PIKEVILLE, Ky. – When it came time to hire the third men's bowling coach in University of Pikeville history, it didn't have to look too far.
 
The university has hired Andrew Dekowski to lead the men's bowling program.
 
Dekowski came to UPike as a graduate assistant in bowling in 2020 and has been with the program ever since. In addition to being a graduate assistant coach, he has been an assistant coach for both the men's and women's programs for the last two seasons.
 
He has made quite a name for himself in coaching circles, having been named Mid-South Conference assistant bowling coach of the year three times.
 
"Andrew pretty quickly established himself as a difference maker within our program and our athletics department," said Coach Bobby Brown, director of bowling and head women's bowling coach. "We truly believe he will be an outstanding leader of our men's bowling program."
 
Dekowski is a graduate of William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., where he was a two-time All-American as named by the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association. He was also a two-time first-team collegiate club team All-American and a two-time club national champion.
 
He was also 2019 All-American as selected by the International Bowling Media Association. In addition, he earned his MBA in healthcare management from the University of Pikeville in May 2022.
 
"We are very fortunate to have someone of Andrew's caliber on hand to step in and lead our program," said Corey Fipps, director of athletics. "He has been part of our program for several years, so he knows the student-athletes very well and they know him.
 
"That level of familiarity should help eliminate some of the stumbling blocks that comes with a normal coaching change, particularly with a first-time coach. We think we have a first-time head coach with a tremendous amount of experience. We're very excited to welcome Andrew to his new position."
 
The 2024-25 season begins Oct. 19-20 with the Bears hosting their annual Orange & Black Classic tournaments in Beavercreek, Ohio.