King’s College continues to expand its athletic program.
On the heels of the inaugural season of men’s and women’s ice hockey at the school, King’s announced Wednesday that it would be fielding two more varsity teams in the 2019-20 school year with the additions of men’s volleyball and women’s golf.
“Both sports are already sponsored by the Middle Atlantic Conference, which provides an immediate opportunity for a competitive schedule and the chance to compete in conference championships right away,” King’s athletic director Cheryl Ish said in a school release. “Men’s volleyball will have a recruiting draw from the many high school teams sponsoring the sport regionally, while women’s golf is a sport that is blossoming and has tremendous growth potential.”
By starting the two programs, King’s will field a total of 27 men’s and women’s varsity programs — tied for most in the Middle Atlantic Conference — and will be the only member to carry every sport sponspored by the conference.
The Monarchs will be the ninth men’s volleyball program in the MAC, joining fellow Luzerne County schools Wilkes and Misericordia, with Misericordia having just started play this season. In women’s golf, they will be the 14th program in the conference.
King’s has history in men’s volleyball, having fielded a successful club team from 1992-2001 that finished in the top five nationally three times and won three conference club championships.
The women’s golf team will practice and host matches at Wyoming Valley Country Club along with the men’s team.
Up next is a search for head coaches for both programs, with the 2018-19 school year being used to recruit players for the following season.
“The addition of these sports is a further example of our commitment to the NCAA Division III philosophy of providing broad-based athletic opportunities for our students,” Ish said. “The growth of the athletic program over the last four years has been purposeful and compliments the enrollment initiatives of the college to attract students of strong academic caliber who also want to pursue their athletic passion.”
