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Virginia head swimming coach Mark Bernardino recently returned from the NCAA Championships where he coached the Virginia men to a ninth-place finish, the highest in school history. The Cavalier women came home with a 12th-place finish, their highest since 2002. Bernardino, a native of Drexel Hill, Pa., recently sat down with VirginiaSports.com to recap the NCAA meet and talk about his plans for the summer.
Question: How were the NCAA Championships? Did you meet or exceed expectations?
Bernardino: I think our performances at the NCAA meet were absolutely outstanding. Our goal for the men all season long was to battle our way into the top-10. It is something extraordinarily difficult to do – to push through some of the teams that have been entrenched there for decades. It took a really outstanding and motivated effort by each of the men who found themselves in ninth place at the end of the first two days, but were bumped into 10th by Georgia in the next to last event of the meet. The only way to get back to ninth was to place third in the consolation final and we were able to do that, which shows great physical toughness and the character of this group. We did everything we hoped to do this year in terms of team accomplishments and now we have to look forward and consistently prove that we are worthy of being one of the top-10 teams in the nation.
Question: And back a week further, at the women’s NCAA Championships?
Bernardino: In taking a look at how the women have moved up in the rankings the past two years: 26th two years ago to 20th last year – we saw a top-15 finish as a realistic goal. We swam supremely well though and fought our way into that 12th spot in the final relay event so there are nothing but good feelings about our finish. The women had a fantastic season, start to finish. We only graduate two women (Megan Evo and Kristen Wallace) so we have a lot to look forward to. We also know that we have a couple of bonafide NCAA athletes coming into the mix next year. Obviously losing Megan and Kristen next year won’t be easy but we feel that we are bringing in two ladies who are of that potential. The goal now for the women is to battle our way into the top-10. It is the same scenario there as it has been this past year for the men where there are decade long established teams that will do whatever it takes to stay in that top-10 and preclude and upstart team from working their way into that elite group. I hope that this year’s teams change the thinking and mentality of the teams that follow them and show what is possible if you do things the right way.
Question: This senior class had some real contributors for both the men and women, especially your captains.
Bernardino: This senior class is really unique. In reality though, Ryan Hurley and Pat Mellors weren’t meant to be a part of this senior group. They were college athletes dictated that they take a redshirt year to train and do well at the Olympic Trials but our team surely benefitted from the mature leadership of Ryan and Pat. Their training allowed Lee Robertson to be a captain as a junior and develop leadership traits and characteristics that most people would not have prior to being a captain. So Lee was an exceptionally seasoned captain. Ryan and Pat though are two guys who have worked very hard and engendered a lot of respect from their teammates.
Additionally, Megan Evo and Kristen Wallace, having lived with captains their junior year, made incredible progress and learned a lot about what it takes to be a quality captain. I think we are going to be hard pressed to match their ability to lead this team. It will be fun to see how our new leaders develop and use their own skills to better the performances of the people around them as much as Megan, Kristen, Lee, Ryan and both Pat Mellors and Pat Reams have this year.
Question: What happens between now and next fall when everyone gets back to school?
Bernardino: We are back working hard in the water and the weight room already. We are doing all the things that we need to do in the hopes that the team will continue to move forward. It is our understanding that after exams there will be a large group of athletes that will stay at the University over the summer and train with the Cavalier Aquatics Team. Hopefully we will be able to provide these athletes with the kind of training necessary for them to take the next step forward. We will be focusing on two things this summer: the World Championship Trials that take place from July 7-11 in Indianapolis and the U.S. Open, which is in early August in Federal Way, Wash. We will be able to train our athletes up to those meets so that hopefully they can swim well on an international level.
Question: And you will also be coaching in the World University Games this summer, along with Scot Robison, who will be competing. How important of a step is that on the international level for a college swimmer?
Bernardino: The World University Games have been an enormous stepping-stone for numerous athletes of ours over the years. It has given those athletes international exposure and the opportunity to swim for and represent their country. The energy and enthusiasm that this meet breeds is incredible. As with Olympic swimming, the United States has had a very long run of success. The opportunity to challenge yourself against the best in the world serves as great motivation for any athlete that is a part of these teams. I know that this is going to be very important for Scot who has the opportunity to be a medalist coming out of last year’s Olympic Trials. He has going to have the chance to swim a minimum of four events in this meet: two relays and two individual races. You can see how much effort he is putting into his training and how important this meet is for him. Hopefully when Scot goes there he will take great pride in representing his country and his University.
Question: And what does it mean for you to be back coaching the World University Games team?
Bernarindo: I’m really excited to coach this team – a team that I had the opportunity to work with in 2001 in Beijing. I feel as though we were able to bring back some valuable information to the U.S. swimming people and that our athletes had an incredibly positive experience being in Beijing. This meet is great in that athletes can use it as a launching pad for success going into the next Olympic Games. We are going to go into this meet in Serbia with mindset that there are a number of men there that could participate in the 2012 Olympics. It is going to be a fun experience.
Question: Any other plans for the summer?
Bernardino: We are going to do a ton of recruiting this summer in hopes of bringing some more incredible athletes to UVa. And I will be watching the Phillies defend their World Series title!