| Mark Bernardino |
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Virginia's status among the nationally prominent swimming and diving program can be attributed to the vision and hard work of many, but at the forefront is head coach Mark Bernardino. The 2006-07 season marks Bernardino's 29th year at the helm of UVa's ever-strengthening swimming and diving program.
Under Bernardino, the Cavalier women have finished among the top 25 teams in the NCAA Championships 17 times in the past 25 years. Last year's squad was 23rd at the NCAA Championships. His l988 women's team finished a school-best seventh at the NCAAs. Bernardino ranks second all-time among Atlantic Coast Conference women's coaches in career victories with 205. In 2005-06, Bernardino's women's squad finished second at the ACC Championship for the second straight year, after winning consecutive ACC Championships in 2003 and 2004. The Cavaliers posted a 6-3 dual meet record, including a 5-0 mark in the ACC.
Bernardino's men's squads have posted 19 top-25 finishes in the NCAA Championship. The Cavaliers finished 18th at the NCAA Championship last year, after 13th place finishes in both 2003-04 and 2004-05. The 2002-03 season marked the Cavaliers' best performance at the NCAAs in school history, a 10th-place finish at the national meet. UVa improved upon its 11th-place finish at the 2002 NCAA Championship, which was at the time the highest NCAA showing in team history.
Last year's team won the ACC Championship for the eighth consecutive year, breaking the school record for consecutive ACC titles, which they previously held. The men finished the 2005-06 season with an impressive 9-3 overall record and a perfect 5-0 mark in the ACC. It marked UVa's sixth consecutive undefeated season in conference competition.
Bernardino has coached 102 All-Americans at Virginia, who have combined to win 312 All-America certificates. Among the All-Americans he has coached are three NCAA champions who have won a total of five NCAA titles, Olympic medalists, World University Games medalists, Pan American medalists, Pan Pacific Games medalists, and World Championship finalists. His swimmers have simultaneously built a tradition of academic success.
The women's team has earned CSCAA All-Academic team honors 15 consecutive years and the men have been honored with the same status 12 times in the past 15 years. Bernardino has coached CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, numerous first-team CSCAA Academic All-Americans, and many Weaver-James-Corrigan Award winners. During his tenure, over 375 Cavaliers have been named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
The Cavalier men's team has finished the season ranked in the top 15 of the CSCAA dual meet poll for eight consecutive years, while the women's team has been in the top 20 every year during that period.
Bernardino is a 22-time winner of the ACC Coach of the Year Award, having garnered the honor 13 times for the men's team (1983, `87, `88, `89, `94, `99, `00, `01, `02, `03, `04, `05, `06) and nine times for the women's squad (1983, `84, `86, `90, `94, `96, `98, `99, `03). Last year's men's and women's squads combined to send 13 swimmers to the NCAA Championships with nine earning All-America honors.
Cavalier swimmers have also excelled beyond collegiate competition. Former Virginia swimmer Michael Raab represented the United States in the 2005 World Championships in Montreal. He also competed for the USA in the 2005 Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool vs. Australia in Irvine, Calif. Current third-year Pat Mellors competed in the 2005 World University Games for the United States in Izmir, Turkey. Fourth-year Vanja Rogulj represented Croatia in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He swam both breaststroke events with his best finish coming in the 100-meter breast where he was 26th.
In July of 2004, 21 swimmers with UVa ties, including 14 who competed for the Cavaliers during the 2003-04 season, competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Long Beach, Calif. Seven swimmers with UVa ties advanced to finals during the Olympic Trials. Fran Crippen placed fifth and sixth in the 400 and 1500-meter freestyles, respectively. Michael Raab posted the top finish by a Virginia swimmer with a third-place performance in the 200-meter butterfly, while Brielle White was fourth in the 100-meter backstroke. Luke Wagner touched eighth in the 200-meter backstroke. Ed Moses was a finalist in the breaststroke events, finishing sixth in the 100 and fourth in the 200. Third-year Pat Mellors was seventh in the 400-meter individual medley, while classmate Ryan Hurley placed eighth in the 200-meter breaststroke.
During the summer of 2003, four Cavaliers competed in the Pan American Games and won a total of five medals. All-American Michael Raab set a Pan Am Games record in winning the gold medal in the 200-meter fly and All-American Fran Crippen won silver medals in the 400 and 1500-meter freestyles. All-Americans Luke Wagner (200-meter back) and Rachael Burke (800-meter free) both won silver medals as well. In the summer of 2002, Wagner competed for the United States in the Pan Pacific Championships, while All-American Mirjana Bosevska participated in the European Swimming Championships for her native Macedonia. Former volunteer assistant coach Ed Moses was a member of the USA's World Championship team.
The Virginia swimming program was well represented in international competitions during the summer of 2001. Bosevska competed for Macedonia in the FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Luke Anderson and Wagner were selected to the United States' Goodwill Games team that competed in Brisbane, Australia. The pair helped the U.S. win the team bronze medal and Anderson also earned a bronze medal for his performance in the 400-meter free relay. Rounding out the field of international competition swimmers was Guy Yimsomruay, who took part in the Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia.
Four Virginia swimmers, Bosevska, Yimsomruay, Moses, and Shamek Pietucha competed in the 2000 Olympics Games. Moses won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. 400 medley relay team and a silver medal for his 100-meter breast performance. He was the second of Bernardino's swimmers to medal at the Olympics. Melanie Valerio, a 1991 graduate, was a gold medalist at the 1996 Olympic games for her contributions on the U.S. 400 free relay team. Peter Wright, a 1996 graduate, also competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and placed 12th in the 1500-meter free, the top American finisher. UVa has had over 86 swimmers qualify for and participate in the Olympic Trials during Bernardino's tenure.
Like many of his swimmers, Bernardino has also garnered national recognition. In the summer of 2001, he served as the head coach of the USA World University Games Team in Beijing, China. He led the USA to a competition-best 17 medals, including seven gold. Bernardino was selected by USA Swimming as an assistant coach for the 2000 men's United States National Junior Team, which competed in the 2000 Mare Nostrom International Competition in Barcelona, Spain. He served as head coach for the East squad at the 1993 U.S. Olympic Festival and was an assistant at the 1986 Festival. He has been a featured clinician at three NCAA Youth Education Through Sports clinics, and his summer camp in Charlottesville is regarded as one of the nation's best at teaching techniques and mechanics.
He is also a longtime member of the U.S. National Team coaching staff and is a panelist for the College Swimming Coaches' Association of America Top 25 poll. In 1996, Bernardino was named an advisory coach for the U.S. Olympic Team. He also served as a member of the NCAA Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Committee from 2000-2004, a prestigious appointment.
Bernardino, a Drexel Hill, Pa., native, received his bachelor's degree from UVa's McIntire School of Commerce in 1974. After two years as a sales representative for Procter & Gamble, Bernardino returned to Virginia in 1976 and served as an assistant coach for the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons. He earned a master's degree in counseling from the Curry School of Education in 1978. In August 1978, Bernardino was named head coach.
Bernardino had an exemplary swimming career at Virginia, graduating with six school swimming records and earning the 1974 UVa Male Athlete of the Year Award. He qualified for three NCAA Championship Meets and the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Bernardino and his wife, Terry, have two daughters, Kathleen (18) and Megan (16), and two sons, Michael (14) and Kevin (10).
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