BOSTON (EYT/D9) – For DuBois native Nick Szczerba, soccer has always been number one in his life. To this day, it remains a part of his identity despite a new chapter recently starting in Beantown.
(Photos provided by Misericordia Athletics and Nick Szczerba.)
A 2016 graduate of DuBois Central Catholic High School, the former Cardinal standout started playing the game of soccer as a toddler, with his club career beginning at nine while playing for a U12 program. Playing for STN North Penn, there were certainly humble beginnings for Szczerba and his teammates as playing against older kids forced them to rethink their previous approach to the game.
Over the years, Szczerba and his teammates improved – so much so that Szczerba became a Division II and Division III recruit in soccer, something pretty rare out of the District 9 area. From years on the travel scene, a few showcases, and a previous tie to Misericordia University, Szczerba ultimately moved east and played for the Misericordia Cougars men’s soccer program.
Located in Dallas, Pennsylvania, the school is home to around 3,200 students and competes in the MAC Freedom Conference, an affiliate conference that competes under the umbrella of the three Middle Atlantic Conferences. Otherwise known as the MAC, this conference features nationally ranked athletic programs in a collection of sports and programs that even feature national recruiting budgets at the Division III level.
With that in mind, Szczerba felt comfortable knowing he was going to compete against some of the best talent nationally, while also being able to study for a career in the medical field. With a six-year fast-track Doctorate of Physical Therapy program, the school is a popular destination for people interested in a career in healthcare. They feature a unique major in Healthcare Management, a degree Szczerba ultimately graduated with in May of 2020 while also adding a dual degree in philosophy.
“Misericordia just had a certain atmosphere for me,” Szczerba explained. “It was very much like a family, and I enjoyed knowing everyone and that everyone knew me. I also liked that it was a Catholic university, had a certain type of soccer program I wanted to play for and had a nice collection of academic programs. It was a no-brainer.”
Over four years for the Cougars, Szczerba played in 71 games and made 47 starts, including starting the final 44 games of his college career. Szczerba was a part of a team in the 2016 season that finished as runner-ups in the MAC and just missed out on a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament.
He eventually would become a team captain and was named to the All-MAC Freedom First-Team, was a Fall MAC Sportsmanship Team selection, and was chosen to the MAC All-Academic team all in his junior season. The 2018 campaign saw him lead the Cougars in both points and assists, while also adding three of his ten career goals. As a senior, he tied for the team lead in goals with four on the season, but he helped to shape the program’s culture over his four years as the Cougars won the MAC Freedom crown in 2021, their first season of competition since Szczerba graduated.
Though he was not a player, he remained a Misericordia for the next year and a half to serve as a Graduate Assistant for the university while also helping the men’s soccer program on a volunteer basis. Coaching was not something new for him as he had previously begun coaching youth soccer and hosting training sessions for local youth players in DuBois who are looking to improve their skills and knowledge. He hopes his future in the game will be to continue playing recreationally while also coaching soccer at the youth level. Presently, he is coaching with the Boston Bolts organization.
While coaching was a benefit of staying in school, sticking around at Misericordia for another almost two years also allowed him to complete his Masters of Business Administration degree and also helped him to transition to a full-time role in healthcare administration at Brigham and Young’s Women’s Hospital in Boston in November 2021.
His role as an Administrative Associate II is to assist Harvard Medical School lab groups and students with their research projects by finding grants and assisting in budgeting. While it is a new experience in a hospital setting, it is not his only experience as he previously interned at Penn Highlands DuBois and for the Geisinger Medical Group. From these three experiences, he has determined that in the future; he hopes to work more on the hospital base side of business in a small, more locally-focused business.
“This role has been a great opportunity to expand my knowledge and grow my network. Both my brother and sister are here in Boston. From here, all roads are open, but a future goal is to one day get back to more of the hospital setting.”
Though some roads remain open in his business career, some have closed, including his time playing sports competitively. While soccer was his main sport, basketball and baseball were a big part of his identity as playing for the DuBois Central Catholic Cardinals provided him with some of his greatest friends and memories from sports over the years. Szczerba was able to bring home a District 9 title in baseball with the Cardinals on a team that featured a fine collection of college athletic talent despite graduating around 30 to 40 kids per class.
“DCC has always been a school in which athletes are expected to play multiple sports,” said Szczerba. Athletes are expected to branch out.”
Growing up in a close-knit community has allowed him to understand the importance of building relationships while also keeping in his sights the importance of family. The two people he credits most in his life are his parents Frank and Brenda Szczerba.
“There are so many attributes they helped to instill in me,” he said when talking about his parents. “They only pushed me in the right ways and enforced important attributes like always giving your best, everyone plays a part in a team’s success, and how to just be a good person. My parents came to so many soccer games and would even drive three hours for home games when in college. They put me in a position to do well.”
Andy Loughnane has been his biggest influence in soccer over the years, as Loughnane was his college coach. He awarded Szczerba to be a captain of the program and put a lot of personal responsibility on him in order to help the team he was on and the program overall succeed for years to come.
Though college soccer has ended, his future in the sport has been determined as someone trying to give back to a game that has given him so much. It has helped him find a path to earn three separate degrees and join many others in his family who are working in healthcare.
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