Mike Blakeney

Michael Blakeney was named Chestnut Hill College’s inaugural women’s bowling head coach in February of 2015, bringing more than a decade’s worth of experience in coaching and management to the newly-formed program.

Blakeney comes to the Hill with a strong foundation of experience as both a player and coach, having spent four years as head coach of the women’s bowling program at Cheyney University (2008-2012), where he oversaw a remarkable turnaround. The Wolves improved steadily and eventually won 31 percent of their matches during Blakeney’s last season. In his four seasons, Blakeney helped Cheyney University increase its team scoring average from 530 to 760 and led the Wolves to victories over several teams ranked inside the nation’s top 20, including Adelphi University and Morgan State University. Committed to developing a well-rounded student-athlete, Blakeney’s players earned a cumulative team grade point average (GPA) of 3.22, and their success both on and off the lanes allowed him to recruit prospective student-athletes from places like Chicago and Connecticut – a first for the program.

In addition to his work at Cheyney University, Blakeney also spent a decade as head coach of the boys’ and girls’ bowling teams at Cardinal O’Hara High School (2002-2012), where he led the Lions to a Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) championship in 2008. In high school, Blakeney was an integral part of back-to-back PCL title-winning teams (1997-1998) at Saint John Neumann High School in South Philadelphia. From there, he went on to bowl for Vincennes University and Temple University, later serving as president and coach of the Owls club team from 2004 to 2008. There, he implemented successful fundraising programs that allowed the team to travel and compete at a high level. Blakeney has taken part in Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) regional tournaments and boasts 11 perfect games (300 pins) in his career. He is also a United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Silver Level Coach.

Furthermore, his extensive education has given him the experience and skills necessary to succeed in the field of higher education administration. Blakeney earned an associate’s degree in bowling center management from Vincennes University (2000) before gaining a bachelor’s degree in sport and recreation management (2006) and a master’s in sports and recreation administration (2007) from Temple University. He served as chairperson of Temple University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management senior seminar class, gaining invaluable development experience, and also completed an internship with the Villanova University Athletics Department (2005-2006), where he learned to implement marketing plans and coordinate promotions and fundraisers.

Blakeney resides in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Christine (King) Blakeney, who also serves as his assistant coach.