Standout Ocean View dual-sport athlete set to continue career at top engineering school 

Zack Wojtaszek makes his commitment official at Ocean View’s signing day. (Photo courtesy Sandra Wojtaszek).

For many student-athletes, managing one sport in addition to his or her academics can be a challenge. But for others, like Ocean View High School dual-sport athlete Zack Wojtaszek, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

After serving as an anchor in the trenches for Ocean View’s football team and a steady presence on the track and field team, Wojtaszek now prepares for his next step: collegiate athletics. 

He’s set to attend the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind. where he will suit up for both the football and track and field teams. 

The school’s strong engineering program played a crucial role in Wojtaszek’s commitment. 

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In a recent ranking, Rose-Hulman took the No. 1 spot among the U.S News & World Report’s Best Engineering Schools for the 26th-straight year. 

The third among his siblings to attend Ocean View, he leaned on his family throughout the process of picking a school and career path. Ultimately, he chose to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both of whom are engineers. 

“Engineering is a big thing in my family, so I just wanted to follow those roots,” Wojtaszek said.

Connections with coaches at Rose-Hulman also played a part in the decision. 

Following a recommendation from his high school football coach, Daniel Hernandez, Wojtaszek attended a prospect camp and formed a relationship with Rose-Hulman’s offensive coordinator Lucas Skibba. He credits this connection as one of the main drivers for his commitment to Rose-Hulman.

“He’s a great coach,” Wojtaszek said. “I talked to him a lot. He recruits the West Coast, so it was good to [get] to know him, and I say we get along really well.”

At Ocean View, Wojtaszek became an important contributor in both sports throughout his four years and showed consistent improvement. In his senior year, he made first team All-Sigma league in football and set personal records in both shotput (42-5) and discus (120-6) in his final track and field meet – the Empire League prelims and finals. 

Also, according to Hernandez, Wojtaszek didn’t miss a snap across the 10 football games he played in his senior season, with him also taking on a leadership role on the team’s offensive line. 

“I really think being a senior captain that year gave me more confidence to help my team as much as I could,” Wojtasek said.

However, he wasn’t just a star on the field. He also managed to hold a job and stay involved with clubs and activities, all while maintaining a 4.2 GPA.

“Zack was always at the forefront of asking guys if they needed help in class or wanting to offer his assistance,” Hernandez said. 

“He found a great way to balance himself between academics and athletics. And he found a really good way to balance himself as being a leader that showed by example as well as speaking to his teammates and trying to motivate them.”  

The former Seahawk is one of four seniors on Ocean View’s football team who will go on to play collegiate football. He, along with his senior class that played an instrumental role in bringing the program back to the playoffs in 2023, set an example for the next group of athletes to come through the program. 

“It shows all the other kids that a guy like him, who didn’t have a big football background, can come to Ocean View, learn to play the game of football, and if you work hard in the classroom, you can produce an opportunity beyond that,” Hernandez said. 

Before he embarks on his collegiate journey, Wojtaszek took a moment to thank the individuals who helped him accomplish the feat of playing collegiately. 

“I just want to thank everyone who’s been there for me,” Wotjaszek said. “My mom, my dad, my family, Coach Hernandez, Coach (Grant) Mosher … and Coach Jeff Sokol, Coach Lucas Skibba and Coach Shane Mills over at Rose-Hulman for the opportunity to play football and track at the next level.”