NCAA Tournament berth Career HIGHLIGHTS - PLAYER Four-year member of the Thiel Men's Volleyball team and team captain in 2025 All-PAC Honorable Mention (2025) Ninth in school history in career digs (477) and tied for eighth in career matches played (106) Appeared in 111 sets in 2025, the fifth-most in team history Produced 1 of the 25 20-plus dig performances in team history At Thiel David Gonzalez '25 enters his second season as men's volleyall assistant coach in 2027. 2026 Served his first season as an assistant coach  Won his second-straight PAC championship Coaching Experience Years School Position 2026-Present Thiel Assistant Coach 2025 Warren JFK HS Head Varsity Girls Coach Education Thiel Bachelor's of Science in Criminal Justice