MORGANTOWN, W.VA. – West Virginia University athletic director Ed Pastilong has announced the hiring of Jim Mitchell as assistant women’s rowing coach and recruiting coordinator.
Mitchell comes to West Virginia after a four-year stint as the head men’s rowing coach and boatwright at Miami (Fla.). At Miami, Mitchell’s crews won the varsity eight Southeast Head Race championship, numerous state championships and the Florida State championship team point trophy in 2001.
"I’m looking forward to continuing the improvements the program has shown during the past two seasons," Mitchell says. "To work with coach (Nancy) LaRocque is a big plus. I wanted to join a team that we can take to the top of the national standings."
Prior to working with the Hurricanes, Mitchell served for five years as the head coach of the Atlanta Junior Rowing Association (AJRA) in Atlanta. During his tenure at AJRA, Mitchell supervised over 80 high school rowers who competed regularly at the national level. Many of his high school athletes went on to compete at the collegiate level.
Mitchell received a bachelor of science degree in business administration at Tennessee-Chattanooga in 1992 and earned his master's in special education from Georgia State. While an undergraduate, Mitchell was a member of the UTC varsity rowing and wrestling teams. He and his wife, Julie, reside in Morgantown.