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Melissa Flint finished her second year as head coach of the Gonzaga University women's rowing program in 2009 after having spent the previous four years as a Bulldog assistant coach. She inherited a program that had won 10 of the 11 West Coast Conference Championships since its inception as a WCC sport, had finished in the top three in the Varsity 8+ and Second Varsity 8+ of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) championship every year since 2001 and had captured three Varsity 8+, three Second Varsity 8+ and two Novice 8+ WIRA titles since 2002. "Melissa has been a part of keeping a very successful program at the upper echelons of its sport," athletic director Mike Roth said. "She is well respected among her peers and we have every confidence Gonzaga women's rowing will continue to grow under her guidance." In her first season at the helm of the Zags, Flint continued Gonzaga's dominance. She coached the Bulldogs to their 11th West Coast Conference title, winning all three races by an average of 10 seconds. For her efforts, Flint was tabbed the WCC Coach of the Year. She also coached the Varsity 8+ and Junior Varsity 8+ to gold medals at the WIRA Championships. The Zags continued to flourish under Flint in 2009, producing what could arguably be called GU's best season. The Bulldogs swept the WIRA Championships for the first time in school history, winning gold in the Varsity 8+, Second Varsity 8+, Novice 8+ and Varsity 4+. Gonzaga also won its 12th WCC title in 13 years, winning two of the three races. While an assistant, Gonzaga's Novice 8+ won the Pacific-10 Conference title in the spring of 2007 to cap a second straight undefeated season under Flint's guidance, while the Varsity 8+ and Second Varsity 8+ rowed in the Petite Final. Flint was named the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) West Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2006. Flint joined the Bulldogs for the 2003-04 season, coaching the Second Varsity 8+ to a second-place finish at the WCC Championship and at WIRA's. For the 2005 season, Flint coached the Varsity 4+ to a first-place finish at WCC's, third at WIRA's and fourth at the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships. A 4-year member of the Oregon State University rowing team from 1998-02, Flint was a 3-year varsity rower for the Beavers and captain of the 2002 squad that finished third at the Pac-10 Championships. Following her collegiate rowing career, Flint remained at OSU as a volunteer coach for the 2003 season, working primarily with the women's novice team. Flint has also spent one year as the head coach of the Corvallis Rowing Club Master's Program. She is a Level III U.S. Rowing certified coach. |
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