Mike Welch enters his eighth year at Idaho State University with high expectations for developing the future of Idaho State volleyball. With five returning starters and eight letterwinners returning from last season, Welch feels that the pieces are in place for the Bengals to be successful now and in the future.
In 2003 Welch helped the Bengals to their first 20-win season since 1990, and the best winning percentage since 1989. The 20-9 record represented the sixth-best turn around in the nation, as the Bengals earned 11 more wins than in 2002. Welch led the Bengals to third place in the Big Sky Conference, a berth in the Big Sky Tournament, and into the tournament semifinals. In 2004, his team again finished high in the Big Sky Conference standings with an 8-6 record and placed fourth in the conference. He also led the team to a Big Sky Tournament berth in 2001, the first Big Sky Tournament bid since 1995. He boosted the team from an eighth-place conference finish his first year at ISU, to a sixth-place finish in 2001.
Welch led the Bengals to a third-staight appearance at the Big Sky Conference Tournament in 2005, marking the fourth time in six years that Welch's team had earned a spot at the championship. In 2005, Welch used seven new players, including five freshmen to earn a spot at the Big Sky Tournament.
During his seven seasons, the Bengals have been honored for both their play on the court as well as in the classroom. Ten athletes have received All-Conference accolades, including first-team selections in 2003 (Ali Gorny), 2000 (Amanda Berg), and 2005 (Felice Yocopis), second-team selections in 2004 (Nikki Havens) and in 2003 (Martha Brinton), and nine honorable mention honors.
Under Welch, ISU volleyball has received Big Sky All-Academic honors 37 times. His 2001 and 2006 squads each boasted a team GPA of 3.3 or higher, making them recipients of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) team academic award. Welch has coached three different schools to the academic honor and his teams have received the award five times overall.
Prior to taking the helm at ISU, Welch guided the University of North Florida squad to a Top 25 Division II ranking each of his six seasons, including a No. 10 ranking in 1998. His Osprey teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament four of his six seasons, while producing two All-Americans and 17 All-South Region selections. His 1998 squad tallied a 26-8 record, while winning the second of three Peach Belt Athletic Conference titles. Welch ended his career at North Florida with a 127-70 record, after leading the Ospreys to their third consecutive conference title, winning the conference tournament and advancing to the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament in 1999. The North Florida program boasted the third-highest team GPA in Division II during both the 1997 and 1998 school years.
Welch began his collegiate head coaching career at Division I Morehead State University (Kentucky) in 1991. He coached the Eagles from 1991-94, earning the team a 20-19 record, the Ohio Valley Conference Championship as well its first bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championships in 1993. The 1993 squad also recorded the highest team GPA among Division I volleyball programs.
The Chico State graduate, who has 251 wins in his career, also boasts national and international coaching experience with USA Volleyball from 1992-96. He was the USA Youth National Team Girls' Co-Head Coach in 1996, a USA Olympic Festival Women's Head Coach in 1995, a USA Olympic Festival Women's Assistant Coach in 1994, the USA Youth National Team Girls' Head Coach in 1993, and a USA Youth National Team Girls' Assistant Coach in 1992. His 1994 and 1995 Olympic Festival women's squads earned silver medals, while the 1993 Youth National girls' team won the gold medal.
Welch's first head coaching job came at Helix High School in La Mesa, CA. In four years Welch led his charges to a 95-22 record after the school had an 0-16 mark the year before he arrived. HHS won three Grossmont League Championships in Welch's tenure and in 1990 the team went 31-1, was ranked in the top-30 in the nation by USA Today and had a USA Today First Team All-American (Karrie Downey). Downey went on to be captain of the USA National Team. Another player, Jennie Long, became a two-time All-American and National Champion at Northern Michigan.
The 17th-year head coach has served or still serves on four AVCA committees, including serving as a voter on the Division I National Poll, and has been published numerous times in volleyball coaching publications. Welch has also volunteered time in several nonprofit/charity endeavors such as Big Brother-Big Sisters, the American Cancer Society, Girl Scouts of America and the NikeTM Let Us Play Sports Foundation.
Welch, who earned his Bachelor's degree in Physical Geography at Chico State in 1986, and has also done graduate work in climatology and human behavior. He played collegiate club volleyball for four years, two at Chico and two at LA-Pierce College. He lives in Pocatello with his wife Diane and two children, Michaela (11) and Riley (8).
Mike Welch's Career Coaching Record
Overall Conference
Year Team W L PCT W L PCT Finish Postseason
1991 Morehead St. 19 13 .594 9 5 .643 3rd -----
1992 Morehead St. 13 21 .382 9 5 .643 3rd -----
1993 Morehead St. 20 19 .513 10 4 .714 2nd* NIVC
1994 North Florida 16 13 .552 7 7 .500 T-4th -----
1995 North Florida 24 12 .667 10 4 .714 2nd NCAA
1996 North Florida 21 14 .600 8 6 .571 4th NCAA
1997 North Florida 18 13 .581 11 1 .917 1st NCAA
1998 North Florida 26 8 .765 13 1 .929 1st -----
1999 North Florida 22 10 .688 14 0 1.000 1st* NCAA
2000 Idaho State 9 21 .300 4 12 .250 8th -----
2001 Idaho State 11 18 .379 5 9 .357 6th BSC Tour.
2002 Idaho State 9 18 .333 3 11 .214 7th
2003 Idaho State 20 9 .689 9 5 .643 3rd BSC Tour.
2004 Idaho State 12 17 .413 8 6 .571 4th BSC Tour.
2005 Idaho State 11 18 .379 5 9 .357 T5th BSC Tour.
2006 Idaho State 10 20 .333 5 11 .312 T6th BSC Tour.
Career 261 244 .538 130 96 .575
* Conference Tournament Champions
