FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern track and field and cross country head coach
Bryan Hagopian officially welcomed alumna
Rose Howell back to campus as the newest member of the Sharks staff on Wednesday. A former national standout for the Sharks, Howell returns to her alma mater to coach the NSU distance runners as an assistant coach.
"I am very thankful for the opportunity to again be a part of the Sharks' cross country and track and field programs," Howell said. "Our team is motivated to improve and see success within the conference, and I look forward to jumping in and making an impact."
Howell arrives most recently from one season at Purdue Northwest, where she was an assistant cross country coach under former Nova Southeastern assistant coach Austin Warner.
Prior to PNW, Howell coached at NCAA Division III University of La Verne in California as a graduate assistant coach for two seasons. At La Verne, Howell guided a SCIAC All-Conference honoree and helped send another to the NCAA West Region Championships in cross country. In addition, she coached a freshman to two SCIAC Championships in the 3000m steeplechase, culminating in a NCAA National Championships steeplechase qualification. The La Verne men's and women's team both earned USTFCCCA All-Academic recognition during her time on campus.
Prior to starting her coaching career, Howell made her name as a distance runner for the Sharks, twice earning All-Sunshine State Conference honors in cross country, while finishing her NSU career as a three-time NCAA All-Region honoree.
Howell was also a member of the NSU teams that competed at the NCAA Division II National Championships in 2013 and 2014, producing a personal-best 18:24 mark in the 5000m. She earned three All-Peach Belt Conference honors for her performances in the 3000m steeplechase at the PBC Championships. Howell earned her degree in Business Administration from NSU in 2015 and added a Master's of Business Administration with a concentration in Management and Leadership at La Verne. Howell is USA Track and Field Level 1 certified.
"We are extremely excited to have Rose back here to work with our teams," Hagopian said. "We're sure she's going to be a huge asset. Not only because of her coaching and communication skills, but she also brings the experience of being a highly-successful student-athlete in our program. With such a large group of first-year student athletes this season, having her here as a role model is going to be invaluable to the success of our team."
Although the Sharks have an off-week under way, Howell joins the teams in preparation for next week's Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville, arguably one of the biggest meets of the year for NSU.
