Kline Named Assistant Swimming Coach At Virginia
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Aug. 27, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia head swimming coach Mark Bernardino has announced the hiring of Chip Kline as assistant swimming coach. Kline comes to Virginia after serving as an assistant coach for the University of Tennessee men’s swimming team the last five seasons.
Kline will be involved in all aspects of the swimming program at Virginia, including strength and conditioning, coach all the Cavaliers’ training groups, and recruiting.
“We are extremely pleased and honored that Chip has chosen to join our staff,” said Bernardino. “We know he is going to become an integral part of the success of Virginia swimming now and into the future. Chip joins us from the University of Tennessee where he experienced tremendous success. One of the most appealing aspects of Chip’s background is that he was associate head coach at North Carolina State, which is a conference school. Chip is extremely familiar with two of the best swimming conferences in the nation, the SEC and the ACC. His knowledge of the athletes, the coaches and the recruiting footprint will all be critical to his role as assistant coach here at Virginia.”
Kline was a member of Tennessee’s coaching staff from 2000-01 through the 2004-05 season. Prior to coaching at Tennessee, Kline was a member of the coaching staff at North Carolina State for four seasons and served as associate head coach. He began his swim coaching career in 1995-96 as assistant coach at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa. The past four years Kline has also served as the head coach of Tennessee Aquatics, a United States Swimming club team based in Knoxville, Tenn.
In 1995, Kline earned a master’s degree in exercise science from Tennessee while simultaneously serving as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Vols for two years. Kline also received a master’s in athletics administration from Ohio University in 1993.
A native of South Charleston, W.Va., Kline was a prep All-America swimmer at The Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pa. He went on to swim at East Carolina University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in communication in 1992.
“I’m very excited to come to Virginia and join Mark Bernardino’s staff,” said Kline. “This is the premier swimming and diving program in the Atlantic Coast Conference. I want to make whatever contributions I can to help UVa continue to ascend up the national ladder of prominence.”
Kline replaces Bill Smyth who left Virginia in June to become the head swimming coach at Boston University.