Caflisch, Rinozzi Join Louisville Coaching Staff
July 31, 2015 | Rowing
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville rowing head coach Derek Copeland announced on Friday the addition of assistants Emily Caflisch and Sheila Rinozzi to the Cardinals coaching staff.
Caflisch arrived in Louisville after one season as an assistant coach at North Carolina, while Rinozzi served the last two years as an assistant at Indiana.
"We found, with the expected departures of previous assistants Sarah (McIlduff) and Robbie (Tenenbaum), we had a unique opportunity to select both assistant coaches together. This afforded us the opportunity to not only select the most talented coaches but also choose a staff that has the ability to work best together," explained Copeland, who enters his fourth season guiding the Cardinals. "I know that synergy is an often overused term, but both assistant coaches were selected because of their alignment with the current team's culture and needs.
"I really think that we are on to something with this program. The culture is like a snowball and is careening in a great direction. But, this also means we needed to select a staff that will be united enough to continue to add to this positive progress. We are lucky to have had great coaches and their impact will never leave this program. Their influence will remain with us as we reload the staff for the next phase: competing with the best programs in the country."
Prior to her one season in Chapel Hill, Caflisch served on the coaching staff of her alma mater at the University of Wisconsin. She was a volunteer assistant coach for the women's lightweight team and also coached at summer camps with the Badgers.
"I was seeking to be a part of a rowing program that truly values competition and a strong work ethic in addition to effectively and genuinely helping the athletes develop as young women. Upon meeting Derek and learning more about Louisville rowing, it was clear I could contribute in that capacity," said Caflisch. "The fit felt natural and I couldn't be more thrilled to join the Louisville family.
"Successful Division I rowing is all about creating the right culture with the best fit for the time, place and particular athletes for any given program. Louisville has been continuously redefining its success and pushing for more. The culture is solid, producing hungry athletes, dedicated students and motivated young adults. I am excited to contribute to their success and further cultivate their effective culture."
Prior to her full-time position with the Badgers, Caflisch was a part-time assistant rigger for the program. She rowed at Wisconsin with the open-weight program and graduated in 2010 with a degree in history.
"Emily is about as hungry as they get. She has tons of experiences and is really geared to get in and be a part of this team's growth," Copeland said. "Her excitement and passion for helping young athletes grow into unstoppable women is clear and contagious. I expect that Emily will make the initial impact with the novice program. This program has recently shown a lot of success and Emily is just the person to continue that progress. I am also confident the Emily will create processes that help us in areas we haven't gotten command of yet. I am very excited for her to be a part of this team."
During Rinozzi's two seasons in Bloomington, she was the recruiting coordinator and played a key role in leading the Hoosiers to their first two NCAA Championship appearances where they finished 11th in the nation in both 2014 and 2015. She and the other IU coaches were honored as the 2014 National Staff of the Year by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association and were the 2015 Regional Staff of the Year.
"I am thrilled to become part of the Louisville rowing family. From my very first conversation with Coach Copeland, I knew there was something truly special about this team," explained Rinozzi. "Derek and his staff are very passionate, not only about winning, but more importantly about the success and well-being of each and every one of their student-athletes. I cannot wait to begin working with them. I feel very privileged to be joining the Louisville community. "
Rinozzi joined the IU staff after spending the 2012-13 season serving as a volunteer assistant at Iowa, where she was a First Team All-Big Ten selection her junior and senior years as a coxswain for the Hawkeyes. Before Rinozzi returned to Iowa City, she spent two years as the varsity women's assistant coach at Loyola Academy and the past two seasons as an events and operations intern in the Harvard athletic department.
A four-year letterwinner for the Hawkeyes and native of Chicago, Rinozzi graduated from Iowa in 2010 with a degree in Interdepartmental Studies and Health Sciences. She spent a summer at the United States Rowing Association as a National Team Programs Intern before spending the 2010-11 season as a novice coach at Northwestern. She earned a master's degree from the University of Washington in 2012 in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership.
"Sheila has tons of experience and has proven that she can collaborate with some of the best. I really wanted a staff that had the ability to work off of each other and I think Sheila is great at this," said Copeland. "This is an intense environment, to say the least, and Sheila's passion fits right in. Sheila will mainly work with the varsity boats, but will also play a huge role with recruiting. She is incredibly organized, hungry and humble -- a great set of tools to have here at the University of Louisville."
Fans can follow Louisville rowing on Twitter (@UofLRowing) at http://twitter.com/UofLRowing.
