St. Charles North grad Stanko makes history at Whitewater

Standing 6-foot, 8-inches tall - give or take a half-inch - and weighing in at 240 pounds, Justin Stanko is an easy person to spot on the soccer field.

However, finding a way to keep the St. Charles resident from taking over a soccer match is a much tougher task.

Stanko, a junior attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, helped lead the Warhawks to their second consecutive NCAA Division III national tournament appearance and a final record of 14-4-2 - tied for the third-most single-season victory total in the program's history.

Earlier this month, Stanko was selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America NCAA Division III Men's All-America Team, becoming the first all-American men's soccer player in school history.

"Coach (Tony Guinn) approached me a few weeks ago and said I had been nominated," said Stanko, honored on the third team. "I really didn't think that much about it until the morning when my roommates came into my room jumping around saying I made the team.

"It is very humbling knowing I'm the first one in Whitewater history. There should have been others before me. I feel like I've earned the honor for a lot of other guys who played here."

The anchor of the team's defense, Stanko started all 20 matches as the Warhawks held opponents to less than 1 goal per game. On five occasions, the Warhawks limited foes to single digits in shots on goal.

"This achievement is a testament to the team's success this season and over the past 10 years," said Guinn. "Justin just tipped his hat to a lot of great players in our history and said, 'we have arrived.' "

Stanko is far from your typical defensive standout, also using his superior size on offensive set pieces.

The former St. Charles North star finished the season with 5 goals and an assist (11 points). He delivered 3 game-winning goals, including a dramatic header in the 90th minute during a 2-1 victory over St. Norbert on Sept. 22.

"We probably scored goals on 50 percent of our set pieces," said Stanko. "If defenses double-teamed me, it opened up space for others."

"You don't see too many players like Justin Stanko walk onto the field," said Guinn. "At 6-foot-8, he is a difference maker and he has the ability to control a match."

Stanko, who began his collegiate soccer career at Loyola before transferring to UW-Whitewater as a sophomore, sees his size as strength.

"It's a big advantage for me as a center-back," said Stanko. "I can win headers and muscle people off the ball. I've heard a lot of comments from people asking me if I'm a football player."

Stanko, who turns 21 next month, played basketball alongside teammates Quinten Payne, Kyle Swanson and Tony Neari at St. Charles North before enjoying another late growth spurt.

"I think I was 6-3 ½ my senior year and then I grew another 2-3 inches my first year in college," said Stanko.

Last summer, Stanko added another 20 pounds of muscle with a help of a personal trainer and workouts at SportsPlex while playing on a U-23 team.

"I got stronger and faster with better endurance," he said. "I enjoy having the added power to help me win headers."

After taking a year off as a freshman, Stanko returned to the basketball court last season at UW-Whitewater.

"Honestly, I missed it," he said. "I thought that I had played my last basketball game in high school. I didn't get a lot of playing time but it was a great experience. Our team went 15-1 in conference and reached the NCAA Division III tournament. We played one of our games at the Palace (of Auburn Hills) where the Detroit Pistons play."

Stanko elected to concentrate solely on soccer this season.

"It was taxing on my body playing soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and soccer again in the spring," he said.

As a sophomore, Stanko started 21 of the Warhawks' 22 matches, finishing second on the team in shots attempted (48) and shots on goal (23). He earned WIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

The Warhawks' postseason ended with losses to Wheaton College in each of the past 2 years.

St. Charles East products Chris Lucatorto, Zach Manibog and Taylor Ortiz are also on the UW-Whitewater roster playing alongside Stanko.

"We'll talk some smack from time to time about the East-North rivalry," said Stanko. "It's great to finally be playing on the same team with them."

Stanko, majoring in business education, hopes to become a high school accounting teacher and soccer/basketball coach upon graduation in 2017.

"I'm not ready to step away from the game," he said.

Craig Brueske can be reached at csb4k@hotmail.com.