Penn Highlands names Chris Weakley women’s coach, expands dual role

Penn Highlands Community College has put Chris Weakley in charge of both basketball programs, naming him head women’s coach after two successful years leading the men’s team in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The move gives the college a rare dual-role setup and extends Weakley’s reach across the men’s and women’s sides after the school said his work earned enough trust to expand his responsibilities from within.

Weakley’s rise was built on results. Penn Highlands said he guided the men’s program to back-to-back Region 20 championships, a run that helped turn a 2024 hire into a broader leadership role. The college had originally brought in Christopher Weakley as head coach of the men’s basketball program, and this latest step keeps the same name at the center of both benches rather than sending the women’s search outside the department.

The timing also matters for roster planning. When one coach oversees both programs, recruiting, scouting, and scheduling can move through the same system, which is especially useful at a junior college where staffs are usually lean. Penn Highlands’ announcement points to continuity in player development and day-to-day standards, with one voice guiding both teams as they build toward the next cycle of commitments and roster turnover.

Penn Highlands later said the women’s basketball program is back and that both programs are set to compete at the Division II level starting in the 2026-27 season. That raises the stakes for Weakley’s expanded job, because he is now responsible not only for preserving the men’s recent success but also for helping reestablish the women’s side under the same athletic identity. For Penn Highlands, the decision signals confidence in a coach already tied to the school’s recent basketball momentum and a willingness to centralize the program around him as the college resets for the next level.