Following a four-year career as a student-athlete with the Sharks rowing program, NSU has bolstered their coaching staff with the addition of Maydelissa Pinell as a volunteer assistant heading into the 2019-20 season.
"I am excited to be helping out the current team, especially lending a hand to all the newcomers and the walk-ons. I love this team more than anything and will put all my energy into helping NSU," Pinell mentioned.
A local native of Hollywood, Fla., Pinell was a staple at the coxswain position in the V4 boat for the Sharks from 2016-2019. As a freshman, Pinell had a third-place finish in her first ever race at the UCF Regatta and led an all-freshman boat to a second-place result at Dad Vails.
In 2017, she aided the Sharks to a silver medal at the SSC Championships, as well as a Team Championship Title at the FIRA Championships, the first for the Sharks since 2013.
In her junior season, she captured third at the Central Sprints and the FIRA Championships, also capturing a bronze at the 2018 SSC Championship with a fourth-place finish in the varsity four boat.
Against a number of nationally-ranked teams at the Central Sprints in 2019, Pinell improved the Sharks’ second piece by over 14 seconds on way to earning SSC Boat of the Week Honors for the varsity four (just the seventh time the Sharks have received the award all-time).
Pinell was also the catalyst in earning a silver medal at the 2019 FIRA Championships, as well as a runner-up finish in the SSC Championships V4 race.
Pinell graduated from NSU in 2019 with a degree in Exercise and Sports Science and currently serves as an assistant coach for the NSU University School rowing team. Prior to NSU, Pinell was a two-sport athlete at Hollywood Hills High School competing in basketball and flag football. She was also top six percent in the nation for speech and debate, national qualifier in the Catholic Forensic League, semifinalist in the Florida Forensic League Tournament and Silver Knight nominee.
