(August 24, 2005) - Fordham University women??s head rowing coach Ted Bonanno named Dan Wolleben, Heather O??Rourke and Melissa Shokoufandeh assistant rowing coaches it was announced today. Wolleben will assume the position of Head novice women??s coach and recruiting coordinator, O??Rourke will serve as the assistant novice women??s coach and Shokoufandeh will serve as the assistant women??s varsity coach. ??This is an exciting opportunity for our program,?? said Bonanno. ??It is the first time we have had three assistant coaches for the women??s team. All three were outstanding rowers for me both at Fordham and at my senior national team development camps. They bring a wealth of experience and success to their new positions, along with a keen awareness of the winning tradition of Fordham Crew.?? Wolleben, who served as the assistant novice women??s coach at Fordham last year, helped the novice crew become one of the more successful novice crews in Fordham rowing history. Last year, the Fordham novice crew qualified for the grand finals at the ECAC National Invitational Regatta for the first time ever and placed fourth in the A-10 Championships in the novice 8. Wolleben also served as the head crew coach at Fordham Prep High School last spring, coaching the largest Fordham Prep team in their short history. He helped the Fordham Prep novice eight to a third place finish at the Long Island Sprints. Then he placed three boats in the top 5 at the New York State Championships, helping Fordham Prep to a fourth place finish in the overall points standings, including two bronze medal-winning crews in the boys double and the boys lightweight four. A four-year member of the men??s crew at Fordham, Wolleben served as team captain his junior and senior year. He is a four-time Varsity National Championship Gold Medalist, winning the Dad Vail championship three times and the ECAC National Championship once. He joins a unique list of fewer than 20 rowers in the history of collegiate rowing to win major varsity national college championships all four years. Wolleben is also a three-time New York State Champion and a two time grand finalist at the I.R.A. National Championship Regatta. As a member of the Senior National Team Development Camp in the summer of 2003 at the Nereid Boat Club in New Jersey, Wolleben won a U.S. National Championship in the lightweight senior straight four and medalled in several other events at Nationals. Then at the Canadian Henley Regatta Wolleben advanced in to four grand finals. Wolleben received a Bachelor??s Degree in Sociology from Fordham College at Rose Hill in 2004, with a minor in Theology. He is also a 2000 graduate of Xavier High School in Middletown, Connecticut where he was a varsity member of the Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track teams. O??Rourke, a 1999 graduate of Fordham University with a degree in Political Science, was a four-year member of the women??s crew and served as the head novice coach at Fordham in 2000-01. She has also been serving as the Rams?? Recruiting Coordinator since 2001. O??Rourke, who served as the Club President for Crew before the women??s team became a varsity sport, was a junior in 1997-98 when Fordham elevated the women??s rowing program to varsity status and was named team MVP that season. A team captain in 1998, she was the number four rower in the varsity open eight, leading the boat to first place finishes at both the Manhattan and Bucknell Regattas. As a senior in 1999, O??Rourke helped the lightweight eight to a win at the Augusta Invitational and the varsity eight to a gold medal at the Manhattan Invitational. O??Rourke also has international rowing experience, competing at the Women??s Henley in England and Canadian Henley regattas and at the US Rowing Nationals. She was also a member of a Senior National Team Development Camp in the summer of 1999. Shokoufandeh, who graduated from Fordham this past May with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Spanish, was a four-year member of the Fordham rowing squad. She wrapped up her collegiate career by being named team MVP as a senior; helping the varsity eight defend their Metropolitan Championship title and stroking the boat to a bronze medal at the Atlantic 10 Spring Championships. Shokoufandeh brings a wealth of experience to her new coaching assignment having coached St. Anthony??s High School Varsity women??s team in the spring of 2002, the St. Anthony??s learn to row program in August of 2002 and 2005, and the Sagamore Rowing Association summer program in 2004. A four-year member of the varsity eight, Shokoufandeh helped the crew to medal winning performances at numerous regattas including: the Heads of the Passaic, Connecticut, and Schuylkill; along with four consecutive Metropolitan Championships in the fall. During her spring seasons, she also helped lead the varsity eight to two third place finishes at the Knecht Cup and the Grand Finals of the Dad Vail in 2003 and 2004. At the A-10 Championships, she has also had excellent results with bronze medals in the varsity eight in 2002 and again in 2005. She also won a New York State championship in the women??s varsity 8 in 2004 and helped the varsity eight to their fist ever invitation to the Jessop-Whittier Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic that same year. During the summers, Shokoufandeh has been just as successful as a member of the Junior Women??s National Development Camp in 2000 and a Senior Women??s National Development Camp in 2003. She won gold medals in the Junior Women??s 8 at US Nationals in 2000 and in the Championship 8 at the Independence Day Regatta in 2003. She also won a silver medal in the Intermediate 4 and a bronze medal in the Intermediate 8 at US Nationals in 2003, along with another third place finish in the women??s open quad at the Canadian Henley Regatta in 2003. Shokoufandeh is a graduate of St. Anthony??s High School where she was a three year member of the Varsity Women??s Rowing team. She was named MVP and team captain of crew team during senior year.