Bucknell University Athletics
Three Assistant Coaches Added to Bucknell Women's Rowing Staff
7/6/2005 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
July 6, 2005
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Sera Coppolino, Kate Strum and Janine Abdallah have been added to the Bucknell women's rowing coaching staff, Bison head coach Stephen Kish announced Wednesday. Coppolino will fill the new position of assistant varsity coach, Strum will be the head novice coach, and Abdallah will serve as assistant novice coach. Coppolino, who is finishing up her master's degree at West Virginia University, will join the Bucknell staff in January, while Strum and Abdallah will begin prior to the fall season.
"The Bucknell women's rowing program will benefit from the wide variety of rowing and coaching experiences that Sera, Kate and Janine bring with them," commented Kish. "I know we can provide our student-athletes with a more exciting and successful experience than ever before as we combine the strengths of our new coaching staff."
Coppolino has been the assistant rowing coach/recruiting coordinator with the Mountaineers the past two years while working on her master's in secondary science education. She will take over for Katie Davis, who was recently elevated to the position of assistant varsity coach but will be leaving in January after four years at Bucknell to pursue other opportunities.
While at West Virginia, Coppolino assisted head coach Nancy LaRocque in all areas of the program, including coaching, recruiting and NCAA compliance. The Andover, Mass., native was responsible for on-campus recruiting, coxswain education and the development of new training initiatives. She also counseled and tracked student-athletes on their academic progress.
Prior to arriving in Morgantown, W.Va., Coppolino served as the head novice coach for both the men's and women's rowing teams at Middlebury College for one year. While with the Panthers, Coppolino coached the men's four to an undefeated season and a gold medal at the New England Championships.
Coppolino graduated from the University of Michigan in 2001 with a bachelor of science degree in natural resources and environmental management. A co-captain as a senior, she helped lead the Wolverines to a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships and a national title in the junior varsity eight.
Coppolino also gained rowing experience as a member of the U.S. Junior National Team in 1996, when she stroked the women's eight to a fourth-place showing at the Junior World Championship Regatta. She started her rowing career during high school at Phillips Academy and served as team captain her senior year.
"I am thrilled to become part of the Bucknell community," commented Coppolino. "The attitude of excellence throughout the athletic department and the university is exciting and inspiring. I am eager to begin work, meet the team, and continue to build the reputation of Bison rowing within the Patriot League and beyond."
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For the last two years Strum has been an assistant coach for the women's rowing team at the University of California Davis, as well as a certified personal trainer. Primarily a novice coach, Strum assisted with the varsity squad and was also the primary recruiting contact. She helped guide the first novice eight to a third-place finish at the WIRA Championships in 2005, while the second novice eight claimed first. The first novices also won the petite finals at the Pac-10 Championships to secure a seventh-place team finish.
Strum started her coaching career with the Community Rowing Program at Yale University in 2002. She taught and coached rowing to students at the American School for the Deaf and Special Olympic athletes. Last summer Strum worked as a coach at the CSUS Aquatic Center in Rancho Cordova, Calif. She coached more than 50 athletes to help them transition from recreational to competitive rowers.
"I am excited to join a program that has been gaining momentum over the last few years," said Strum. "Under the supervision of Coach Kish, and with the help of the rest of the new coaching staff, I look forward to producing a strong novice team which will create depth in the program for years to come."
Abdallah will take over for Vi Ngo, who is leaving Bucknell for medical school, as an assistant coach with the novice program. A 2004 graduate of Fordham University with a degree in English, Abdallah was a four-year member of the Rams' women's rowing team and served as stroke of the varsity eight during her junior and senior years. She garnered team most valuable player honors as a senior in 2003. As team captain in 2002-03 she assisted the head coach with NCAA administrative duties and served as the rowing representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Council.
Along with being an active member of Fordham's rowing squad, Abdallah rowed for the Nereid Boat Club in Rutherford, N.J., from 2001-03. She won the Open Eight at the Independence Day Regatta, the Lightweight Eight at the U.S. Nationals and the Senior A and B Lightweight Eights at the Canadian Henley, all from the stroke seat in the summer of 2003. In 2004, rowing for the New York Athletic Club, she won three medals at the U.S. Nationals in senior events.
In the winter of 2003, Abdallah qualified for the finals in the lightweight women's event at the CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championships.
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"I am very honored to be a part of the Bucknell women's rowing staff," said Abdallah. "I look forward to not only working with talented and accomplished coaches, but also being part of a growing program. The tremendous support from Bucknell's athletic department is phenomenal, and I look forward to assisting the Bison women build upon past success and strive for even more in the future."
Bucknell sponsors 27 intercollegiate sports, including 14 for women, at the Division I level (I-AA football). It is a charter member of the Patriot League and has won the league's all-sports championship in 11 of the 15 years it has been contested. Bucknell led the nation with a 100 percent graduation rate in the 2003 survey and ranks third in Division I in producing Academic All-Americans.
