By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
One of the top public school field hockey programs in the region has landed its new head coach.
Erin Bernat was approved as Kingsway Regional’s new coach at the district’s most recent Board of Education meeting, according to Superintendent Dr. James J. Lavender.
Kingsway has won last three consecutive NJSIAA Group 4 state titles and finished ranked No. 4 in the state last fall by nj.com, going 15-7 overall and 9-4 against teams that finished in the top 30. The Dragons beat Montclair, 2-1, to win the state championship in November.
A 2009 Glassboro High graduate, Bernat was a standout field hockey and softball player for the Bulldogs before continuing her academic and athletic career at Rowan University, where she achieved Rowan scholar-athlete status all four years. She was inducted into the Glassboro High School Sports Hall of Fame last year.
After graduating from Rowan, she worked as a physical education teacher at Gloucester City High and served stints as the head field hockey and softball coach at both Gloucester and Glassboro.
She started working at Kingsway Regional in 2019 as a health and physical education teacher, serving at both the middle and high school levels. She’s been an assistant field hockey coach during Kingsway’s ongoing run of three consecutive state championships, along with being an assistant coach for girls wrestling and softball.
“I am so excited for this opportunity to step into this new role,” Bernat said. “This program means so much to me and I am excited to continue to grow our players as student athletes and young women, on and off the field, making sure to continue our traditions here at Kingsway.”
Bernat won’t be the only coach in a new position this season.
Susan Massara will serve as the varsity assistant coach, according to Dr. Lavender. Massara has been a physical education teacher at Kingsway since 2022 and previously won five sectional titles as the head field hockey coach at Woodstown. Massara earned her degree from Rowan University in 2007.
Lana Lowry, a longtime Kingsway staff member and assistant coach of several different sports, will return as the junior varsity assistant coach, while Meredith Wuzzardo, who started at Kingsway as a paraprofessional in Sept. 2024, will serve as the freshman assistant coach.
“Kingsway athletics has a strong history of success, and our field hockey program is no exception,” Kingsway Athletic Director June Cioffi said in a district press release. “That success is a testament to the outstanding coaches we have in place. Our focus remains on developing student-athletes both as competitors and as individuals, ensuring they have the skills, discipline, and mindset to succeed on and off the field. With this coaching staff, we are confident that Kingsway will continue to be a premier program in the state.”
Kingsway will look to continue its dominance as the top squad in Group 4 state competition. The season is slated to begin in August with the first regular-season game projected for early September.
