LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego women's crew team has added Kimberly Dale as its assistant coach. The annoucement was made Monday by head coach Colin Truex.

Dale comes to UCSD after spending three years as the men's and women's head rowing coach at Sonoma State. During her three-year stint at the helm of the Seawolves' program, Dale was also head coach of the North Bay Rowing Club Juniors.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to work with the women's crew program at UCSD," said Dale. "I hope to be a role model to the student-athletes so that they can rely on me to give them the skills needed to go far in their sport, and hopefully, bring back a championship to the team."

While at SSU, Dale led multiple teams to awards, including a gold medal, silver medal and a sixth-place finish at the 2010 American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) Club Championship for the Varsity Men's Four, Men's Varsity Lightweight Four and the Women's Four, respectively. More recently under Dale's leadership, her Men's Novice Eight team took third at the 2011 Head of the American while her Women's Novice Eight team finished second at the 2012 San Diego Crew Classic.

Dale's affiliation with rowing began as a student-athlete when she was a member of the Orange Coast College team (2003-05). In her two years with the Pirates, Dale's Women's Novice Eight team won a bronze medal at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championship Regatta in 2005.

Upon transferring to San Diego State in 2005, Dale helped the SDSU JV Eight team to a gold medal at the WIRA Championship Regatta in her last season in 2007.

After completing her final year of eligibility with SDSU, Dale stayed on and made her foray into coaching as a volunteer assistant in August 2007.

Dale remained in San Diego after graduating from SDSU and became assistant coach of the San Diego Rowing Club in January 2009 before accepting the head coaching position at SSU in August of that year.

Truex believes Dale will have an immediate positive impact on UCSD.

"Kimberly will bring a lot of enthusiasm, knowledge and energy to the program," Truex said. "She will contribute to the program in a lot of ways, and I'm excited to see that as well."

Born in Fontana and raised in Napa Valley, Dale is a 2008 graduate of SDSU, earning a Bachelor's Degree in liberal studies with an emphasis in physical education and multiple subject education. She also earned her Associates of Arts Degree in general education from OCC in 2005.

-- UCSDtritons.com --