It may be hard to believe, but South Carolina’s new men and women’s swimming and diving associate head coach Mark Bernardino will attempt to continue to build on an already padded resume.
Bernardino gathered 27 Atlantic Coast Conference titles (16 titles with the men’s team and 11 with the women’s team) as head coach of the swimming and diving team at the University of Virginia.
Bernardino began his head coaching career in 1978 and after 35 seasons at the helm for the Cavaliers, coaching top-tier NCAA and Olympic athletes and winning multitudes of accolades and championships, Bernardino retired following the 2013 season.
This summer however, Bernardino decided to accept an associate head coaching position with the Gamecocks. Head coach McGee Moody told swimswam.com that the entire program was excited to have Bernardino on board when he accepted the position in May.
“ … He has a proven track record of success on the national and international stage and we look forward to getting him on campus and getting to work,” Moody said.
As for Bernardino, he has nothing but positive things to say about his experience thus far at South Carolina.
“It’s been really nice,” he said. “The coaches, the staff, the administration, everyone is just so welcoming and wonderful, so it’s a great environment to be in.”
Bernardino said his new position as an associate head coach gives him more freedom to work individually with his student-athletes.
“There’s a huge difference now because the head coach has a lot of responsibilities that don’t necessarily have a lot to do with the sport,” Bernardino said. “That takes away from being able to focus on the athletes. Now I’m able to do that in this new position. I’m working with the middle distance freestylers and the freestylers so I’m able to work with smaller groups and give more specialized coaching.”
While at Virginia, Bernardino was able to guide at least one Cavalier swimmer to the Olympic Games since the 1996 games in Atlanta. Following the 2012 Olympics in London, England, Bernardino had coached 12 Olympic athletes across five Olympic Games.
Having already accomplished so much in the swimming world, Bernardino said he hopes he can bring not only experience, but other attributes to the program to make South Carolina a more competitive team in the Southeastern Conference.
“It’s been a lot of fun working with these athletes,” Bernardino said. “They have great personalities, a lot of vitality and a drive and willingness to succeed. I hope I can bring some new training methods, energy and enthusiasm to the team. I also want to continue teaching athletes that the team is the first priority and, as long as they work hard and live their lives with honor and integrity, they can be successful in whatever they do.”
When asked about his legacy and how he might be remembered, Bernardino didn’t stress the accolades or championships, but instead how he impacted the lives of the student-athletes that he was able to coach in the past and the athletes he coaches now.
“I want people to remember that I cared for the student-athletes, that I contributed something positive to their lives,” Bernardino said. “I hope that with help from my guidance, I showed them one positive trait about themselves that they could embrace to use to enjoy life and be successful.”
For now, Bernardino will be making his biggest impact by preparing the team for the upcoming season. The Gamecock’s swimming and diving teams open their season in October against conference foe Kentucky.