WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth University women's rowing head coach Scott Belford has announced the addition of Olivia Staff as an assistant coach as the program prepares for its inaugural season of competition this fall.

"I am extremely excited for the addition of Olivia Staff to Monmouth women's rowing," Belford said. "She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from coaching and rowing at the highest levels of the sport. The energy and positivity that she radiates will have an immediate impact on the culture of this team. I can't wait to get to work building this program with Olivia."

Staff comes to the Jersey Shore following a four-year stint at Tulsa, where she was an assistant coach and held the title of Interim Head Coach in 2022. The Golden Hurricane earned third-place team finishes in the American Athletic Conference each of the previous three seasons and Staff mentored the 2022 AAC Women's Rowing Newcomer of the Year, Anna Shaw. Three Tulsa student-athletes were named to The American All-Conference Teams and the Varsity 4+ and Varsity 8+ boats earned bronze medals at the championships.  

Staff is a native of Scottsdale, AZ and served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Central Oklahoma from August 2014 to May 2017.  While at UCO the Bronchos finished as the NCAA Division II national runner-up in 2016 and 2017, and earned a fourth-place mark in 2015.  She was also instrumental in coaching the Novice 4+ to a top finish at the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship in 2017, after finishing in second place the previous two seasons.

Staff served as a development camp assistant coach with the USRowing Women's Junior National Team from 2015 to 2018 and 2021, where she was tasked with teaching the technical aspects of sweep and scull rowing for proficiency and speed at the national junior level. This summer, Staff coached at the US Rowing High Performance Center OKC.
 
At the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, Staff was the novice head coach from 2013 to 2017.  She developed the program for year-round practice and competition, focusing on safety, technical development and fitness management.
 
Staff was a two-sport athlete at the Oklahoma in rowing (2009-13) and soccer (2009-11).  She earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from OU in 2014, and her master's degree in education from Central Oklahoma in 2017.