Elon University Athletics

Willie Whealen is entering his second season with the program in 2023. He joined the Phoenix as an assistant coach in February 2022.

Last season, Whealen helped lead the Phoenix to a 5-22 overall record finishing 11th in the regular season. Jessica Parker was named to the All-CAA Rookie Team, the second consecutive season with a Phoenix rookie earning that honor. 

Coming off the program's most successful campaign since joining the CAA the year prior, Whealen helped lead the Phoenix to a 13-14 record in 2022. The maroon and gold went 10-6 in conference play, marking the second straight season for the team with double-digit league wins. Elon won its first three CAA matches for the second consecutive season and became the first team to defeat Towson, who entered 18-0, on Oct. 15. The Phoenix won six of its last seven regular season matches, posting two sweeps against league foes. Three Elon players learned All-Conference honors, as Leah Daniel was named to the All-CAA First Team, Haylie Clark to the All-CAA Second Team and Clara LaRue to the All-CAA Rookie Team. 

Whealen was most recently the volunteer assistant coach at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Mo. from the fall of 2020 through the fall 2021 season. A 2021 AVCA Coaches 4 Coaches Scholarship recipient, he was responsible for training the Billikens' primary passers, scouted opponent blocking and defense to help inform the team's offensive game plan for each match, co-led weekly setter meetings and was responsible for in-match sideout and reception charts. He also created scouting reports, developed a goal-tracking system for individual players, and assisted with on on-campus recruiting visits.

Prior to joining the Billikens, Whealen was an assistant coach with Lindenwood University's men's volleyball team for the 2016-17 academic year. He was also a USAV Club Coach with St. Louis High Performance Volleyball and was a varsity assistant at both Visitation Academy (2015-19) and his alma mater, St. Louis University High School (2016, 2018-19).

Whealen played club for St. Louis High Performance from 2005-11 and also played all four years as a student at St. Louis High School from 2008-11, winning a state championship in 2010. He attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he was a member of the Mizzou Men's Club Volleyball team from 2011-15 and earned his Bachelor's of English Literature degree with minors in Business and French. He later added a Teaching Certification in Secondary English from Lindenwood University in 2019.