Mark Lesako serves as the Associate Director of Athletics/Head Athletic Trainer. He enters his 27th year overall at W&J in 2025-26. Lesako spent the 2014-15 academic year as the Interim Co-Director of Athletics.
Prior to moving into the Interim Co-Director of Athletics role, Lesako spent the 15 years as the Presidents' head athletic trainer alongside his twin brother, Mike. He resumed full-time athletic training duties in the 2015-16 year. During his previous years with the W&J sports medicine office, Lesako also spent four years as the school's NCAA compliance officer.
While serving as the Interim Co-Director of Athletics in 2014-15, Lesako helped lead an athletic department that won four conference titles for the first time since 2009 and had three student-athletes chosen as Capital One Academic All-America. Additionally Nick Carr became the first wrestler at W&J to win a national championship, claiming the NCAA Division III title at 157 pounds. Carr was just the fourth President to claim an individual national title.
He was also an integral part of overseeing the restructure of the department's intern coaching program, while providing insight into the construction of the college's new tennis courts which debuted in the fall of 2015.
A native of Brownsville, Pa., Lesako is a 1994 graduate of California (Pa.) where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education with an emphasis in athletic training. He also earned a master’s degree in sport management with an emphasis on intercollegiate athletic administration from Cal in 2009.
Prior to his arrival at the college, he worked at the Health Trax/NovaCare Rehab Clinic starting in 1995. In 1994, he was the head athletic trainer at Jefferson-Morgan High School.
In 2008, Lesako was honored by his alma mater with the Distinguished Undergraduate Alumni Award. The prestigious award was given to Lesako due to his highly-respected work with the Presidents’ student-athletes through his years at Washington & Jefferson College.
He is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the Pennsylvania Trainers’ Association where he served as the Washington County delegate.
Lesako and his wife, Kristen, were married on June 30, 2007 and are the proud parents of daughter, Isabella, and son, Ethan. The family resides in Washington, Pa.
