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The assistant coach and offensive coordinator who helped guide Penn State to the conference’s best offense and multiple NCAA Tournament appearances is moving to George Mason.
George Mason athletics director Brad Edwards announced Tuesday that the school hired Jay Hosack to be its new head coach.
Hosack has spent the last six seasons as a Penn State assistant coach and in each season the Nittany Lions won the EIVA championship and reached the NCAA Tournament. With Hosack as the team’s offensive coordinator, the Nittany Lions finished last season leading the EIVA and in the nation’s top 10 with a .283 attack percentage.
Along with his Penn State coaching experience, Hosack as an assistant coach helped lead the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team to a silver-medal finish at the U-21 Pan American Cup in June. He also will be an U.S. assistant coach for the upcoming FIVB Men’s Junior World Championship in September.
“Jay Hosack has elite collegiate and national coaching experience and we are extremely excited he is going to guide our men’s volleyball program,” Edwards said in a statement. “He is a proven winner having reached the NCAA National Final title match and winning a gold medal with the USA Men’s Junior National team. He is a well-respected recruiter evidenced by the numerous All-American and all-conference selections awarded to his student-athletes. Combine his coaching experience with his passion and commitment, and he will take our program to the next level.”
Before arriving to the East Coast, Hosack was the head coach for UC Santa Cruz and led his alma matar to the 2004 Division III national semifinals.
Hosack also served as an assistant coach under Hugh McCutcheon with the U.S. Men’s National Team from 2006-08. The United States went on to win the gold medal at 2008 Olympics — the nation’s first Olympic gold medal in the sport in 20 years.
“I would like to thank Brad Edwards and Ron Shayka for this opportunity and believing in my skills and experience to be the next leader of this team,” Hosack said in a statement. “I would also like to thank Mark Pavlik for giving me the opportunity at Penn State to learn, grow and gain more experience in addition to Tom Pestolesi and Hugh McCutcheon for all of their help and guidance over the years. And most importantly, I would like to thank my wife Stephanie for allowing me to pursue my dreams and passion in the sport of volleyball.”
George Mason finished last season in third place in the EIVA and lost to Penn State in the conference tournament championship match. The Patriots have a majority of starters returning for the upcoming season, including 2015 EIVA Newcomer of the Year and starting setter Brian Negron.
Hosack replaces former George Mason head coach Fred Chao, who resigned after 17 years with the team to become an assistant coach for the Virginia Tech women’s volleyball team.