WILKES-BARRE – King’s College veteran women’s volleyball coach Bernie Kachinko has announced he is retiring after 21 years at the helm of the Lady Monarch program. Kachinko said he is stepping down as King’s coach to spend more time with his wife Marina and three-year old son Lukas.
During his career, Kachinko developed King's volleyball into one of the top programs in the Middle Atlantic Conference. He took over a struggling Lady Monarch program in 1989 and instituted a rebuilding plan. Four years later, he led King’s to its first-ever Freedom Conference championship, posting a 25-7 mark. The team narrowly missed repeating in 1994 when the Lady Monarchs finished second in the conference. The team was a consistent playoff qualifier ever since.
In 2000, King's enjoyed a brilliant season with a 34-3 record, the MAC Freedom Conference title, and an NCAA Division III National Tournament berth. In 2001 Lady Monarchs then went 29-4 and finished second in the conference playoffs.
In 2002, Kachinko’s squad enjoyed its best season ever with a 39-2 record, posting the second-best winning percentage of any collegiate volleyball team at the NCAA Division I, II, or III levels. King's won their third MAC Freedom title and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament "Sweet 16" for the first time in school history.
King’s would earn additional berths in the Freedom Conference tournament berths in 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2008. His 2009 team finished with a 19-11 record and fell just one win short of reaching the conference playoffs. During his final season, Kachinko won his 400th career match with a 3-0 victory over rival Scranton on October 8.
He concludes his career as King’s all-time winningest coach with a 403-261 overall record, including 31 tournament championships. He was named the MAC Freedom "Coach of the Year" in 1993, 2000, and 2002.
“It has truly been an honor and a privilege to have had the opportunity to be the head women’s volleyball coach at King’s for the last 21 years but I know all great things must come to an end,” Kachinko stated. “Being a college coach is a year-round commitment, and between countless hours of practice, traveling to weekend tournaments, matches during the week, and recruiting trips, it has meant spending a great deal of time away from my family. Marina and Lukas have sacrificed so much these last few years and I know I have missed out on a lot of family time. This is without a doubt the right time to retire. My family has always been, and will always be, my number-one priority in life and I look forward to the extra time I will be able to have with my wife and son. Coaching at King’s has given me a lifetime of memories and etched a special place in my heart. King’s is truly special and I am going to miss being a coach here”
Kachinko is a 1982 graduate of Wyoming Valley West High School where he was a two-time conference all-star, leading the team to the 1982 Wyoming Valley Conference championship with a perfect 10-0 record. He continued his playing career at the Division I level at East Stroudsburg University, before transferring to Penn State University where he graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications.
“Bernie has been an outstanding coach at King’s for 21 years and we thank him for all that he has given to the women’s volleyball program,” King’s director of athletics Cheryl Ish stated. “He has produced a number of outstanding teams and players at King’s and will be greatly missed. While we will be sorry to see him go we are happy that he has made a decision that will be in the best interests of him and his family. Coaching at the collegiate level is very time consuming and I can completely understand his rationale for stepping down. We will miss Bernie and wish the very best for him and his family. We will now begin a search process to bring in a coach who be able to continue the fine work Bernie has done over the years.”
In his 21 years at King’s, Kachinko produced 42 MAC all-star performers. His players were named the MAC Freedom "Most Valuable Player" in 1995, 2000, 2002, and 2003 while Kachinko also coached the MAC Freedom "Rookie of the Year" in 1998, 1999, and 2000.
He also coached seven AVCA Mid-Atlantic Regional All-Americans and one AVCA National All-American. A total of 56 of Kachinko’s players who were additionally named to the MAC All-Academic Team. Since 2003, Kachinko has served as a voting member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top-25 National Rankings Committee.
Kachinko also served as head coach of the men's club volleyball program, which no longer exists at King's. During his tenure from 1992-through-2001, Kachinko led the men's squad to an outstanding 252-53 record while his teams were ranked nationally in the Division II Club Team Top-25 for seven years. The team placed third in the 2002 national club tournament while also finishing in the top-five in 1999 and 2001. His King's teams won four Middle Atlantic Club Volleyball Conference championships during his tenure.
“Coaching has been a rewarding experience, but most rewarding when a players tells you how you made a difference in their lives,” Kachinko added. “I was very fortunate to have surrounded myself with great people who provided great support, including my immediate family, the King’s College family, as well as my assistant coaches and players over the years. They all made my time at King’s fun, memorable, and also successful. I am very proud of what we accomplished and have no regrets.”