Suroviec begins his fourth season as Gannon’s head swimming and diving coach in 2018-19 after serving as an assistant coach for one season in 2014-15.
Suroviec had a stellar first season at the helm in 2015-16, guiding both the women’s and men’s teams to fourth-place finishes at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships. The Lady Knights recorded 10 NCAA "B" cut times, won five gold medals and broke two school records at the PSAC Championships after no Gannon female swimmer had won a gold medal since the University joined the conference before the 2008-09 academic year. The women’s 400-yard freestyle relay team became the first Gannon relay squad to ever win a PSAC title - female or male. In all, Gannon earned 14 All-PSAC honors on the women’s side during the conference championships. The men’s team also had a successful run by earning 13 All-PSAC honors, recording three NCAA "B" cut times and breaking three school records at the PSAC Championships.
Academically, both swim programs flourished under Suroviec. The men’s swim team produced the highest team grade point average in the PSAC with a 3.124 mark. The women’s team generated the third-highest team GPA (3.424) among PSAC programs. Twenty Gannon swimmers – 10 female and 10 male – were named PSAC Scholar-Athletes. Five Lady Knights and two Golden Knights received the NCAA Division II Athletics Directors Association (ADA) Academic Achievement Award.
In 2016-17, Suroviec led the men’s squad to a fifth-place finish at the PSAC Championships while the women placed seventh. The Golden Knights secured four all-conference honors at the PSAC Championships with a third-place finish by the 200-yard freestyle relay team. The Lady Knights had three podium appearances at the conference championships, including a sixth-place finish and two eighth-place performances. In all, 29 Gannon student-athletes qualified for the 2017 PSAC Championships - 17 men and 12 women.
Both programs continued to flourish academically during Suroviec’s second season. The men’s team produced the top team grade point average among PSAC programs for the second consecutive year with a 3.220 mark. Nationally, the Lady Knights had the 12th-highest team GPA (3.56) among all NCAA Division II programs while the Golden Knights were 17th. Fifteen of the 20 student-athletes on the women’s roster were named PSAC Scholar-Athletes while over half of the men’s roster received the same honor.
In 2017-18, Suroviec led the men's team to a fifth-place finish at the PSAC Championships, while the women's team placed sixth. The men's team had 13 individual podium finishes and five relay podium finishes at the conference championships, while the women's team had five individual podium finishes and five relay podium finishes.
Academically, the 2017-18 women's team had the top GPA in the PSAC, while the men's team was ranked third in the conference. Nationally, the men's team recorded the nation's 23rd-highest team GPA, while the women's team put together the nation's 25th-highest.
Suroviec began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach in the fall of 2013 for his alma mater, Edinboro University. During that season, several team records were broken and three swimmers qualified for the NCAA championship meet. Two Fighting Scots were finalists, earning Academic All-America honors. During that same year, Suroviec served as a personal trainer and swim instructor for the Eastside Family YMCA.
In 2014, Suroviec accepted employment at SPIRE Institute, a United States Olympic and Paralympic training sports complex in Ohio. At SPIRE, Suroviec aided in coaching a USA club team named the Lake Erie Silver Dolphins. He also coached the SPIRE academy swimmers and served as an assistant to the director of SPIRE FIT. While at SPIRE, he became certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as an Exercise Physiologist and a Personal Trainer.
Suroviec competed four years in the PSAC as an NCAA Division II scholar-athlete. He earned all-conference honors and set school records in the 100-yard butterfly, 400-yard medley relay and 200-yard medley relay events. Suroviec served as a team captain during his senior campaign. He earned scholar-athlete, Dean’s List, and all-america honorable-mention honors during his collegiate career.
Suroviec graduated from Edinboro University with a bachelor of science in health and physical education with dual concentrations in human performance, and recreation administration, as well as dual minors in athletic coaching and fitness instruction/personal training.
