The interim tag has been lifted from the title of University of Hawai`i Hilo volleyball coach Chris Leonard's nameplate, moving him forward as the full-time leader of the Vulcan program.

Leonard was named the interim coach last July for the 2019 season, leading the Vulcans to an NCAA postseason berth for the first time since 2011. The Vulcans went 23-8 overall, advanced to the NCAA West Region tournament, and finished 18-4 in the Pacific West Conference, good for second place.

"Chris proved to me this past season that he could not only lead our program now but also into the future at championship competitive levels," said UH Hilo athletic director Patrick Guillen. "He has demonstrated strong leadership abilities and places a high priority on ways and methods to help provide the very best student-athlete experience.  But even more importantly he has shown a great ability to be a positive role model and mentor to our players in teaching the necessary life skills required to be a champion off the court as well. 
 
"Coach Leonard has very strong local ties in Hawai`i which will serve him and our program now and in the future.  I am very excited to have Chris on board permanently representing our Vulcans Athletics program." 

Because he was previously hired on an interim basis, Guillen was required to do a full search for the position.

"We had a strong pool of coaching candidates but Chris' experience as an assistant coach in our program followed by leading our team to the NCAA playoffs this past season as the Interim Head Coach really set him apart from the others," Guillen added.

Prior to the 2019 season, Leonard served as the lead assistant coach on the Vulcan bench for five seasons. He also has over 20 years of experience at the high school and club level. He is the longtime club director and head coach of the Pilipa`a girls volleyball team, and is a board member and High Performance Director for the Moku O Keawe Region of USA Volleyball. His resume includes listings as the head coach at Waiakea High School (girls) for one year, and two years as their assistant. He also spent 14 years as an assistant with the boys program at Waiakea and three years as an assistant girls coach at Kamehameha School.

Leonard is also the President and General Manager of New West Broadcasting Corp., a Hawai`i-based organization that owns and operates five radio stations, including KWXX (94.7 FM) in Hilo and AM 670 KPUA, the official station for UH Hilo basketball. The Hawai`i native was inducted into the Big Island Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

"I am thankful to Pat Guillen and the selection committee for the opportunity to continue to lead the Vulcan volleyball program," Leonard said. "It is such a storied-program with a long history of success that is memorialized by the banners that hang from our rafters and a mural in our gym that features so many great Vulcans from the past. It's a constant reminder to me of what this program has been and what it can be again.  

"It means a lot to me to be a part of a program and a team that has been embraced by our community," he added.  "I'm excited to continue my work with our great student-athletes and staff to build a program that we can all be proud of for years to come."

The Vulcans return six players to the 2020 team that have extensive starting experience, including four players that have been all-conference selections--Bria Beale, Emily Wade, Kendall Kott and Ashton Jessee (2018). 

Leonard resides in Hilo with his wife Kathy. They have two daugthers--Zoe, who played volleyball for and is now an assistant coach at Dartmouth, and Alysyn, who reside in North Carolina.