Indiana University Athletics
Amanda Rivera Joins Hoosier Softball Staff as Assistant Coach
7/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
July 29, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana softball head coach Michelle Gardner announced the hiring of Amanda Rivera as an assistant coach for the upcoming 2009 season. Rivera, a standout at the University of Illinois at Chicago, spent the 2008 season as an assistant coach at North Carolina State University, helping the Wolfpack to 31 wins and an appearance in the finals of the ACC Tournament.
"I am absolutely thrilled that Amanda is going to be joining me on my staff here at Indiana," said Gardner. "She is a great hitting instructor and has worked with a number of great programs and is going to be a big part of the success of this program as we move forward."
At N.C. State, Rivera concentrated on hitting and fielding instruction, in particular the outfielders. She was also a key component in the day-to-day operations of the Wolfpack program and directed all of the softball camps and clinics that the team put on.
Before joining the Wolfpack, the native of Redondo Beach, Calif., was a volunteer assistant coach at Northwestern University for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. In 2006, the Wildcats advanced all the way to the College World Series and came away with a second place finish. They were back in the College World series in 2007 and finished third behind three-time Big Ten Player of the Year, Garland Cooper. Rivera helped Cooper set single-season and career home run records at Northwestern en route to being named the league's only three-time player of the year.
As a whole, the Northwestern bats came alive under the watchful eye of Rivera, setting team records for hits and doubles. She also helped Tammy Williams and Nicole Pauly receive Big Ten Rookie of the Year honors in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
"I am very excited to be back in the Big Ten," said Rivera. "It was a very difficult decision to leave N.C. State, but I love the Big Ten and the Midwest and I am eager to help bring Indiana back to the top of the Big Ten."
Upon her graduation from UIC with a degree in Movement Science in 2005, she immediately moved into the role of volunteer assistant coach at her alma mater while also continuing her duties as a private hitting instructor in Chicago. In addition, she was the head coach for the Oak Park Windmills from 2002-2007 and an assistant coach for the Southern California Blazers Gold in 2001.
While playing for the UIC Flames from 2001-04, Rivera left a lasting impression on the softball record books. She is the career leader in home runs (52) and hit by pitch (35); and ranks second in RBI (193) and walks (125).
She also holds many single-season marks for the Flames as well, led by her 2004 campaign. That year, Rivera crushed a school-record 20 home runs and drove in 64 runs, the second most in a single season, on her way to receiving All-America accolades. She was also named Horizon League Player of the Year and earned Horizon League Tournament MVP for the second time, claiming the award in 2002 as well. She was named to the All-Great Lakes Region team each of her four seasons at UIC and received the Horizon League Rookie of the Year award following her freshman campaign.
