The Latest Colonials

Blakely joined the RMU Department of Athletics in August of 2019 as Deputy Director of Athletics, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Woman A d m i n i s t r a t o r (SWA). Blakely came to Robert Morris from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), where she has spent 10 years, including four as Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations. She also spent the 2018-19 season as the program’s SWA. While with the Vaqueros, Blakely was involved in strategic planning and oversight of revenue generation, branding, fan experience, digital media, licensing and sports administration. Through marketing and communication strategies, Blakely led the development of an external operations plan designed to increase brand awareness and build brand affinity. A native of Houston, Texas, Blakely was a volleyball student-athlete for the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA), earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing in 2009. She is the program’s all-time career leader in assists with 3,905. Two years later, while serving as a graduate assistant with UTPA, she earned her MBA, also in marketing. In her role at Robert Morris, Blakely is responsible for fostering a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusiveness throughout all levels of the organization and also serves as sport administrator for volleyball, softball and women’s lacrosse. Robert Morris welcomed a number of new administrative staff and head coaches to the

CHELSEA BLAKELY

university in 2019-20. A look at the new Colonials … NELLE STAHURA

KIM GRAHAM

Graham joined RMU as Deputy Director of Athletics, Chief Marketing Officer in August of 2019.

Graham joined the staff at Robert Morris after spending a year at UTRGV as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Operations. In his role with the Vaqueros, Graham managed and oversaw all areas of athletic events and facility operations. He does the same for the Colonials, directing oversight on event management, facility maintenance, equipment operations, facility master planning, capital projects, food and beverage operations, camps and championships. Graham also directs the day-to-day operations for several student welfare areas, including sports medicine and strength and conditioning. He will also serve as the sport administrator for football, cross country and track & field, rowing and golf. During his career in collegiate athletics, Graham served as the Director of Athletics at both Liberty University (1997- 2005) and Shorter University (2015-16). During his time leading the athletic department at Liberty, the Flames won five Big South Conference Sassar Cup Awards as well as the first two Big South Men’s All-Sports Awards. Graham served as Senior Associate Athletic Director at Southeastern Louisiana from 2006 to 2008 before serving in the same capacity at Campbell University from 2008 to 2015. Graham owns a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and a Master of Arts degree in secondary education, both from Georgetown College in Georgetown, Ky. An NAIA All-American in football, he was inducted into the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the Class

of 2019.

Stahura was promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Student-Athlete Development in June of 2020.

Stahura spent five years as head coach of the RMU rowing program and overall has spent nine years with the program. She was named head coach Oct. 27, 2015, after spending the previous four years as an assistant coach.

During her time as head coach with the Colonials, Stahura helped oversee the development of the Midge McPhail Boathouse on Neville Island, the home for the Robert Morris rowing program. At the 2019 Metro Atlantic Athletic Championships (MAAC), each of the three boats to compete, the Varsity 8, Second Varsity 8 and Varsity 4, advanced to the Grand Final for the first time in program history. The Second Varsity 8 highlighted the championships by earning bronze with a time of 7:26.521. Stahura, a native of Butler, Pa., earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication with a concentration in advertising from Robert Morris in 2007. She was a four-year letterwinner with the rowing program, earning team most valuable player (MVP) honors as a sophomore in 2004-05 while serving as team captain during her senior season in 2006-07.

CHRIS SHAW

Shaw was named head women’s soccer coach at Robert Morris in December of 2019.

Shaw spent six years as the head coach at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), compiling an overall record of 66-48-9 (.573). The winningest coach in program history, Shaw was named the 2016 Mountain West Conference (MWC) Coach of the Year after leading the Rebels to an overall record of 16-4-3 (.761), including a mark of 8-1-2 (.818) in the MWC. UNLV claimed its first conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth since 2007, had a 12-match unbeaten streak during the year, the longest in program history, and also established school records for points (152), goals (51) and assists (50). Prior to being named head coach at UNLV, Shaw spent the 2013 season as the head coach at Barton College in Wilson, N.C. The Bulldogs posted an overall record of 14-5-1 (.725), and Shaw was selected as the 2013 Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year. Shaw also spent four seasons as head coach at the University of Mount Olive in Mount Olive, N.C., from 2003 to 2007, compiling an overall record of 52-34 (.605). Overall in 12 years as a head coach, Shaw has posted a record of 132-87-10 (.598). Shaw, a native of Fayetteville, N.C., earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and physical education from Methodist University in 1994. He also owns a Master of Arts degree in exercise physiology from East Carolina University, which he earned in 1997.

THE LATEST COLONIALS

CAROL SCHOENECKER

S c h o e n e c k e r was promoted to RMU’s head rowing coach in June of 2020.

S c h o e n e c ke r, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., spent the last four years as an assistant coach with the Colonials after being named to the position in June of 2016. She assisted in guiding the Colonials to Grand Final at the 2019 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in each of the Varsity 8, Second Varsity 8 and Varsity 4 while also overseeing the novice program for RMU.

Schoenecker spent three years as an assistant coach at Duquesne from 2011 to 2014, coaching the Varsity 4 and Second Varsity 4 to third-place finishes at the Atlantic 10 Championships as well as the Novice 4 to bronze at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, Pa. Earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and classics from Bucknell in 2011, Schoenecker also earned a Master of Arts degree in social and public policy with a concentration in peace studies and conflict resolution from Duquesne in 2013. She is currently a doctoral student at Duquesne University with a research focus on equity and inclusion initiatives in collegiate rowing. Schoenecker competed at the Women’s Henley Regatta in England in 2008, and also spent two summers coaching the junior women with the Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association..

BRYAN DELSITE

Delsite was tabbed as RMU’s head cross country and track & field coach in June of 2020.

Delsite, a native of Elysburg, Pa., spent seven years in Lewisburg, Pa., as an assistant coach at Bucknell University. While on the staff with the Bison, he coached the vertical and horizontal jumps and multi-event student-athletes as well as select sprinters while assisting in scheduling and recruiting. He coached 34 All-Patriot League performers during his time at Bucknell, including eight women in indoor track & field and six in outdoor track & field. Between 2014 and 2019, Delsite helped Bucknell claim five Patriot League cross country championships, three indoor track & field championships and three outdoor track & field titles. Delsite tutored three Patriot League Field Athletes of the Meet, two Patriot League Rookies of the Year, a pair of IC4A/ECAC individual champions and six student-athletes that qualified for the first round of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In addition, two of his student-athletes own Patriot League records, including the men’s pole vault and the women’s triple jump. Prior to his stint at Bucknell, Delsite served as the head men’s and women’s cross country and track & field coach at Duquesne from 1998 to 2013. During his tenure, Delsite was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year four times and established every school record in indoor and outdoor track & field in both genders. Delsite is a 1993 graduate of Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and food management.