Adelphi University Athletics

Dennis Kearney wrapped up his eighth year as the head coach of the Adelphi University women's bowling program in 2021-22.

He has coached the Panthers to a winning record in each of the last seven seasons, including back-to-back East Coast Conference titles in 2016 and 2017. His career coaching record stands at 441-301, translating to a .594 winning percentage.

In the team's post-pandemic return to the lanes in 2021-22, Kearney's Panthers reached the finals of the ECC Championship for the first time since 2017 and placed three bowlers on the ECC All-Conference Team. Not only did Kearney surpass 400 career victories in the process, his program carried the ECC Rookie of the Year (Blanca Fraticelli) for the second-consecutive year.

Even with a two-year break, Adelphi still came in as the preseason favorites in the conference, with Skylar McGarrity earning Preseason Bowler of the Year honors.

Though the outbreak of COVID-19 stopped the Panthers from battling for an ECC Championship in 2019-20, Adelphi rounded out the year with the most wins (63) and highest winning percentage (.649) of any team in the league, en route to Kearney earning his fourth ECC Coach of the Year honor in as many seasons. The Panthers finished the season with a flourish, as Kearney's squad posted a 42-16 record (.724 winning percentage) after the New Year and captured four tournament titles in the process.

The Brown and Gold also led the conference with three All-ECC selections, including the program's first-ever ECC Rookie of the Year, and earned as high as a No. 18 national ranking in the final NTCA poll.

That success translated to the classroom, where the Panthers achieved the highest cumulative grade-point average of any NCAA bowling program in the country with a 3.82 GPA -- the highest in Kearney's tenure as head coach.

In 2018-19, Kearney surpassed the 300-win coaching plateau, as the team posted a 68-46 record. He went on to win his third-consecutive ECC Coach of the Year honor.

Additionally, the Panthers made it to the consolation final of the ECC Championship and faced some of the nation's top competition throughout the season, winning the Sacred Heart Bowl for a Cure and Kutztown Invitational along the way.

In 2017-18, Kearney's team finished the season at 76-36 overall (.679 winning percentage) and at No. 14 in the NTCA poll. It was the second-highest national ranking among NCAA Division II and Division III schools. He mentored Rebecca Gotterbarn to ECC Bowler of the Year and NTCA All-America distinction for the second year in a row, as well.

Adelphi captured back-to-back ECC Championships in what was only Kearney's second and third years at the helm of the program.

In 2016-17, the Panthers had attained their best record to-date, in Kearney's tenure, at 75-44 (.630). His team received the No. 2 seed at the ECC Championship and swept through the double-elimination tournament, ultimately defeating Lincoln Memorial University in back-to-back matches to repeat as conference champions.

With 20 years of experience in bowling, Kearney was selected to lead the Panthers as a member of the Northeast Conference, and led them into the East Coast Conference in his second season.

His bowlers have continually been recognized for their work in the classroom, annually earning NTCA All-Academic and ECC Commissioner's Honor Roll praise. Kearney has also been appointed to serve on the NCAA National Women's Bowling Committee for the start of a four-year term in 2021-22.
 
Prior to coming to Adelphi, Kearney worked at Sachem North High School, where he was the head coach of the bowling program for six years. He received his bachelor's degree from SUNY Cortland in 2006 in Physical Education.

Kearney's Year-by-Year Coaching Record
2 ECC Championships, 3 ECC Championship Final Appearances

Year	-Overall-		-Notes-
	W-L	Pct.
2014-15	49-58	.458
2015-16	52-47	.525	ECC Champions
2016-17	75-44	.630	ECC Champions
2017-18	76-36	.679
2018-19	68-46	.596
2019-20	63-34	.649	ECC Championship canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020-21	-	-	No season due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22	58-36	.617	ECC Championship Finalist
2022-23	11-11	.500	Resigned from head coaching duties on Nov. 1
8 Seasons (9 Years)	452-312	.592