According to Siani, she has been on the rowing coaching staff since September, but she was not an official coach until the details of her hiring were finalized by the Athletic Department earlier last week.
Siani previously headed the novice girl's rowing team at the Boston Latin School last spring and worked at the Princeton high school rowing camp during the summer in 2005.
When asked what she will bring to the Big Green rowing program, Siani answered, "I think that the combination of me and Wendy Levash brings a newness to the team, a new enthusiasm. I have a great love for the sport of rowing and racing, and for a novice team learning to race is the most important thing."
A 2004 graduate of Cornell University with a B.A. with distinction, Siani was a former standout rower for the Big Red, co-captaining the 2003-2004 squad during her senior year. Before her four year rowing career in Ithaca, Siani was a member of the 2000 U.S. Junior National Team.
In addition to garnering Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Mid-Atlantic first team all-region accolades in both 2003 and 2004, Siani was commended for her success in the classroom, earning recognition as a CRCA Division I National Scholar Athlete.
Siani will aim to improve the talent of the novice team to help achieve greatness in the coming years, and she concedes that there is room for improvement. "For our team I definitely think our biggest area of improve is our strength. We're working in the varsity weight room and I think it will give us more power, which is what we need."
After a "successful" fall campaign, Siani is looking for greater success for the entire women's crew come springtime.
"I have high hopes," she said. "We have some big competitors we need to beat." She added that the team could be in the running to win the Eastern Sprints -- the last regatta of the season -- on May 14 in Camden, N.J.
But before then, Siani and the entire women's rowing program will look to start the season with a victory when the team travels south to Chestnut Hill to take on the Boston College Eagles on April 1. Start time is TBA.
