After two consecutive seasons of reaching the NCAA Regionals, softball coach Lisa Navas is looking to take N.C. State to the next level. Last week, Navas hired Northwestern’s Amanda Rivera to join her staff as an assistant coach.
Rivera, a former star for the University of Illinois-Chicago softball team, had just completed her second year as a volunteer assistant for the Wildcats, where she helped them reach consecutive College World Series.
“It’s a great time for her to come in,” Navas said. “We have 11 new players, so it’s like we are beginning the next phase of our program. She will be able to start from the ground up and develop the players.”
Before joining the Wolfpack, Rivera worked with current Wolfpack assistant Leigh Ann Ellis at UIC. Rivera said she couldn’t be happier with the situation in Raleigh.
“Coach Navas has done an unbelievable job the past five years,” Rivera said. “The program’s reputation is one of the nation’s best. For me to have the opportunity to come to a program like this is really special, and I am really excited about it.”
A Southern California native who has spent the past seven years in Chicago, Rivera is excited about living in the south. However, barbecue and sweet tea isn’t the only thing Rivera will have to adjust to in Raleigh.
Rivera’s coaching career thus far has consisted of one year in a volunteer position for the University of Illinois-Chicago and a similar position for two years at Northwestern.
Navas said getting hired as a true assistant coach is a big step for Rivera.
“She said she doesn’t know what to do now that she is actually getting paid for this job,” Navas said. “That says a lot about her; she loves this game and she was doing it on just a volunteer basis before.”
Rivera said it will be nice to actually get paid for something she loves to do.
“A lot of people ask ‘Why did you stay at Northwestern so long?’ I’ve always said, you can’t put a price on happiness,” Rivera said. “I loved my job. I loved my team, and I loved who I worked for. It is nice that I’m going to get a paycheck now, but I do it because I love it.”
Navas believes that Rivera’s College World Series experience with Northwestern will translate to success with the Wolfpack.
“To be in a College World Series, it takes a lot of work that a lot of people don’t understand,” Navas said. “They just think that if they play hard, it’s going to happen for them. She is somebody that can help relate that experience to help our kids get there.”
State will be getting a fresh start in 2008. In addition to the hiring of Rivera, the Pack is losing nine seniors from last year’s team, and 11 new players will be arriving on campus this fall.
“The fall is going to be just a learning experience for everyone,” Rivera said. “We’re going to have a lot of new freshmen coming to campus, so we’re going to work hard to get them Division-I ready.”
Rivera added that she’s excited about the opportunity to take the Pack to the next level.
“I just want to be a part of a program that is doing things the right way,” Rivera said. “I am just trying to help N.C. State move into the next stage of its program with the experience I gained at Northwestern and in the College World Series. I feel like I know what it takes to win.”
