Seton Hall Coach Angelo Gingerelli's New Book Guides High School Athletes to College Success

The Next Four Years: Compete, Win & Thrive in College Athletics by Angelo Gingerelli, M.B.A., M.Ed., CSCS, provides a comprehensive look at the transition from high school to college athletics, offering student-athletes an essential blueprint to compete, win and thrive at the next level.  

Gingerelli has helped thousands of student-athletes compete at the highest level of Division I College Athletics. As the strength and conditioning coach at Seton Hall University since 2005, he regularly works with hundreds of men and women each year from a variety of sports and has been a key factor in the Pirates’ success in the extremely competitive NCAA Big East Conference. He has held similar positions at Virginia Tech, North Carolina State and with the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as training numerous elite high school athletes each year.

The Next Four Years prepares student-athletes to take their game to the next level. Gingerelli explains the demands placed upon college athletes and outlines the steps necessary for collegiate athletic success. Topics include the recruitment process, school selection and choosing a major, signing the National Letter of Intent (NLI) and arriving on campus prepared to succeed. Other topics include the first practice on campus, training at the collegiate level, increasing work capacity, weight training proficiency and aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. Advice is offered on mastering movements common in college strength and conditioning programs, preparing for common conditioning tests and understanding the basics of sports nutrition. Other discussions include Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals, coaching changes, adapting to a new lifestyle on campus, the transfer portal, competing at peak level daily, and more.

Accolades

A Top 100 Book on Amazon.com, The Next Four Years has received numerous Five Star Reviews.  Addison Savela, head strength and conditioning coach, The College of New Jersey, writes,

Angelo writes a great book on what to expect heading to the next level. This material wasn't around when I was heading into school, and I wish it was. This will be a great help to prepare parents, athletes and coaches to understand what it's going to be like in college and beyond. If you want to create a better program for yourself and athletes, look to this book as a guide to set you up for success. 

Christine Conti, fitness professional/author/podcaster (Two Fit Crazies & A Microphone), IDEA World Fitness Pro of the Year 2023, notes, “Any parent of a college-bound athlete will benefit from reading this book!”

“The Next Four Years is an amazing resource for future college athletes, current ones and parents looking to better understand what it takes to be successful in college athletics and beyond,” notes Joe Poduslenko, Seton Hall Baseball alumnus and podcaster (the Post Game Podcast).

Sara Doell, a three-time Big East Champion women’s golf coach/author, shares, “I have been coaching for 20 years and have often thought of writing a ‘how to’ guide for the recruits that I meet with and now I don’t have to! The author uses his many years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach to lay out a plan for student athletes as they embark on four of the most rewarding, yet toughest, four years of their lives. Two of my favorite parts of the book: the training programs and the top 10 lists. The author lays out a 12-week training program and he gives examples of non-equipment training for when you are traveling. While his expertise is in the weight room, he also gives top ten lists to help college athletes in all areas of their lives. I will recommend this book to every student athlete that I recruit!”

“The Next Four Years delves deeply into the multifaceted journey that follows an NLI commitment, highlighting the physical, mental and emotional trials that athletes face as they transition into college sports. Through engaging storytelling, Angelo sheds light on the countless sacrifices leading up to and beyond signing day, setting readers up for success not just in the immediate aftermath but for the long haul,” writes Marissa Muoio, Ed.D., Seton Hall softball alumna, adjunct professor and women’s empowerment and leadership development expert, adding, “For many, the NLI is mistakenly seen as the ‘finish line’—a culmination of years of dedication to a sport. This book reframes that view, treating signing day as the ‘starting line’ for a new and demanding phase, complete with early practices, weight training, rigorous academic schedules, travel, social media pressures, NIL considerations and the ever-present risk of injury.”

A Coaching Leader

A college strength coach for more than two decades, Gingerelli co-authored with Richard Boergers, Ph.D., ATC, associate professor, Department of Athletic Training, Finish Strong: Resistance Training for Endurance Athletes (Bloomsbury Sport, 2021). In addition to his duties in the weight room, Gingerelli is an adjunct professor, Department of Educational Studies, College of Human Development, Culture, and Media, whose accolades include University-wide Adjunct Professor of the Year (2024) and recipient of the University’s prestigious Most Valuable Pirate Award (2011). He is a published author, frequent podcast guest, state/regional conference presenter, and has served as the New Jersey State director of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Additional information on Gingerelli and the book is available here.

Categories: Athletics