Pina Gentile's playing career and coaching experiences illustrate that she knows, plays and teaches the game at high levels. In her second season assisting both the men's and women's golf teams, Gentile helped lead both programs to State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles in 2005.

Gentile is no stranger to Redbird golf. She was a four-year letterwinner at Illinois State and member of Illinois State's 1997 Missouri Valley Conference Championship team. During her career, Gentile excelled both on the golf course and in the classroom. She was a member of the AFNI Honor Roll, the National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team and earned the Helen Cushman Endowed Scholarship before graduating with honors in psychology. While working on her masters of science degree in psychology, Gentile was a volunteer assistant for the women's golf team from 2001-04.

Gentile became a member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Teaching and Club Professional Division in 2000. Her work experience includes assistant golf professional positions at Crestwicke Country Club in Bloomington, Ill., and Edgewood Valley Country Club in LaGrange, Ill. Gentile has also had the opportunity to work with many well known professionals in the golf industry, including sports psychologist Dr. Robert Winters, golf professional Dr. Jim Suttie and short game guru Dave Pelz.