WHEATON - Key Persons
Alec Shull returns for his fourth season with the Thunder coaching staff in 2024. Shull first came to Wheaton in 2019 after spending two seasons at Ohio Northern University as the program's assistant hitting coach.
In the 2018 season, the Polar Bears finished the year with a 27-15 record, while making the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament for the first time in 18 years. Shull assisted two position players to the 1st-Team All Conference list and another player to be named the OAC batting average champion, hitting .426 on the year. The team improved in batting average from .270 in 2017, to an overall average of .314 in the 2018 season.
Shull graduated from Urbana University in 2016, earning a Marketing Degree after transferring from Southeastern Illinois College. During his playing career, Shull was a versatile player with experience in both the infield and outfield.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Athletic Trainer
- Title / Assistant Athletic Trainer
Allan Prasil comes to Wheaton College from ATI Physical Therapy Company where he served as a sports medicine supervisor. His coverage included work at Benedictine University, Oswego East High School, Plainfield North High School, Naperville Central High School, Aurora Central Catholic High School and a local orthopedic surgeon. At Wheaton, he primarily works with the Thunder football and basketball teams.
Allan earned his Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education with Athletic Training in 1997 from Eastern Illinois University.
He resides in West Chicago with his wife, Kelly, their two children Jacob and Emily, and his two dogs.
Job Titles:
- Head Softball Coach and Club Sports Director
The 2024 season will be Amanda Fazzari's first as the head coach of the Thunder softball team. Fazzari comes to Wheaton from Trinity Christian College (TCC), where she served as the head softball coach from 2019 until her appointment as Wheaton's head coach in July 2023.
Fazzari led her 2023 Trinity Christian College squad to the program's first winning season since 1992. Additionally, TCC advanced to the Final of the 2023 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Softball World Series for the first time in program history as Fazzari's squad posted a 4-1 at the NCCAA Tournament in Kansas City this May. The Trolls' 25 victories this spring was the second-highest win total in team history.
Prior to her tenure at Trinity Christian, Fazzari served as assistant coach at Illinois Wesleyan University from 2016-18. In her two seasons with the Titans' staff, IWU won 73% percent of its games, CCIW regular season and conference tournament titles. The Titans placed second in the 2018 NCAA Division III Championships and were fifth in 2017.
A three-year letterwinner for the Titans' softball team, Fazzari earned All-CCIW accolades as a senior in 2014. She played for two CCIW regular season championship squads and two CCIW tournament champion units. She earned her B.A. on Business Administration from Illinois Wesleyan in 2014 and achieved a master's degree in Kinesiology and Recreation from Illinois State University in 2017.
Fazzari spent one season as assistant coach at Heartland Community College. She helped lead Heartland to a regular season conference championship and District Championship in 2016, as well as participation in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Tournament.
Fazzari says of her appointment as Wheaton's head coach, "I'm extremely humbled by the ways the Lord has led me to Wheaton and for the opportunity Dr. Paul Chelsen and Coach Schauer have given me. The college possesses a rich legacy of well-rounded student-athletes who demonstrate that academic and athletic excellence can complement each other, all while seeking God's will. I value those with a competitive edge who excel under high expectations with passionate and spiritual leaders."
The new Thunder head coach says of Thunder softball, "The softball program specifically has so much untapped potential. As a former student-athlete and coach at both elite and growing programs, I have an exceptional understanding of what it takes to develop a culture of excellence and believe Wheaton College softball can compete at a much higher level. I'm dedicated towards developing its players and seeking student-athletes who want to be a part of the next big, Christ-centered build."
Job Titles:
- Office Coordinator / Chrouser Staff Coordinator / Assistant Softball Coach
- Thunder Softball Team As an Assistant Coach
Anna Nussbaum joined the Thunder softball team as an assistant coach in 2020 following her collegiate playing career.
The Wheaton native is a 2019 Wheaton College graduate and majored in Christian Education. Nussbaum was a two-year member of the softball team in 2018 and 2019 before transitioning into the role of a coach. Nussbaum and her entire family respect the rich legacy that the College possesses and continue to support all its athletic programs.
Shortly after graduation, Nussbaum accepted the position as Wheaton College's Athletics Office Coordinator. Nussbaum is fond of building relationships with student-athletes, and she also serves as the department's SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) Advisor.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Associate Athletics Director / Compliance Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Bishop
- Presiding Bishop / Los Angeles, CA
Job Titles:
- Billing and Payment Manager
Job Titles:
- Athletics Communications Director / Assistant Athletics Director
Job Titles:
- Assistant Cross Country / Track & Field Coach and Intramurals Director
Job Titles:
- Assistant Wrestling Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Wrestling Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Cross Country / Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Football Coach ( Running Backs )
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Assistant Football Coach ( Defensive Line )
Job Titles:
- Assistant Football Coach ( Defensive Assistant )
Job Titles:
- Head Men's & Women's Cross Country Coach / Head Men's & Women 's Track and Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- President Emeritus / Wheaton, IL
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Vice Chair
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Professor
Job Titles:
- Physician - Retired / Carol Stream, IL
Job Titles:
- University President / Grand Rapids, MI
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Advancement
Dr. Kirk Farney assumed duties as Vice President for Advancement, Vocation, and Alumni Engagement at Wheaton College in August 2014. He is responsible to the President for Alumni and Parent Engagement, Center for Vocation and Career, Development, Annual Giving, Gift Planning, Donor Relations, Marketing Communications, Media Relations, and Advancement Services.
Additionally, Kirk holds faculty status as Assistant Professor of History.
Prior to coming to Wheaton, Kirk worked in the international banking arena for 26 years, with roles at J. P. Morgan Securities, Inc., and its merged firms-First Chicago, First Chicago NBD, and Bank One. He most recently served as Managing Director and Global Head of Asset-Backed Finance.
Kirk graduated from Wheaton College with an M.A. in Theological Studies, with a concentration in Historical Theology and Church History, in 1998. He holds a B.S. in Finance and Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an M.B.A. in Marketing from the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and an M.A. in History from the University of Notre Dame. He completed his Ph.D. in American Religious History at Notre Dame, where Wheaton alumnus, Mark A. Noll, served as his advisor.
Job Titles:
- Sports Medicine Specialist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President
- President Ryken Senior Administrative Cabinet Trustees Advisors
During Dr. Ryken's presidency, Wheaton has advanced the strategic priorities of deepening ethnic diversity, enhancing music and the performing arts, and globalizing a Wheaton education. Positive results include a new general education curriculum ("Christ at the Core"), a more diverse campus community (with students representing more than 50 countries; nearly one-third are students of color), the state-of-the-art Armerding Center for Music and the Arts, and more than $400 million in new giving for student scholarships and other priorities.
President Philip Graham Ryken '88 attended Wheaton, majoring in English literature and philosophy. He then earned an M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in historical theology from the University of Oxford. He was pastor at Tenth Presbyterian Church from 1995 until his appointment at Wheaton in 2010.
Job Titles:
- Divinity School Dean / Birmingham, AL
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- President
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men's and Women 's Swimming Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men's and Women 's Diving Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Cross Country / Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Wrestling Coach
Job Titles:
- Athletics Communications Assistant
Job Titles:
- Assistant Volleyball Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Cross Country / Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Head Men 's Swimming & Diving Coach / Aquatics Director
Job Titles:
- Assistant Cross Country / Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Head Women 's Tennis Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Football Coach ( Defensive Line ) and Spiritual Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- President - Elect
Job Titles:
- Equipment & Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Head Football Coach and Recruiting Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Head Wrestling Coach / Strength Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Basketball Coach
Job Titles:
- Associate Head Men 's Basketball Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Athletic Trainer
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director of Student Financial Services
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Tennis Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Operations
Job Titles:
- Head Women 's Basketball Coach / Assistant Athletic Director
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Athletic Trainer
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Basketball Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Tennis Coach
Job Titles:
- Community Volunteer / Lansing, MI
Job Titles:
- Student Financial Services Representative
Job Titles:
- Assistant Football Coach ( Offensive Assistant )
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men's and Women 's Golf Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men's and Women 's Swimming Coach
Job Titles:
- Head Women 's Swimming & Diving Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Cross Country / Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Administration / Staff
- Head Men 's Basketball Coach / Athletic Director
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Tennis Coach
Job Titles:
- Graduate Assistant Women 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Member of the Board
Job Titles:
- Corporation Executive - Retired / Wheaton, IL
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Corporate Executive
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Author and Christian Leader / Elmhurst, IL
Job Titles:
- Real Estate Builder / Developer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Representative
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Member of the Board
Job Titles:
- Investment Executive - Retired / Northfield, IL
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Corporation Executive / McLean, VA
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Representative
Job Titles:
- Assistant Wrestling Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Tennis Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Cross Country / Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Cross Country / Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Head Women 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Head Men's and Women 's Golf Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Football Coach ( Defensive Backs )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Coordinator of PCA Mission
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Senior Pastor / Indian Wells, CA
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men 's Tennis Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Football Coach ( Tight Ends ) / Assistant Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Cross Country / Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Men's and Women 's Swimming Coach
Silvio E. Vazquez (MBA) was appointed Wheaton's inaugural Chief Enrollment Management Officer in January 2018. In this role, Silvio provides leadership for all aspects of enrollment strategy and services, including Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions, Student Financial Services, Global Initiatives for Asia Pacific, and the residential Wheaton College Summer Institute and summer BRIDGE Pre-College Programs for high school students.
Prior to his appointment, Silvio served as Dean of Admissions at Westmont College; as an enrollment management consultant at the higher education firm Scannell & Kurz (now Ruffalo Noel Levitz); and as Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing at Gordon College, where he also held positions in Admissions; Advancement; and Alumni, Parent, and Church Relations over a period of two decades. A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Silvio came to faith in Jesus Christ late in high school through the ministry of Young Life, and upon graduating from college, served on YL staff in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Silvio is a 1987 graduate of Gordon College and received his M.B.A. from the Boston College Carroll School of Management. He and his wife, Tara, are parents of three children.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Wrestling Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Wrestling Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Football Coach ( Kickers and Punters )
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Athletic Trainer
Job Titles:
- Head Athletic Trainer / Senior Woman Administrator
Job Titles:
- Manager for Graduate Students
Job Titles:
- Assistant Cross Country / Track & Field Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Women 's Soccer Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Football Coach ( Defensive Assistant )