University at Buffalo Announces New Hires

Bulls add assistant coaches/staff members for the 2004-05 school year

BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo Division of Athletics has announced several additions to its staff for the 2004-05 academic year, both in the coaching ranks and in administrative positions, announced Interim Director of Athletics Bill Maher. The following is a list of the new personnel, including the positions they hold at UB and some relevant background information.

Kristine Eckert - Assistant Women's Soccer Coach
Eckert comes to UB as a goalkeeper coach following three years as an assistant at the University of Texas-El Paso. Eckert also played a role in UTEP's recruiting, compliance, academics, team travel, fundraising and public relations efforts in addition to her primary duties of coaching goalkeepers. Prior to joining UTEP, Eckert served as an assistant at the University of Toledo for one year, head coach at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell for three seasons, assistant coach at Boston College for two seasons and assistant coach at the College of St. Rose for one year. A 1992 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, she lettered all four years as a goalkeeper for the Wildcats, who were ranked as high as 12th in the nation during her freshman season. Eckert is also a certified United State Soccer Federation "C" License Coach.

Karla Helder - Head Diving Coach
A two-time NCAA Division II National Diving Coach of the Year, Helder comes to UB after nine seasons at the University of California at Davis. Helder has coached four National Champions to four separate titles and has also coached at least 36 All-Americans. She was named PCSC Men's Diving Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2003 as well as earning the conference's Women's Diving Coach of the Year in 2001. Helder has earned 27 national diving titles herself and, diving at the U.S. Master's Nationals in 2004, set a new one-meter American record. In March 2003, Helder set a World FINA record on three-meter and captured gold in one-meter as well. In addition to UC-Davis, Helder has coached at Chico State and Clemson University. She was also the coach for the Venezuela Junior National Team of Anzoategui in 1991. At the 2003 Junior Olympic Summer Nationals, she coached a 10-year-old to double golds on both one and three-meters, as well as setting two new 13-and-under records in those events. Helder, a former two-time NCAA National Champion on three-meter, is a 1982 graduate of Chico State University. In 1999, she was inducted into that institution's athletic Hall of Fame.

Daniel Larmondra - Assistant Men's Soccer Coach
Larmondra, a native of Western New York, brings a wealth of expertise in the area of soccer. A member of the Buffalo District Soccer League's Board of Directors as well as General Manager of the BDSL's Clarence Soccer Club, Larmondra comes to UB while serving as Vice-President of Marketing at Raise Your Level LLC, a company devoted to offering soccer training and coaching in Western New York. On the field, Larmondra captained Bath to a New York State Class B High School Championship. In 1996, he helped lead Fredonia State to consecutive SUNY Athletic Conference and ECAC titles, including a top 10 national ranking in 1998. Larmondra graduated with two undergraduate degrees from Fredonia State in business administration and management information systems. Currently, he is also finishing his master's at UB, while serving as president of the business he founded, Larmo.com Internet Solutions, Inc.

Aina Williams - Assistant Women's Crew Coach
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. She 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.

Elizabeth Ostermeier - Assistant Women's Crew Coach
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. 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 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.

Kim Coon - Women's Basketball Manager/Video Coordinator
Coon returns to her alma mater after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Colgate. While at Colgate, Coon worked with the Raiders' post players, helping the Raiders capture the Patriot League's tournament title last year. Coon was also the team's scouting and film exchange coordinator and assisted with the Raiders' strength and conditioning program. Prior to her time at Colgate, she was an assistant coach at Buffalo State College in 2000-01. Coon was a four-year letterwinner on the UB women's basketball team from 1995-99. She currently ranks 12th in career scoring (1,038 points). Coon was a second-team All-Mid-Continent Conference selection in 1996-97 when she averaged a career-high 12.4 points per game and helped the Bulls to a 22-6 overall record. Coon holds a bachelor's degree from UB in health and human services with a concentration in early childhood development and a minor in sociology.

Nick Mouyoes - Head Football Athletic Trainer
Mouyoes joins UB after three years at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina. He oversaw the Division I wrestling and men's and women's tennis programs and assisted with the football program as an assistant trainer. He graduated from Gardner-Webb in 1999, where he earned his bachelor's in athletic training with a minor in health science. After Gardner-Webb, Mouyoes completed his master's at Western Illinois, where he worked with the football and track and field programs.

John Ward - Assistant Athletic Trainer
Ward joins his alma mater as a full-time assistant athletic trainer after graduating in May with a master's in exercise science. He also completed his bachelor's degree at UB. His primary responsibility is to the women's soccer program. He spent two years at Daemen College before transferring to UB, where he has worked in the athletic training office for the last four years.

Ed Fitzsimmons - Functional Reconditioning Specialist
After five years as UB baseball's strength and conditioning coach, Fitzsimmons has joined the UB athletic training staff in the new position of functional reconditioning specialist. In this position, Fitzsimmons will work closely with UB student-athletes, sport performance coaches and head coaches on assisting in the prevention and rehabilitation of injuries. He formerly served as the coordinator of strength and conditioning at the UB Sports Medicine Institute. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at Brockport State and also has national certification as a strength and conditioning coach from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and certification from the American College of Sports Medicine.

Jessica Labella - Athletic Facilities Operations Assistant
After earning four letters for the UB softball team, Labella has been hired as part of Athletic Facilities Operations. During her career, Labella drove in six runs and notched 23 hits as an infielder. She earned the team's Most Improved Player Award during her freshman year and was a UB Scholar-Athlete and MAC Academic Honor Roll selection. She graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in English.

Eddie Asbie - Student Relations Coordinator
Asbie has stepped into the role of Student Relations Coordinator after graduating from UB in the spring with a bachelor's degree in communications. Asbie assists in the planning and implementation of a year-long program to increase student participation at athletic events. As a senior, Asbie was Assistant Promotions Director for the Division of Athletics.

Lauren Hartmayer - Corporate and Ticket Sales Associate
Hartmayer returns to her alma mater after having served as the Corporate Fulfillment Coordinator for the Buffalo Sabres. Hartmayer is responsible for all groups that come to both football and basketball games. She works with current corporate sponsors, insuring that UB fulfills its contract as well as being responsible for generating new corporate partners. Hartmayer received a bachelor's degree in business from UB in 2000 before earning her master's in sports administration from Canisius College in 2003.

Matt Taylor - Sports Performance Assistant Coach
Matt Taylor is in his first season with the UB Sports Performance department where he helps design and implement workouts for the Bulls' volleyball, wrestling, men's and women's tennis and men's soccer teams. Taylor will also assist with the strength and conditioning needs of the men's and women's basketball and football teams. Taylor earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Mount Union College in 2001. While at Mount Union, he won four NCAA Division III National Championships playing on the Raiders' football team. He was a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at Gardner-Webb University and an intern with the sports performance department at Arizona State prior to coming to UB. Taylor is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the United States Powerlifting Federation.

In addition to the new hires, Bob Maxwell has been named Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Facility Operations after serving as UB's Director of Facilities and Event Operations since 1998. Phil Ryan, UB's head strength and conditioning coach for the past eight years, has moved into the position of Coordinator of Fitness Center Operations within UB's Recreation and Intramural Services department. The UB strength and conditioning department, now called UB Sports Performance, is now under the direction of Cheyenne Pietri with assistant coaches Ryan Groneman, Julia Kaufman and Matt Taylor.

09/03/2004