Honoring a Legacy – Penn State University Athletics

Taking the Helm

When Schumacher-Cawley was announced as head coach earlier this year, there was a lot of focus on the shoes she had to fill. But she’s taken it all in stride while never ceasing to be grateful for the time she spent with her predecessor.

“No one can replace Coach,” Schumacher-Cawley said. “What he’s done for the sport, for the University, for his student-athletes, no one can replace that. He laid the foundation for this program, and I want to honor his legacy and the traditions and do the very best I can. He’s been a mentor to so many, including me. I’m still learning and evolving, but I’ve taken everything I can from him and still talk to him regularly.”

Schumacher-Cawley is working hard to set the team up for success, from recruiting to building her staff. Joining her for this coming season are assistant coaches Daniel Gwitt and Brian Toron. Gwitt, a Penn State men’s volleyball alumnus, has experience as both an assistant coach at Indiana and assistant coach and head coach at Centenary College. He also served as a director of operations and master coach at two successful clubs in California. Toron is another familiar face for Penn State Volleyball fans as he spent the previous two seasons as the program’s director of volleyball operations. He has also coached at Hofstra, Northwestern and Delaware. 

“Katie and I have a great professional relationship,” he said. “We have similar values, goals and beliefs, and want to achieve similar things in this profession. I was so elated for her when she got the job. Being able to stay here as part of her staff and help Penn State win an eighth national championship is a no-brainer.”

But there’s more to why Toron believes this coaching staff is built for success.

“We have all been head coaches previously, and at the Division I level. That’s really rare. We all get the pressures and understand what she is facing in her chair. But at the same time, we’ve all been varying levels of assistants, so we don’t care what the role is or the task at hand. We’ve done every job and all seen success. We are all willing to step up.” 

The trio also have ties to different areas of the country, which they feel will greatly benefit the program from a recruiting standpoint. These ties include Schumacher-Cawley to the Midwest, Gwitt to the West Coast and Toron to the East Coast. 

When it comes to coaching style, Schumacher-Cawley is focused on training hard, teamwork and…