March 23, 2004

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Bert Molinary, who most-recently spent eight years as the head men’s soccer coach at Hampden-Sydney College, has been named assistant men’s soccer coach at the University of South Carolina, Gamecock head coach Mark Berson announced on Tuesday.

Molinary will assume responsibilities in all aspects of the Gamecock program, including recruiting, administration and player development.

“We are very pleased to have Bert join our staff,” said Berson. “He brings a wealth of experience after six years as an assistant and eight years as a head coach in college soccer. Bert is a tremendous recruiter and a tireless worker, who has been a proven winner at the collegiate level.”

During his tenure at Hampden-Sydney, Molinary compiled an impressive list of credentials, including a 94-57-6 (.618) overall record, with his victory total and winning percentage rating as the best in school history. Along with his record number of coaching victories, he guided the Tigers to a national ranking of 22nd in 1997, marking the first-ever appearance by a Hampden-Sydney soccer team in the national poll. Molinary served six seasons as an assistant coach at Hampden-Sydney prior to taking over as the program’s head coach.

In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Molinary served as the Chairman of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Soccer Coaches Committee, as the South Region Chairman of the NSCAA Men’s All-America Selection Committee, and as a member of the NCAA Selection Committee.

A native of Columbia, S.C., Molinary played two years for former Hampden-Sydney head coach Mike Reilly at Spartanburg Methodist College. In those two years, SMC compiled a 29-5 record and in 1985, reached the Southeast Region Finals of the NJCAA Championships, attaining a final national ranking of seventh.

Molinary is a 1984 graduate of Spring Valley High School, where he played for the highly respected coach John Boulware.