The Oblinger File

• UNCW Athletics broke its fundraising record for the third straight year, raising $10,102,270 during the 2026 fiscal year.
• The department announced a historic partnership with Novant Health and EmergeOrtho, providing a top-tier student-athlete experience through the largest transformational investment in UNCW Athletics history.   
• The Seahawks had historic academic success, earning the highest student-athlete grade point average (3.571 during the Fall 2025 semester) in school history. Women's soccer, men's soccer, and men's basketball also led the CAA in team GPA. 
• In 2025, UNCW Athletics unveiled a refreshed brand identity and a new shade of team in collaboration with UNCW’s campus-wide brand initiative.
• During his tenure, Oblinger has hired Nicole Woods as the head women’s basketball coach, David Fischer as the head beach volleyball coach, Lo Hoyer as the head women's volleyball coach, Blake Taylor as the head men's golf coach, and Chris Bizot as the head women's tennis coach.
• In December 2025, Oblinger announced a multi-year agreement with Taymar. This partnership has deepened engagement with UNCW Athletics in the Wilmington community.

Since 2023, the Seahawks have captured 21 CAA Championships (18 team championships, three individual golf championships), broken fundraising and revenue records, and excelled in the classroom and community.

Oblinger has embraced the holistic student-athlete model with several strategic investments. Under Oblinger’s leadership, UNCW hired the first Director of Student-Athlete Well-Being, added staff to the Student-Athlete Support Services, formed a creative media team and expanded the marketing department, bolstered the nutrition budget and staffing, and partnered with Novant Health and EmergeOrtho for top-tier healthcare opportunities.

In November 2023, the Shoreline Recreation Complex opened on campus, which serves as the site for the women’s beach volleyball team’s home matches.

The Athletics Master Plan was approved in August 2024, marking a significant step towards enhancing the athletic footprint.

The Seahawk Club has seen a 200% increase since 2023. Back-to-back record-setting years were highlighted in the 2025 fiscal year, with a total of $8,046,169 raised. Overall, self-generated revenue has increased 45% during the last two fiscal years.

UNCW Athletics prides itself on being a vital part of the Wilmington Community. Since 2023, UNCW has led the CAA in overall attendance for men’s basketball, men's and women's soccer, and baseball. UNCW student-athletes have totaled over 5,000 hours of community service.

Taylor O’Brien (women’s soccer), Gray Mitchum (men's golf) and Ingrid Janney (women’s swimming and diving) were nationally recognized by Allstate and NACDA Good Works Team during the 2025-26 academic year. The Allstate NACDA Good Works Team was created to spotlight and reward student-athletes for their outstanding community service. 

Facility improvements have also been a major focal point. In 2025, Brooks Field received major upgrades to the playing surface: a new field turf was installed, a new premium seating option was added, dugouts, a redesigned outfield wall, and a videoboard were installed.

Trask Coliseum received upgrades to its WiFi and lighting systems. The Sport Performance Center, Golden Hawk Room, and David B. Allen Natatorium also saw major renovations. Locker rooms for Men’s and Women’s Tennis and Men’s and Women’s basketball have all seen improvements and renovations. New tutoring rooms were also added to the Student-Athlete Support Services area in Summer 2025.

Prior to UNCW, Oblinger served as the Deputy Athletics Director for External Affairs for the University of Connecticut.  Along with overseeing revenue generation, Oblinger also served as the sport administrator for UConn’s Men’s Basketball program. During his tenure at UConn, the Huskies completed over $200M in new facilities.  Recent projects included new facilities for baseball (Elliot Ballpark), Softball (Burrill Family Field), Soccer and Lacrosse (Morrone Stadium) and Hockey (Toscano Family Ice Forum).  In 2023, UConn Athletics achieved a record-breaking fundraising year, raising $26 million from 8,600 individual donors.

Oblinger also held fundraising roles at LSU, Nevada, Memphis and The Ohio State University.

Oblinger played basketball at Monmouth College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science. He also holds a master’s degree in sport administration from Western Illinois University. Mike and his wife, Liz, are the proud parents of Quinn and Miles.

CAA Championships Under Michael Oblinger

• Men's Basketball - 2025, 2026 (regular season)
• Men's Golf - 2023, 2026 (team and individual)
• Men's Tennis - 2023, 2024, 2025
• Baseball - 2023 (regular season and tournament), 2024 (tournament)
• Softball - 2024, 2026
• Women's Soccer - 2025
• Women's Golf - 2025 (individual), 2026 (individual)
• Men's Swim and Dive - 2024, 2025, 2026
• Women's Swim and Dive - 2024, 2025