Odette Mitchell-Servilio Joins Louisville Rowing Coaching Staff
September 10, 2008 | Rowing
Sept. 10, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville rowing head coach Laura Fogt has announced the hiring of assistant coach Odette Mitchell-Servilio for the 2008-09 season. Mitchell-Servilio arrives in Louisville after serving the past two seasons as head coach of the University of Colorado's club varsity team.
"We are thrilled to have Odette join the Cardinal family," said Fogt, who is entering her second season as the Cards' head coach. "There is no question she will be an asset to this program and great role model and mentor for our young ladies. Odette has already made a great connection with the athletes and they quickly sensed her passion and enthusiasm for the sport."
In two seasons as head coach, Mitchell-Servilio led CU to the grand finals at the inaugural ACRA Championships and at the WIRA Championships in both the varsity eight and novice four events. The Buffaloes were also ranked in the ACRA Varsity 8+ Top 10 throughout the 2008 season as Mitchell-Servilio was nominated for ACRA Plains Region Coach of the Year. Before moving into the head coach position at CU, she served as the novice team head coach for two seasons in Boulder.
"Spending the past four years as full time teacher and full time head coach, Odette is extremely excited about focusing all her energies on coaching and rowing at the Division I level," Fogt said. "With two BIG East titles and an NCAA appearance at Syracuse University, Odette understands where we are trying to get to and what it is going to take."
Prior to her tenure at Colorado, Mitchell-Servilio spent two seasons in the high school ranks as both head coach (2003-04) and assistant coach (2002-03) at Warwick Valley High School in Warwick, N.Y.
Mitchell-Servilio is very familiar with the BIG EAST Conference having earned three letters rowing for Syracuse University from 1999-2002. While at Syracuse, she was a member of the program's first crew to ever earn a team bid to the NCAA Championship (2002), back-to-back BIG EAST titles (2001-02) and back-to-back NCAA at-large bids in the varsity eights (2000-01).
She earned a degree in television, radio and film from Syracuse in 2002, and earned her master's in secondary social studies with a specialization in leadership and power dynamics from the University of Denver in 2006.
