Mike Giancola was named Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator in December of 2023. Giancola originally hails from Northern Virginia where he graduated from Westfield High School (2006). He earned his Bachelors (History) and Masters (Curriculum and Instruction) degrees from Virginia Tech in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
"I’m very excited to announce Mike Giancola as our Defensive Coordinator and Associate Head Coach," said head coach Bryan Stinespring. "In pursuing this hire, Mike checked all the boxes. He is a terrific defensive minded coach whose defenses have consistently been a top tier unit. He has a wealth of knowledge in the ODAC conference, and is a tremendous recruiter. More importantly, he is a great person. He is detail oriented, and a great asset to me in many areas. I could not be happier to have Mike and his family joining us here at Roanoke College."
Before coming to Roanoke he spent seven seasons at Bridgewater College serving as the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator, while also coaching multiple position groups in his tenure. In his time at Bridgewater the defense was routinely ranked near or at the top of the conference each season, and was recognized nationally in multiple years in major defensive statistical categories. In the 2019 season Giancola helped lead Bridgewater to a 10-1 record and the ODAC championship.
Before arriving at Bridgewater, Giancola spent 6 seasons as an assistant coach at Westfield High School in Chantilly, VA. During that time he served as the Defensive Coordinator, Special Teams Coordinator, Defensive Backs Coach and Defensive Line Coach. He is a 3-time Virginia 6A State Champion, winning the state championship twice as a coach (2015, 2016) and once as a player (2003).
Giancola and his wife, Michelle, have a son, Jonathan, and a daughter, Ophelia.
