Mike Shearer is entering his first season as an assistant coach with the Elon volleyball program. Shearer started at Elon University in August of 2011 after serving as an assistant coach at College of Charleston during the 2009-10 seasons.
While at CofC, Shearer helped the Cougars win the 2010 Southern Conference South Division title after compiling a 15-1 conference record, finishing 29-6 overall. The Cougars made the conference tournament title match both seasons with Shearer, winning the title in 2009 and earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Shearer served as an assistant coach at Division II Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pa., in 2008 where he was directly responsible for all aspects of recruiting, development and execution of strength and conditioning programs, evaluation of opponents and game planning. That season he helped guide the Fighting Scots to a 26-9 overall record, a berth in the NCAA Tournament and was responsible for the recruiting of the program’s top three freshman, including the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Freshman of the Year.
Prior to his time at Edinboro, he served as a volunteer assistant coach at Villanova University in 2007. That season, the Wildcats compiled a 17-11 overall record, a 9-5 mark in the Big East Conference, good for third place. The Wildcats also had two players honored as First-Team All-Big East and one named as an Honorable Mention for All-America. Shearer assisted with scouting opponents, analyzing video of potential recruits, all on-court coaching at practices and provided feedback and recommendations during matches.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, he has had great success at the high school level, taking over a third-year Hatboro-Horsham program in Horsham, Pa., in 2006 and leading it to a 19-5 record, conference championship and a fifth-place finish in the AAA Pennsylvania State Championships.
In 2005, Shearer served as the head coach of the boys junior varsity team and was an assistant with the girls varsity at North Penn School District in Lansdale, Pa., before assuming the head coaching duties for the boys program. Following a 5-13 performance that season, Shearer turned the program around with a 17-6 record in 2007 that resulted in the team qualifying for the Pennsylvania State Championships.
Over that same time period, he was a coach with the Synergy Volleyball Club in King of Prussia, Pa., serving as an assistant coach for the 17- and 14-year old teams from 2005-06 and head coach of the 15-year old teams in 2006-07. As an assistant, his teams won multiple tournaments and both qualified for Nationals with the 14-year olds placing 13th and the 17-year olds 37th, both in the National Division. As a head coach, he led the 15-year old team to first-place finishes in several tournaments and a seventh-place finish in the Open Division at the Northeast and Big South National Qualifiers.
The Pennsylvania native also brings his own playing experience to bear on his coaching as he was a member of the Penn State University Division I Club Team. That included being the starting opposite on the 1997 EIVA Conference Championship team. He also played two years of club volleyball at West Chester University, earning All-Division and All-Conference honors both seasons.
Shearer earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Penn State in 1997 and also earned a Teacher Certification in Health and Physical Education, with a minor in Coaching, in 2002 from West Chester University. He has served as a Health and Physical Education Teacher for the North Penn School District and Collegium Charter School.
