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Doolittle Named Ohio Wesleyan Rowing Coach

Andriel Doolittle, assistant women's rowing coach and recruiting coordinator at Bates (Maine) College, has been named head rowing coach at Ohio Wesleyan University, it was announced by athletics director Doug Zipp.

Doolittle will oversee the genesis of Ohio Wesleyan's rowing program, with intercollegiate competition beginning in the 2018-19 academic year.

"I''ve been an assistant coach for 6 years and I feel I'm ready to take the next step and take over the new program at Ohio Wesleyan," Doolittle said. "I'm looking forward to getting everything set up and recruiting the first class of Ohio Wesleyan rowing."

Doolittle is in her fourth year as the assistant women's rowing coach and recruiting coordinator at Bates. This fall, the Bobcats' first varsity 8 finished first and set a course record at the Head of the Charles Regatta, with the second varsity 8 placing fifth in the race.

She helped coach the Bobcats to NCAA Division III national championships in 2015 and 2017. In 2017, the second varsity 8 won its race and the first varsity 8 finished second. The 2016 Bobcats finished second nationally, with the second varsity 8 winning its race and the first varsity 8 placing fourth. In 2015, the Bates second varsity 8 won its race and the first varsity 8 placed second. She also helped coach the first and second varsity 8 boats to first-place finishes at the New England Championships and East Coast Athletic Conference championship in each of her 3 seasons. The Bates coaching staff was named Division III Staff of the Year by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association in 2015 and 2017.

She coached the Bates third varsity 8 to a first- and a pair of second-place finishes at the New England championships and guided the Bobcat novice 8 to a third-place finish at the New England championships.

Doolittle began her coaching career at Wesleyan (Conn.) University, where she served as an assistant coach for 2 seasons. She helped guide the Cardinals to an NCAA Division III championship appearance in 2014 and coached the Wesleyan third varsity 8 and the novice 8 boats to fourth-place finishes at the ECAC championship in 2014.

"Andriel brings to us an outstanding background in rowing," Zipp said. "Her experience at Bates includes 2 national championships, outstanding recruiting success throughout the country, and the experience of building and developing an outstanding program. She has a strong level of commitment, an academic priority grounded in the Division III mission, is a true competitor, and has achieved great success in one of the 'gold-standard' programs in Division III. We are thrilled to have Andriel join us on November 13 and to begin forming and developing rowing at Ohio Wesleyan."

Doolittle is a 2012 graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she was a member of the rowing team for 4 years, earning second-team All-Big East honors in 2012 and serving as team captain. She continued her education with a master of arts degree in liberal studies from Wesleyan.

Doolittle is a native of Clinton, Conn.

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This article was originally published on November 6, 2017 on BattlingBishops.com.