Mark Sudik, another Pennsylvanian enriching Virginia wrestling, has served our sport for almost four decades.

At Philipsburg-Osceola High School in Philipsburg, Pennsylania, he wrestled for David Caslow, who received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. That experience led, after college, to 11 years of coaching and 27 years of officiating.

Another formative experience: a degree from La Roche College of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that led to his vocation in Virginia as a surveyor in the booming Northern Virginia transportation system.

All the while, he has been busy with wrestling. He coached with Gary Embrey, who received the Lifetime Service award from the Virginia Chapter in 2017, building a respected program at West Springfield High School, but he really came into his own as a rock-steady official.

In his years with the Northern Region Wrestling Officials Association, he has been a “go-to guy” for all the high-pressure and high-profile matches at high school tournaments. His colleagues honored him with assignments to 16 Virginia High School League state tournaments, as well as 20 regional tournaments. Commitment and longevity were further recognized in his six-year stint as president of the Northern Virginia Wrestling Officials Association. Respect became honor in 2018, when he was selected Official of the Year by the Northern Region Wrestling Coaches Association.

His life off the mat is of a piece with his excellence in wrestling. As a supervisor and survey party chief, he thrives in a profession that requires patience and meticulousness. In the busiest and most populous region of Virginia, he has had a hand in many of its vital roadways, including the Springfield Mixing Bowl, the Fairfax County Parkway, the Route 28 Corridor, Route 7 improvements, and currently, the Capital Beltway Express Lanes.

Most admirably, he is a community and family man. He serves on the Council of the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church and has been an auditor for the American-Carpatho Youth church service of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. With wife Marie, he has raised two children, now grown: Angela, 31 (who with husband Brian blessed him with grandson Dominic), and Stephen, 28.