Michael Whitling is entering his fifth season as the head coach of the Mansfield University women's basketball program. He was named the head coach in July of 2016.
Whitling is the fastest coach in program history to lead a team to the postseason, guiding Mansfield to a PSAC Tournament berth in his second season at the helm in 2017-18. It was just the third time in program history the Mounties appeared in playoffs and the first time in 11 years.
The 2017-18 season saw the Mountaineers earn the most overall and conference wins since the 2011-12 season. Mansfield’s 71-54 win over Shippensburg was just the fifth in series history and snapped an 18-game series losing streak to the Raiders. In their next game, visiting Mansfield knocked off Bloomsburg 63-53 on the road for the first time in 33 years and just the second ever win at Nelson Fieldhouse. The Mounties also defeated Millersville 60-54 at Decker Gymnasium for just the fifth win over the Marauders in series history.
Following the season, Brielle Kelly was named to 1st Team All-PSAC East and Alyssa Mullins to 2nd Team All-PSAC East. It was the first 1st Team All-PSAC East selection for the Mountaineers since the 2006-07 season and the first time Mansfield placed two student-athletes on the all-conference team since 2005-06. Kelly also collected ECAC Division II Player of the Year recognition with Erin Gibbons being named Rookie of the Year.
Whitling led Mansfield to five wins in his first season with a season sweep of Cheyney and the program’s first ever victory over Gannon in a 57-50 final at Decker Gymnasium.
Whitling joined the Mountaineers after serving as an assistant coach with Gannon University women’s basketball from 2013 to 2016 under head coach Jim Brunelli. During that time, the Golden Knights made a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2014 & 2015) and saw five players hit the 1,000 point scoring milestone. Gannon compiled a three-year record of 66-23 and made numerous appearances in the national rankings, sitting as high as No. 2 in the country during the 2013-14 season.
Prior to Gannon, Whitling served as Brunelli’s assistant at Anderson University (S.C.) for three seasons. Whitling helped Anderson to South Atlantic Conference (SAC) regular season and tournament titles during the 2012-13 season along with an NCAA Tournament berth. The Trojans also knocked off Division I Clemson 72-65 earlier that season.
Whitling got his start in coaching as a Graduate Assistant for Clarion University women’s basketball under four-time PSAC West Coach of the Year Margaret “Gie” Parsons from 2005-08 before serving as the head coach of the Du Bois High School junior varsity boys’ basketball team for two seasons.
The Knox, Pa. native earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Clarion in 2004 before receiving his master’s degree in Education in 2008. While at Clarion, he was a three-year letter winner for the Golden Eagles’ baseball team. Whitling earned All-PSAC Western Division second-team utility honors, recording the fifth-highest single-season batting average (.357) in school history as a senior.
