Shofner Joins Women's Rowing Staff
August 12, 2003 | Lightweight Rowing
Head women's rowing coach Maren LaLiberty announced the addition of Mary Shofner as an assistant women's rowing coach today. Shofner, who will coach the women's lightweight varsity, began her duties on Monday.
The Ocala, Fla., native comes to Madison after spending the past two years as assistant coach for the University of Rhode Island. While with the Rams, she coached the novice team and served as the head recruiter for the program. She also assisted with equipment purchases, travel coordination and was a boat and equipment technician for the team. Prior to her appointment with URI, Shofner spent the 2000'01 season at her alma mater, the University of Central Florida, where she was an assistant coach, directing the lightweight novices and helping coach the varsity lightweight squad.
The USRowing level III certified coach got her start teaching summer sculling lessons at the Rocky Mountain Rowing Center in Frisco, Colo., during 2000. She repeated the effort in 2001, before spending the summer of 2002 at the Halifax Rowing Association in Daytona, Fla., as junior camps coach.
Shofner's coaching career began shortly after the completion of her competitive collegiate career at UCF. A dean's list student, she rowed for the Golden Knights from 1997'2000, where she earned a bachelor's degree in organizational communications with a minor in psychology.
'Coach Shofner's greatest assets are her passion for the sport of rowing and her intense desire to excel,' LaLiberty said. ' After four years of collegiate rowing and three years of collegiate coaching, she is ready to take on the leadership of a varsity squad. I'm really happy that Coach Shofner is joining the staff of Wisconsin women's crew and I looking forward to working with her to guide the Wisconsin lightweight rowing team to a national championship.'
