Academics > Majors and Areas of Study > Health and Physcial Education > Faculty

Mark Vennis
724-589-2139
mvennis@thiel.edu

Mark Vennis is the chairperson of Health & Physical Education at Thiel.  He has been a professor in the department since 1983. Vennis arrived at Thiel in 1982 as the College’s head wrestling coach and in his 18-year tenure coached 15 NCAA All-Americans, 19 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-Americans, and saw 45 NCAA national qualifiers pass through his program.  He was nominated three times for the NCAA National Division III Coach of the Year award and earned Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Coach of the Year honors an astounding 11 times.  He led the Tomcats to 11 PAC titles, second only to former PAC member John Carroll University's 23. He also saw three of his teams win National NCAA Regional Championships – two in the Northeast, one in the East. Eight of Vennis' teams earned top 20 honors at the NCAA Division III National Championships.

Besides his accomplishments with the Thiel wrestling program, Vennis was also an integral member of the NWCA. He served as president of the Division III Coaches Association and revised the constitution to its current structure, restarted the cultural exchange program, developed a code of operations for the association, and started the Division III Coaches Association National Duals. During his coaching tenure Vennis served on the National Wrestling Coaches Board of Directors and was a member on many association committees aimed to aid and assist in the betterment of wrestling. For his efforts, the NWCA awarded him with the 25-Year Service Award in 1998.  He was elected to the Division III National Wrestling Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in 2004.

Vennis also served Thiel College at various times during his tenure as the head coach for football, baseball, women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. He also was an assistant football coach.

Vennis graduated in 1971 from Fairmont State College where he doubled majored in social studies comprehensive and health, physical education and recreation. He earned his master’s degree in education from Youngstown State University in 1979.

Vennis and his wife, Diane, reside in Ashtabula, Ohio, and have two children, Todd and Traci; both are graduates of Thiel College.

Joe Schaly
724-58-2138
jschaly@thiel.edu

Joe Schaly is the head baseball coach and is an assistant athletic director at Thiel.  He has been an instructor in the health and physical education department since 2004.  During his nine years as the baseball program's head coach, Schaly and the Tomcats have won a regular-season Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship and a PAC Tournament title.

During the 2005 season Schaly became the winningest coach in the program's history and his players have received numerous post-season awards. During his nine years 43 Tomcats have been named all-PAC, eight have received all-Mideast region recognition and one was selected as a CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic all-American. In 2007 Schaly led the Tomcats to a program-best 30-15 mark and a second-place finish in the conference.

Schaly has experienced the game at all levels, from Division I to Division III, and from NCAA to NAIA. Prior to Thiel he was the head coach and assistant athletic director at Point Park College for six years. Point Park has a long history of success in NAIA baseball and during Schaly's tenure the Pioneers won the conference/district four times, and each year Schaly was named Coach of the Year. While at Point Park he also served on the NAIA Rules and Tournament Procedures Committees.

Schaly also served as assistant baseball coach at Marietta College and Kent State University. During his tenure at Marietta the Pioneers won two NCAA Division III National Championships and finished as national runners-up on two other occasions. During his 21 years of coaching Schaly has worked with 27 players who went on to play professionally.

Schaly earned his bachelor of arts degree in managerial economics from Marietta College in 1986. He continued his education at Kent State University and received his master's degree in sports administration in 1989.

Schaly resides in Beaver Falls with his wife, Lucy, and their two children: Hannah and Colin.

Craig Thurber
724-589-2814
cthurber@thiel.edu
Craig Thurber is in his sixth season as the head wrestling coach at Thiel.  He has been an instructor in the health and physical education department since 2004.  Thurber is also the advisor of the Tomcats’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has been an instructor in the physical education department for five years.  Thurber is a Greenville native who brings coaching experience from Division I, II, and the high school ranks. Since taking over the Tomcat program in 2003, Thurber has posted five Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championships. In 2005 Thiel had three national qualifiers, two All-Americans and one National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American.

Thurber is a 1991 graduate of Greenville High School where he won a state championship in 1991 and was runner-up in 1990 at 171 pounds. He then matriculated to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences in 1996.

As a member of the Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team, Thurber was a three-time NCAA All-American while finishing fifth in 1993, sixth in 1994, and national runner-up in 1995 at 177 pounds. He won the Gorriaran Memorial Trophy at the 1995 Division II National Championships for achieving the greatest number of falls in the least amount of time. Thurber was a three-time Eastern Regional Champion and was named outstanding wrestler at the Eastern Regionals tournament in 1995. He was also a four-time individual champion at the Thiel College Invitational (1992-95) and a three-time champion at the West Liberty (W. Va.) College Tournament (1993-95). Thurber amassed 120 collegiate wins under Pitt-Johnstown head coach Pat Pecora.

As an assistant coach with Pitt-Johnstown in 1996, Thurber was part of the Mountain Cats 1996 Division II National Championship team. From 1997-1999, he was an assistant to former head coach Steve Roberts at Slippery Rock University where he tutored Derek Delporto, a Division I All-American in 1999. While at Slippery Rock, Thurber earned a bachelor of science degree in health and physical education.

His wife Kristin is a sixth grade teacher in the Greenville School District. They have three young children: daughters Keetin and Karis, and a son, Cael.  They reside in Greenville.

Amy Schafer
724-589-2164
aschafer@thiel.edu
Amy Schafer is in her fourth season at Thiel as the head softball coach.  She is also the athletic department’s NCAA Champs and Life Skills Coordinator.  She started as an instructor in the health and physical education department in 2008.  

A 1999 graduate of Perry Traditional Academy and a 2003 graduate of Bethany College, Schafer was a NCAA Division III all-American catcher under the direction of head coach Jan Forsty in 2002 while earning first team all-Region honors in both 2002 and 2003. She was also named an all-PAC first team selection from 2001-2003.

During the 2003 and 2004 seasons Schafer served as an assistant coach under head coach Lori Schimmel at the College of Wooster. She also served as the recreation supervisor of the Gault Recreation and Fitness Center at Wooster. As an assistant with the Fighting Scots, Schafer managed daily practice planning, was responsible for breaking down both hitting and fielding film and was also heavily involved in the recruitment of potential student-athletes.

During the 2002 season Bethany compiled a 32-10 record and earned its’ second-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament, which the Bison won the Central Region and earned a trip to the NCAA Division III World Series for the first time in the program's history.

While at Bethany Schafer was honored as a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) all-Academic team in 2002 and was named to the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Academic Honor Roll in 2001 and 2002.

Besides her duties with the softball program Schafer is also the house manager of Hunton Hall.  She is pursuing a master’s degree in sports management from California University of Pa.