Where Are They Now: Washington and Lee University’s Mike Bernot ’82

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. —  Washington and Lee University standout Mike Bernot, M.D. ’82 is giving back to athletics in sports medicine as an orthopedic surgeon in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bernot joined Atlanta Orthopaedic Associates in 1992, and became a member of Peachtree Orthopedics when the practices merged in 1997. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

A 1982 summa cum laude graduate from Washington and Lee and a 1995 selection to the institution’s Athletics Hall of Fame, he earned his M.D. from the University of Virginia School Of Medicine in 1986. He completed his orthopedic training at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Bernot also completed a fellowship in sports medicine at the Christ Hospital, Bone and Joint Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio.

An All-America honoree in the pool who graduated in the top ten of his class at W&L as a chemistry major. Bernot was a first-team All-America selection in 1980, 1981 and 1982 and finished as the national runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle at the 1982 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III championships which were hosted by W&L. Bernot was a four-year national qualifier and graduated with five school records.

The three-year captain was the first Division III swimmer to ever break 46 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle and his time of 45.85 seconds stood as the school record.

Bernot also excelled as a member of the Generals’ water polo team. He was a four-year letter-winner and earned first-team all-league honors in 1981 when he served as captain of a team that won a school-record 31 games.

Perhaps even more impressive were his accomplishments in the classroom. Bernot was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa and was awarded a NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship in 1982.