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Jim Blankenship
A veteran of nearly three decades in collegiate coaching, head coach Jim Blankenship, who was named the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2019 ASUN Coach of the Year, enters his 17th season as head coach of the FGCU women's soccer program in 2023. In the previous 16 seasons, he has guided the Eagles into a yearly contender in the ASUN Conference and a rising program in the Southeast Region.
Blankenship ranks among the elite women’s soccer coaches in collegiate history. Entering the 2023 season, his 436 career wins rank 6th among active NCAA DI coaches.
Blankenship started the program in 2007 and has since guided the Eagles to 15 double-digit win seasons (went 7-3-2 in 2020 COVID-19 spring season), culminating with ASUN Regular Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 and an ASUN East Division title in 2021. In 2011 and 2012 he also led the Eagles to back-to-back ASUN Tournament championships and became the first team in the history of the university to make it to the NCAA Tournament. He then repeated that feat in 2014 and 2015, resulting in the program's first NCAA Tournament victory in 2015, defeating USF 2-1 in the first round. FGCU then made it to four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament and six in seven years with its trip in 2017.
Blankenship has guided FGCU to a 196-75-30 overall record over the first 16 seasons of the program's existence, including a 101-20-16 mark in the ASUN. FGCU's 8-0-2 ASUN record in 2010 and 7-0-2 record in 2013 were the 11th and 12th unblemished seasons in conference history and two of seven since the league left divisional play in 1999. The Eagles' 7-0 mark in 2014 was the first undefeated and untied regular season since 2000.
While building four different programs from scratch, Blankenship's teams have won three National Championships, appeared in eight Final Fours, received eight NCAA Division I National Tournament bids and graduated more than 43 All-Americans and 29 Academic All-Americans. Blankenship's impressive career record of 436-146-41 over 31 seasons has come while leading FGCU, University of Miami, Lynn University and St. Thomas University.
In 2022, FGCU upset No. 1 overall seed Liberty in the ASUN Tournament, advancing on penalty kicks (4-3) to punch its ticket to the Dig Dance for the first time since 2017. The title marked the seventh ASUN Tournament title in program history. The Eagles posted a 12-6-2 record and an 8-1-1 mark in the ASUN Conference, including four clean sheets in conference play. Coach Blankenship achieved another milestone in 2022 by recording his 100th career ASUN win against Stetson. Leah Scarpelli landed SportsCenter’s No. 1 play with a perfect strike from midfield in a 1-0 road victory at Queens (N.C.). Nine Eagles were named All-ASUN, highlighted by the Defensive Player of the Year Scarpelli and the Freshman of the Year Erika Zschuppe. Louise Lillback earned ASUN All-Academic Team honors. A trio of Eagles (Scarpelli, Lillback and Ashley Labbe) were named United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Americans. Scarpelli also earned All-American honors by College Soccer News. Both Scarpelli and Lillback signed professional contracts overseas at season’s end.
In 2021, Blankenship guided the Eagles to 10-7-1 record against one of the toughest schedules in the nation which included Florida, South Florida, Tennessee, and #1 and eventual National Champion Florida State. In the ASUN, the Eagles went 7-2 and finished as the top team in the ASUN East Divsion. While the Eagles did not accomplish their goal of a tournament title, the Eagles had four players land on the ASUN All-Conference team led by Player of the Year Louise Lillback. Ashley Labbe and Kajsa Lang joined Lillback on the first team while Leah Scarpelli earned a spot on the second team. That quartet also earned United Soccer Coaches All-South region honors with Lillback landing on the first team.
In 2020-21, with the season being moved to the spring because of COVID-19, Blankenship led the Eagles to a 7-3-2 record and a 4-2 record in the ASUN. Six players earned spots on the ASUN All-Conference teams, ;ed Kajsa Lang, who earned a spot on the first team, one of just two freshman to make the team. Lang and Ashley Labbe were both named to the United Soccer Coaches All-South Second Team while Zoey Spitzer and Louise Lillback were named to the third team. Lang and Labbe were also named as one of the Top 100 Freshmen in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
The summer of 2021 was also big for a former player of Blankenship's as Julia Roddar '15 won a silver medal with Sweden at the Tokyo Olympic Games. In doing so, she became the first Eagle in in FGCU history, regardless of sport, to earn a medal at the Olympics.
In 2019, Blankenship's team captured the ASUN Regular Season Championship. The title was the 15th that FGCU women's soccer has secured in its 13 seasons of existence. In additional to the team success, the squad had multiple players that received top marks during the postseason. Evdokia Popadinova (ASUN Player of the Year) became the second two-time All-American in program history, as she was named to the Third Team by the United Soccer Coaches. In addition to the athletic recognition, she was named a Second Team Academic All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. The Eagles also had two other student-athletes capture Academic All-American recognition in Lindsey Patton (ASUN Defensive Player of the Year) and Opal Curless. Patton received Third Team honors from the United Soccer Coaches, while Curless was named to CoSIDA's Second Team.
In 2018, Holly Fritz became the first Eagle in FGCU history to be named a Google Cloud Academic All-American. Fritz was also one of three players to be selected to the South All-Region First Team. Evdokia Popadinova and Linsey Patton landed on the first team, while classmate Marjorie Boilesen was tabbed as a South All-Region Third Team selection. In addition to her postseason awards, Popadinova was named Second Team All-American. She became the eighth Eagle in program history to receive All-American accolades and the second to be selected to the Second Team. Fritz was selected as the 2018 ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the second selection in program history since 2011. As a team, FGCU closed out the 2018 season ranked in the top-10 nationally in four different statistical categories: assists per game (2nd, 2.74), points per game (4th, 7.58), total assists (5th, 52) and scoring offense (9th, 2.42).
The Eagles overcame adversity in 2017 to remain atop the ASUN Conference. Following a 7-1 start to the season, FGCU was forced to remain in Arizona due to Hurricane Irma, returning with a 7-2 record nearly a week later. Upon returning, FGCU went into conference play and moved their unbeaten streak against conference foes to 49 games, the fourth-longest streak in NCAA history, before falling to Lipscomb 1-0. With a Bisons loss on the final day of the season, FGCU shared the crown, continuing its stretch of consecutive regular season titles to eight, the longest active streak in the country. Going on the road for the conference tournament for the first time in program history, FGCU defeated Jacksonville in the semifinals before coming from 2-0 back to take down Lipscomb in the Final, 3-2 in double overtime. With the win, FGCU made it four-straight NCAA appearances and six in seven seasons.
FGCU's historic 2017 season came full circle when the Green and Blue earned 11 All-Conference selections, the most in ASUN history and the maximum a program can earn. Among those 11 were six First Team selections including the ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year (Melissa Weck) and the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year (Ashley Parks). Later, FGCU would again earn the maximum number of honors when five players were selected to the All-Southeast Region Teams. Only FGCU, South Carolina, and UCF placed five honorees on the All-Southeast Region Teams.
FGCU's dominance in conference play continued in 2016 as the Eagles once again hoisted the ASUN regular season trophy with a 6-0-1 mark. The success continued, as FGCU defeated Lipscomb in the ASUN Tournament to make its fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament in just six seasons. The Eagles placed seven athletes on All-Conference teams, including ASUN Player of the Year Tabby Tindell, who became the first women's soccer player to win three-consecutive Player of the Year honors. Tindell again made history, becoming FGCU's first NSCAA All-American when she earned Third Team honors following her senior season. The season also witnessed Tindell break the ASUN goals (66) and points (162) record as well as FGCU's assist (30) mark.
The Eagles made it six-straight ASUN titles in 2015 led by ASUN Player of the Year Tabby Tindell and ASUN Defensive Player of the Year Emma Blackwell. With a 14-6-3 mark overall, FGCU completed one of its most successful seasons all while making history at the end of the season. Playing USF in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, the Eagles defeated the Bulls 2-1 for the program's first NCAA win.
2014 repeated the success from the previous season and more. The Eagles set new single-season program records in points (141), points per game (6.71), goals (45), game-winning goals (17), assists (51), assists per game (2.43) all while winning a program-best 17 matches. FGCU's historic run in 2014 resulted the Green and Blue hosting Auburn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in addition to their fifth straight ASUN title.
In his seventh year on the sidelines of the FGCU Soccer Complex, Blankenship guided the Green and Blue to a fourth consecutive ASUN regular season title and had a record eight selections to ASUN postseason teams including Freshman of the Year Tabby Tindell and Goalkeeper of the Year Brittany Brown. The numbers would suggest that 2013 was the greatest season offensively in FGCU women's soccer history. The Eagles set program single-season records in points (130), goals (43), shots (384), shots per game (19.20), shots on goal (180) and shots on goal per game (9.00).
In his sixth season, Blankenship led FGCU to its third-straight regular season title and second-straight tournament crown. The team tied the program record for wins (14) and had a program-best 14-4-3 record and an impressive 7-1-1 record in the ASUN. FGCU won the ASUN Championship in the same fashion as last year, with a freshman scoring the game-winning goal in overtime for a 2-1 victory over Mercer.
FGCU ended the 2011 campaign with a 14-5-2 overall record and an impressive 7-1-1 ASUN mark, claiming back-to-back ASUN regular season titlesand earning their first-ever ASUN tournament championship. FGCU won the championship off a dramatic goal in double-overtime sending the Eagles into the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history.
In his fourth year at the helm, Blankenship led FGCU to its first ASUN regular season championship after finishing the season with an unblemished 8-0-2 conference record, while posting an 11-4-2 overall mark. The Eagles had a conference-best 11 shutouts under Blankenship's watch and received votes in the NSCAA South Region Poll. As the central part of a defense that only allowed two goals in ASUN games, KC Correllus earned Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. It was the first time the same player has won both honors since it's the defensive award's inception in 2007. Goalkeeper Stephanie Powers and midfielder Olivia Elias joined Correllus on the All-Conference first team, while defender Kat Hunter and forward Lindsay Haw made the second team. Newcomer Jenci Villaverde made an immediate mark on the program, earning a spot on the All-Freshmen team. Correllus and Elias also earned spots on the All-South Region first and third teams, respectively.
Blankenship and the Green and Blue matched their inaugural win total after posting a conference best 11 overall wins (11-5-3) in 2009. FGCU again finished in third place in the conference, going 6-2-2 in the ASUN. Under Blankenship's direction, the Eagles posted the conference's lowest goals against average at 0.74 and were second-best in shutouts (7). For their performances in the backfield, Correllus earned first team honors while newcomer Danielle Faller was named Freshman of the Year. The Eagles' keeper, Powers, earned All-Conference second team honors after allowing a conference-low 14 goals. Senior midfielder Amber McCall was also recognized for her offensive tactics as she earned Atlantic Sun All-Conference first team honors for the third consecutive year.
In 2008, Blankenship led the Eagles to 10-4-3 overall record and a 5-2-3 record in the ASUN. FGCU finished fourth in the ASUN, ending the season second in goals per game, assists, assists per game, goals allowed and shutouts. McCall was voted to the Atlantic Sun All-Conference first team, while Haw and redshirt freshman Correllus earned All-Conference second team honors. Correllus also earned a spot on the All-Freshmen team along with Powers.
The Eagles' inaugural season saw a third-place finish in the ASUN with a 7-4 conference mark. FGCU was second in points and goals during 2007 and allowed the second fewest goals per game in the ASUN. Blankenship guided the new program to an overall record of 11-7 and saw Haw named the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year with a team-leading 28 points. McCall earned first team honors while, Hunter earned a second team nod. Both Haw and Hunter were voted onto the All-Freshmen team.
Prior to FGCU, Blankenship worked three seasons as the assistant women's soccer coach at FAU, which won back-to-back Atlantic Sun Conference championships. After posting the most wins in program history during the fall of 2006, the Owls received their first-ever bid to the NCAA College Cup, but fell to eventual national semifinalist Florida State in the first round. Under the direction of head coach Brian Dooley, Blankenship was responsible for training and recruiting for the Owls' program.
From 1998 to 2002, Blankenship led the Miami Hurricanes as the program's first coach. He led the team to the conference tournament in the second year of the program and received an NCAA tournament bid in just the fourth season of competition. Under his direction, the Hurricanes climbed as high as No. 14 in the national rankings and Blankenship's recruiting classes were recognized as some of the top-rated collegiate classes between 1998 and 2001.
Before coaching the Hurricanes, Blankenship spent 12 years as the first-ever head women's soccer coach at Lynn. He earned NAIA Coach of the Year honors five times (1988, 1990, 1992, 1994 & 1995) and NSCAA Coach of the Year twice (1992 and 1994). His teams won three national championships (1992, 1994 & 1995) and were runners-up twice (1991 and 1993). The Fighting Knights reached the Final Four in 10 consecutive seasons under his tutelage. He was inducted into Lynn University's Athletic Hall of Fame in the spring of 2003.
In addition to his collegiate coaching, he has been the Director of Coaching for the Soccer Association of Boca Raton, where he coached 15 teams and led Team Boca, one of the most competitive development programs in the nation, to eight championships, including a state title in the U-13 division.
Blankenship, who is from Newark, Delaware, played collegiate soccer at FIU and graduated with a bachelor's degree in administration and recreation in 1982. He later went on to earn his master's degree in sports administration from St. Thomas University.
Blankenship, along with his wife Patricia, daughter Jordan, and son Justin live in Estero.
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