Mishawaka High School has added three new head coaches in Will Coatie, Benji Dolly and Mike Bultinck
Will Coatie and Benji Dolly are both looking forward to the next chapters in their high school coaching careers.
The pair of passionate prep mentors are two of the three newest additions to the Mishawaka High School coaching fraternity.
Coatie was approved as the new boys basketball coach and Dolly as the new wrestling coach of the Cavemen by the Mishawaka School Board Wednesday night. Mike Bultinck was also hired as the new girls soccer coach at MHS during the meeting.
Bultinck was the JV coach last season for the MHS girls' soccer program.
Evan Fras, who took over as the new MHS Athletic Director on July 1, is excited to have the new additions.
"We are thrilled to welcome coach Coatie to the Cavemen family," Fras said. "His experience, energy and dedication to developing student athletes will be a tremendous asset to our basketball program, our students and the entire Mishawaka community.
"We are thrilled to welcome coach Dolly back home to Mishawaka. His passion for wrestling, commitment to student athletes and deep roots in our community make him the ideal leader to carry on the proud legacy of Cavemen wrestling.
"Coach Bultinck's heart for Mishawaka, his vision for this program and his lifelong commitment to growing the sport of soccer here made this an easy decision. He understands where we've been, where we are, and most important, where we can go. We're excited to see what Mike has in store for our girls' soccer program."
Coatie ready for new challenge
Coatie comes to the Cavemen after spending the past two seasons as the boys' hoops coach at Elkhart High School. He replaces Bodie Bender, who was hired by Elkhart in May to replace Coatie.
"This is a great opportunity," said Coatie. "It's just a blessing and an honor to get to continue to do what I enjoy and love doing, and that is mentoring young men.
"The feeling I got is that Mishawaka is where I need to be. God has a plan. Evan (Fras) is a great guy, and Mishawaka has a great culture and tradition in its athletics."
Coatie went 8-38 the past two seasons in charge of the Lions before stepping down in April. Elkhart finished the 2024-25 campaign at 5-18 after going 3-20 in his first season. Coatie was hired in May of 2023 to replace Kyle Sears, who was 12-34 his final two seasons at Elkhart.
"For me, it's all about us following the process," said Coatie, who played for Sam Alford at New Castle High School. "Mishawaka has some good young talent and kids who want to compete. We just need to worry about us and what we need to do to be successful as a team and as a program."Coatie had a long and successful career as both a head coach and an assistant coach. He was 114-144 over 11 years as the head girls basketball coach at Elkhart Central, then Elkhart High School when it merged with the old Memorial in 2020. His teams finished at .500 or better in six of his final seven seasons, and he guided Central to a sectional title in 2018, the first in 37 years for a program that had struggled mightily before Coatie rebuilt it. He was the NIC Girls Basketball Coach of the Year in 2023.Coatie was also a longtime assistant coach for the Oregon-Davis High School girls basketball program, helping them win a state championship in 2007. He also was an assistant coach for the Elkhart Express, the professional team that won International Basketball League championships in both 2006 and 2007. Bender a Jimtown High School product, was 45-33 at Mishawaka the past three seasons. He guided the Cavemen to a 20-7 season and a Class 4A sectional title in 2023 and then directed them to a 20-8 campaign with Class 4A sectional and regional championships in 2024. The regional title was the program's first since 1955.The Cavemen finished 5-18 overall and 1-6 in the Northern Lakes Conference during the 2024-25 season. Mishawaka had just three seniors on its roster this past season.
"I'm a lifer and plan to be in this for a long time, and Mishawaka is the place for me," said Coatie.
Dolly returns to roots
The name Dolly is synonymous with success in the storied tradition of Mishawaka wrestling.
Now, Benji Dolly wants to do his part to make sure the program prospers.
"This is where my heart is," said Dolly, a 2006 MHS graduate. "I'm just so appreciative of this opportunity. I've been around the wrestling greats in our area my whole life, guys like Al Smith and Henry Wilk. Now, I just want to do my part now."
Dolly's father, Tom, was an assistant coach at MHS, and his brothers Alex and Dennis were both stars for the Cavemen. Benji himself went 128-42 in his prep career with three sectional titles and three regional crowns. He was 43-6 as a senior and placed third at 152 at State Finals.
"We lived and breathed Mishawaka wrestling as kids growing up," related Dolly. "The coolest thing you could be around here was a Mishawaka wrestler or a Penn football player or a Jimtown football player or a wrestler. That's what I want it to be like with our program.
"I want our guys to know how important this is to our community. I want all of them to be proud to be a Mishawaka wrestler, like I was and my family were."
Dolly spent 10 years out in California producing and editing. He moved back here in 2020 and has been coaching in the Penn High School wrestling program the past four years.
"I think that coach Sandefur (former coach Steve Sandefur) did a wonderful job here," Dolly said. "I think he's a great coach who did not get enough credit. I just want to build on that for our kids here. I feel like I've come full circle. I just feel happier and more complete now."
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Will Coatie is the new boys basketball coach for the Cavemen
Category: General Sports
