Jim Socha is entering his seventh season as the V-Hawk men’s and women’s bowling head coach. In the V-Hawks first season, both the men’s and women’s teams advanced to the United States Bowling Congress Sectional competition making Viterbo one of the best new programs in the nation. The V-Hawk men finished their premiere 2009-10 season ranked in the top third of U.S. College bowling teams with a standing of 41st out of 148 teams. V-Hawk women bowlers finished their first season in the upper half nationwide with a standing of 44th out of 93 teams.
In his seven years as head coach, Socha has coached 10 All-MCC bowlers, a MCC Player of the Year (Rachel Schalow 2010-11), MCC newcomer of the year, and 20 NCBCA Academic All-Americans. In 2011-12, Socha was named MCC women’s Coach of the Year.
Socha is a graduate of UW-Whitewater who has been bowling for most of his life. “If you are from Wisconsin, bowling becomes a part of your life from an early age,” commented Socha. Socha is hoping to build on their early success as the V-Hawk men’s team has had two all-conference performers and the women’s team had the MCC Bowler of the Year. The V-Hawks have had just as much success in the classroom as they have produced four NCBCA Academic All-Americans so far.
Socha is also the V-Hawk men’s golf coach as he was hired to start the V-Hawk program in 2007-08. Socha also has plenty of coaching experience not at the college level as he has spent time coaching youth golf, basketball and baseball.When Socha is not playing or coaching golf/bowling, he is the president of Socha Marketing. Prior to his current duties, Socha worked for The Insurance Center from 2000-05 and was the former Sports Director at WKBT Television from 1993-2000. While with WKBT, Socha covered the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI and the Wisconsin Badgers in the 1994 Rose Bowl.
Socha graduated from UW-Whitewater where he lettered four times in cross country and earned a speech communications degree. He and his wife, Tracey, have two children and live in Onalaska, WI. Their son Ben is 17 years old and their daughter Ellie is 13 years old.
