Chris Ratches, who has served as Massachusetts Maritime’s Head Volleyball Coach for a total of 11 seasons during this century, has announced her retirement from the position.  Ratches’ decision was confirmed by Director of Athletics Bob Corradi late last week.

A 1994 Massachusetts Maritime graduate, Ratches first served as the Buccaneers’ mentor for six seasons from 2000 to 2005 before rejoining the program at the start of the 2010 campaign.  She was recognized by her peers as the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2005 after leading her squad to its highest single-season win total in 15 years, and she ranks as the program’s longest tenured and all-time winningest mentor.  In 2013, Ratches guided the Buccaneers to their highest single-season victory total in seven years while finishing as the runner-up at the Maritime Classic, and this past fall Massachusetts Maritime missed qualifying for the MASCAC championships by just one contest.

Additionally, Assistant Coach Kerry Chicoine will join Ratches in retirement from the program.  Chicoine was a member of Ratches’ staff over her combined 11-year tenure and was also a standout in athletic competition at the Academy, where she is an instructor in the marine transportation department.

“I’d like to thank everyone I’ve worked with during my 11 seasons at the Academy, especially Coach Corradi, who has provided great support for the program, and my assistant coaches, Kerry Chicoine and Rick Carman, who have been there every step of the way for the last five years,” Ratches says.  “It has been an honor to coach young women at the same school that I attended, and I hope that my influence on them has been as positive as theirs has been on me.”

Ratches became the third female inductee into Massachusetts Maritime’s Athletic Hall of Fame last June, as she ranks among the career leaders in several categories as a dual-sport standout in volleyball and softball.  Chris was Massachusetts Maritime’s first female all-conference performer in volleyball as a junior in 1992, and she was tabbed as the Academy’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1994. 

 “I want to thank Chris and Kerry for their tireless commitment to our student-athletes and their genuine passion for our volleyball program,” Corradi says.  “Their boundless energy is a reflection of their love for the Academy and its mission, and they have instilled that same energy into the young women they have mentored over the years.”

A search for Ratches’ successor will begin immediately.