By Lauren Jennings |Sports Editor|
The final win of the volleyball teams’ 2016 season was a big one, both for the school and for head coach Kim Cherniss. The win against Central Washington University in the NCAA West Regional was Cherniss’ 600th with the Coyotes.
To celebrate such a historic moment, the Coyote Athletics Department hosted an event featuring a legacy video and an award presentation.
Current and former team members attended the event along with coaches from other Coyote sports teams, the vice president of Student Affairs, Athletic Department employees and former university president Albert Karnig.
“It’s really a special today for me to have president Karnig and his wife Marilyn here because they were so front-and-center for our student-athletes,” said Cherniss.
Interim Director of Athletics Morgan Walker started the ceremony by welcoming attendees and thanking everyone in attendance.
Vice President of Student Affairs, Brian Haynes spoke next, offering up factoids about Cherniss’ accomplishments with the team.
Some impressive standouts include:
- The 2016 season marked Cherniss’ 26th year with the Coyotes
- She has led the volleyball program to 12 CCAA titles in the past 16 seasons
- Each of last 20 seasons with a final win-loss record of 20 wins or more
- 17 straight appearances in the NCAA tournament
- 6 NCAA Regional titles
- 9 former players have gone on to play professional volleyball
“We talk a lot about winning and stuff like that and it does bring people closer together, but the kids here are the real reason for all this,” said Cherniss. “To my current players who are wonderful and give me a lot of grief, that’s all part of the fun.”
Cherniss humbly thanked members of the Athletics Department staff, Coussoulis Arena employees, trainers and her coaches, knowing the importance of teamwork and each job being an asset for overall success.
“Our team; when I say our team, I mean all of them,” said Cherniss. “All 26 years, that’s our team.”
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