Jacksonville University Women's Rowing

Ameerah Aly joined the Jacksonville women's rowing program as the team's new assistant coach and recruiting coordinator ahead of the 2025-26 season. "I am ecstatic about joining the JU women's rowing program," Aly said. "The culture and connection between the rowers, coaches, and support staff is one of a kind, and I'm grateful to be part of this special and talented team. Aly brings a wealth of experience from the developmental rowing circuit. Her most recent work came with the Atlanta Junior Rowing Association, where she served as an assistant coach and then the novice head coach. She had a standout athletic career of her own, spending four years rowing in the ACC at Clemson. In addition to her coaching and competing career, Aly succeeded in the professional world. She worked for various high-profile firms working in program management. As she joins the program at JU, she's ready to be a part of success on the water. Head coach Mike Lane raved about Aly and the mix of athletic and professional experiences she brings to the staff. "I am very excited to welcome Ameerah to our program," Lane said. "Through the interview process, it was clear she would be a great fit for us. Her experience as a D1 athlete at Clemson as well her life experience in the real world is really impressive. Coupled with her coaching experience, we really hit a home run." The Dolphins' slate of fall races starts Oct. 11 at home with the First Coast Regatta in Jacksonville. The full spring competition schedule will be released at a later date.

Kolaga joined the women's rowing staff staff as a graduate assistant for the 2025-26 season. She joins the program after a standout career as a coxswain at UMass. "I chose JU because I am excited to be a part of the unbeatable culture and contribute to another dominant MAAC performance," Kolaga said. "Head Coach Mike Lane's success in college rowing precedes him and I look forward to learning from him." Kolaga joins the Dolphins for the program's 50th season on the water as they look for their 10th MAAC title in program history. "I am fired up to have Ali joining us as our Graduate Assistant Rowing Coach," Dolphins head coach Mike Lane said. "Very early on she stood out as an exceptional choice, both because of her experience as the varsity coxswain at UMass, but also her confidence in knowing the rowing stroke and leading a crew." Kolaga was an accomplished coxswain in college, anchoring crews for the Minutemen since 2021. She earned second-team All-Atlantic 10 honors in 2025 and first-team all-league honors in 2024. She was also routinely acclaimed for her leadership as a student-athlete, being nominated for UMass's Excellence in Leadership award on multiple occasions. Her crews found plenty of success in the water. She finished third at the A10 Championships with the Varsity 8+ in 2024 and earned seventh at the Head of the Charles with that same crew earlier that season. She also excelled at the club level, leading Riverside Boat Club to a second place finish in the U23 8+ and a win in the Masters 4+ at the Royal Canadian Henley in 2023. Despite all of her commitments in the water, she's also already built out an impressive coaching resume that she brings to Jacksonville. She interned with the USRowing U19 Development camp, helping to develop the coxswain curriculum and work individually with young athletes skill development. She also worked with the Advanced Rowing Initiative of the Northeast, working with US Olympic hopefuls and learning from Olympic coaches.

Team Assignments: Women's Soccer, Women's Rowing EDUCATION Bachelors of Science in Athletic Training - Ohio State University 2021 CAREER/WORK EXPERIENCE Clinical Athletic Trainer - Ohio State University Physicians 2023-2025 Intern Athletic Trainer - Cincinnati Bengals 2022-2023 Intern Athletic Trainer - University of South Alabama 2021-2022 Jacksonville Jaguars Athletic Training Summer Intern 2020 Athletic Training Student - Ohio State University 2017-2021     PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS Board of Certification, Inc. Athletic Trainer State of Florida, Department of Health, Licensed Athletic Trainer Foundations in Dry Needling - Dry Needling Academy Blood Flow Restriction Therapy Certification - Owens Recovery Science Performance Enhancing Specialist Certification - National Academy of Sports Medicine             PERSONAL Hometown - Loveland, Ohio I love to play golf, pickleball, and sand volleyball with my girlfriend in my free time