Case Western Reserve University Head Men's and Women's Track and Field Coach Eric Schmuhl announced the hiring of Rocco Mitolo as the program's Assistant Coach. Mitolo started full-time at CWRU on October 1.
No stranger to the Spartan track and field program, Mitolo has worked as the team's throws coach for the past three seasons after a previous stint in Cleveland from 2015-21. During his time coaching the Spartan throwers, Mitolo mentored national champion Cassandra Laois and All-Americans Adrienne Wachtman and Lauren Roskuszka. Under his tutelage, student-athletes won 22 University Athletic Association Individual Championships, 56 All-UAA honors, and set seven school records.
"His reputation among our student-athletes, our department members, our campus community, and around our region, is impeccable," Schmuhl said. "His body of work here over 10 years made his hiring full time a no brainer. In those 10 years, his event group has set the standard for contribution on our team in UAA championships. We hope with him being full time, much of what he has brought to the throwing group steadily permeates into the rest of the program. I believe in this full-time role, he'll be an incredible asset across all disciplines."
For the 2021-22 season, Mitolo worked at nearby Oberlin College as an Assistant Coach, helping the Yeowomen win two North Coast Athletic Conference championships and guiding an All-American in the weight throw.
"2015-16 was my first year of coaching, and it meant a lot to me, as someone who had no experience or knowledge of CWRU, to have the support of both my supervisor and the student-athletes," Mitolo said. "The path we took wasn't conventional, but we found a rhythm that worked for us. It's been a wonderful journey that has changed me greatly as a person and instructor. It's hard to believe that almost exactly 10 years later, I'm preparing to take the first steps on a new journey, this time with a greater understanding of this institution and its students. I look forward to whatever lies ahead."
In addition to his work on the throwing fields, Mitolo served as a part-time strength and conditioning coach. He instructed student-athletes in proper lifting mechanics, developed and implemented strength testing protocols for the different event groups, and analyzed strength testing data to determine trends across event groups and measure individual progress throughout the training season in that role. He was an assistant manager at the 121 Fitness Center for nearly five years and served as an Adjunct Professor in the CWRU Department of Physical Education and Athletics during the Fall 2020 semester.
Mitolo had a standout career at John Carroll University, where he was an NCAA Division III Outdoor All-American in the outdoor shot put in 2014. During his time with the Blue Streaks, he broke school records in the shot put (16.86m), hammer throw (54.84m), and weight throw (17.92m), while earning four All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors and winning the OAC Championship in the shot put in 2015.
Mitolo has a USAW Level 1 Sports Performance Coach certification. He graduated from JCU in 2015 with his Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in chemistry.
