Melissa Steele enters into her second season as an assistant coach for the FGCU Swimming & Diving program in 2018-19.

In her first season with the Eagles, Steele helped FGCU capture its fourth-straight CCSA title and ninth overall in a span of a decade as the team went 7-2 overall with a 2-0 conference record. Steele coached the distance group at the CCSA meet which saw Linda Shaw (500 free) and Elizabeth Zeiger (400 IM) claim first place. In addition, Shaw placed second in the 200 free and fourth in the 1650 free while Zeiger finished 2nd in the 1650 free and fifth in the 500 free. Under her guidance, Toni Baerens went on to place fourth in the 200 and 500 free and third in the 1650 free.  

Steele joined the Green and Blue in 2017 after spending three seasons (2014-16) at the University of Arkansas, where she served two seasons as a graduate assistant under head coach Sean Schimel before being promoted to an assistant coach in June 2016, joining Neil Harper’s newly assembled staff.
 
During her time at Arkansas, Steele assisted with on-deck coaching as well as administrative duties that included team travel, meals, equipment inventory and recruiting activities. A total of eight school records were broken under while Steele was on-deck at Arkansas, and she helped 10 swimmers advance to the NCAA Championships in her three seasons with the program.
 
Most notably, Steele was a part of a staff that helped Nikki Daniels earn All-American Honorable Mention honors in the 100 breast at the 2015 NCAA Championships and saw Anna Mayfield become the first swimmer in program history to qualify for four straight NCAA meets. Additionally, she coached Jessie Garrison to 2016 Olympic Trials qualifying marks in the 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM.
 
Prior to Arkansas, Steele served as an assistant age group coach for the Bolles School Sharks in her hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., from 2013-14. She also served as a camp counselor from 2012-14 at the University of Texas Longhorns Swim Camps. With both the Sharks and Longhorns, Steele had the opportunity to work with numerous Olympic and U.S. Junior National Team coaches as well as Olympic athletes.
 
Steele graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Louisville in 2012. A four-year letter winner with the Cardinals, she earned Big East All-Academic Team honors following each season and helped Louisville to a Big East Championship in both 2011 and 2012. Capping off her career, Steele ranked third all-time in the 1,650 free and sixth in the 200 fly.
 
Additionally, during her graduate assistantship with the Razorbacks, Steele earned her Master's Degree in Sport and Recreation Management in May 2016 and was named the program's Most Outstanding Master's Student. Most recently, in December 2017, Steele graduated from the NCAA Women’s Coaches Academy Class 43.