WOMEN'S ROWING

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BUFFALO, NY ­ University at Buffalo women's crew head coach Rudy Wieler has announced two additions to his coaching staff. Aina Williams and Elizabeth Ostermeier have joined the Bulls as assistant coaches in time for the 2004-05 season.

Williams comes to Buffalo from Willamette University in Salem, OR where she was the men's rowing coach and sports information director. She led the Bearcats to a third-place overall finish at the Northwest Conference Championships in 2004. Prior to her time at Willamette, Williams spent a year as an assistant women's crew coach at Rutgers where her team won the BIG EAST Regatta. Williams began her collegiate coaching career at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. Her crews at Wesleyan were successful, with several medaling at New Englands and finishing within the top five in the conference each year during her tenure.

Williams is a 1996 graduate of Trinity College with a degree in philosophy and a minor in cognitive science. She lettered each year at Trinity after beginning rowing as a walk-on and was co-captain as a senior. She began coaching community rowing at Riverfront Recapture in Hartford, CT during the summer of 1996.

Ostermeier comes to UB from Augusta, GA where she has 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 boy's 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. Last year, she served as the Augusta Masters coach 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.

Ostermeier graduated from George Mason in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in government and politics and a minor in sociology. She completed her master's degree in sociology at George Mason in 2001.