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Elizabeth Ostermeier Assistant Coach Fourth Season E-mail: eo9@buffalo.edu Phone: 716-645-6678 Office: 162 B Alumni

Elizabeth Ostermeier starts her fourth season with the Bulls and the third as the Varsity Lightweight Coach. Since Ostermeier took over coaching the lightweights, they have grown from five athletes in the lightweight program’s inaugural year (2005-06), to 18 athletes in 2006-07. Those 18 athletes helped UB to a national ranking throughout the spring of 2007.

The Bulls finished 2006-07 ranked ninth, but got as high as seventh in the national rankings, which were released by the USRowing Collegiate Coaches poll. The lightweight eight boat finished no worse than fifth in any of their races, including a first place finish at the ECAC Metro Cup Championships. The boat also finished fifth at the Knecht Cup and third at the Dad Veil Regatta. Ostermeier also coached the lightweight four boat in 2006-07.

In the 2005-06 season, the lightweights took home first place finishes at the Head of the Ohio, the Head of the Fish, a bronze medal at the Metro Championships in the light eight and an appearance in the light four at the Dad Vails. The lightweight eight also got a nod by being ranked 10th during their season in a 2006 USRowing Collegiate Coaches Poll. She has a talented and hardworking group of athletes that already has a first-place finish at the 2006 Head of the Fish. The team looks to improve upon last year s successes and get ranked in the single digits in the coaches poll in 2007.

In Ostermeier s first season with the Bulls (2004-05), she coached the JV eight. The eight won the JV race at the Harvey Cup as well as a sixth-place overall finish at the Dad Vail Regatta.

Ostermeier came to UB from Augusta, GA where she had been training with former national team sculling coach Igor Grinko in an effort to make the United States National Sculling Team. While at the Augusta Training Center, Ostermeier won a gold medal in the Elite Women s Quad at the US Rowing Nationals in 2002 and a silver medal in the same event in 2003.

Ostermeier s coaching career started at George Mason University where she served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach in 1999-2000. She was also an assistant rowing coach at Robinson High School, helping her squad finish fourth overall in the state. From 2000 to 2002, Ostermeier served as an assistant women s rowing coach at Division II Barry University, and the team made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002. Ostermeier coached Barry s novice squad. In 2004, she coached the Augusta Masters in Georgia.

Ostermeier started her rowing career as a freshman walk-on at George Mason. She served as president and secretary of the club program and was instrumental in getting the team elevated to varsity status in August of 1997. Ostermeier earned a rowing scholarship and was a three-time team captain. A standout scholar-athlete, she set numerous school ergometer records, participated in National Team Testing and Small Boat National Team Trials, and helped lead the only George Mason boat to place in the varsity final at the Dad Vail Regatta in 1997. From 1997 to 2001, Ostermeier rowed at a US Rowing Women s Sculling Development camp.