Chris Schortgen’s announcement post of becoming the head coach of men’s volleyball at MU.
@MANHATTANMVBALL / INSTAGRAM
Isaiah Rosario, Senior Writer
In the summer of 2024, it was announced that three new programs would be added to Manhattan University Athletics: women’s golf, men’s volleyball and acrobatics and tumbling. MU has found coaches for two of the three sports.
Keith Prokop of men’s golf will be coaching the women’s golf program, and Chris Schortgen, a new hire, will head the men’s volleyball program. Both will take on new roles as they build programs from the ground up.
“For me, it goes much, much more beyond volleyball,” Schortgen said about being a founding member of a new program at the university. “I’m the first person in my family to graduate from university due to opportunities of volleyball, and getting a scholarship there … I’m recruiting, and they’re going to be future best friends. They’re going to be changing their lives, the international players, or any player coming from wherever, after this education, the experience, the internships, the post graduate opportunities that this program provides, these are life-changing opportunities that I’m able to provide. That means a lot to me because it goes beyond the core.”
According to Schortgen, there are currently 11 players on the roster for the 2026 season. He feels like he is in a good place and is ecstatic about the upcoming season.
On the flip side, Prokop is unsure about the number of players that he will have on the roster for women’s golf, as he wants to make sure that he finds the right fit for his new group. Currently, he has five people committed to the program. In terms of what he’s looking for in his new recruits?
“It’s a little mix of everything,” Prokop said. “I’m very much a teacher in that regard, so I need them to be able to be open, honest, coachable and reflective. We go deep into the psychological talks, which is something that I think every golf program should, but not everyone does that. So I need them to be able to be comfortable with being able to talk about the positives and the negatives that go through a golfing career.”
Golf is one of the lesser-known sports at MU, but Prokop and his players believe that this new program and the rising awareness of golf will help bring more eyes to the sport.
“I think the golf culture has been changing over the last few years with the constant improvements we have made each year in the men’s program, but now adding a women’s program will add even more fuel to the culture we are trying to build,” men’s golf player Dimitri Mihelakos wrote in an email to The Quadrangle.
Schortgen is excited to get up and going in the spring of 2026. Although spring 2026 seems like a while away, the team will arrive in fall for training.
Schortgen is excited about the new program, saying that a highlight for him will be seeing players “get assimilated to the institution.”
“I’ve been going on tours with the recruits when I first got hired to just learn about the university,” Schortgen said. “I think as I learned more about the institution and the history and the possibilities and all the things we’d offer as a product to these student-athletes, then I gained much more confidence and excitement. I’m just excited for the journey and for these players to arrive in August.”
Women’s golf has already seen some community activity, with a new recruit, Beans Factor, blowing up on social media due her name. Prokop said that her going viral was nice to get a lot of eyes on this new program and great for Factor to get attention on her and her game.
The new teams will continue to recruit to get ready for fall training and the search remains active for a coach to lead the acrobatics and tumbling program.