PRINCETON, N.J. – University of Virginia’s Kevin Sauer and Dartmouth College’s Wyatt Allen have been named U.S. under 23 men’s head coach and men’s assistant coach, respectively. They will select and coach crews competing July 22-26 at the 2015 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Sauer has coached several USRowing teams to success at the international level. Under the guidance of Sauer, the U.S. won gold in the women’s quadruple sculls in 2007 and gold in the women’s eight at the 2008 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Overall, he has coached 17 rowers that have competed at the world championships and six Olympians, including one at each of the past three Olympic Games.
"I am really looking forward to coaching the U23 men this summer,” said Sauer. “It will be an exciting change of pace from coaching the UVa and under 23 women. And working with Wyatt will be a pleasure; he is one of my all-time favorite people to come through UVa, and it has been fun following his stellar rowing and coaching career. I also would like to thank Luke (McGee) and (Bryan) Volpenhein for entrusting me with this opportunity.”
Sauer, a two-time U.S. national team member in 1975 and 1977, coached at Purdue University and Yale University prior to starting at Virginia in the fall of 1988. There, he oversaw the direction of both the men's and women's club teams, until the women's team gained varsity status in 1995.
Last year marked Sauer’s 19th season coaching the varsity women, where he has led the Cavaliers to a pair of NCAA championships in 2010 and 2012, 10 top-four finishes and eight consecutive top-six finishes at the NCAA Rowing Championships. A two-time Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) National Coach of the Year (2010 and 2012), Sauer has elevated Virginia to the most elite level of rowing among collegiate programs around the country.
“I'm thrilled to be helping Kevin Sauer with this year’s U23 team,” said Allen, who led the under 23 men’s four to a sixth-place finish at the 2014 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Varese, Italy. “My two years as an under 23 athlete cemented my desire to pursue rowing at the next level, and I look forward to hopefully providing a similar experience for top American collegiate rowers.”
Allen was named the head coach of Dartmouth College’s men’s heavyweight rowing in July, 2014. A 2001 graduate of the University of Virginia, he is a nine-time U.S. National Team member and two-time Olympic medalist, having won gold in the men’s eight at the 2004 Olympic Games and bronze in the eight in 2008. In 2007, he was named USRowing’s Male Athlete of the Year.
In addition to an outstanding career as a rower, Allen has enjoyed coaching success on both the national and collegiate level. Following the Beijing Olympics, Allen began his coaching career with the University of Washington, spending one season with the Huskies and helping the program to a three-boat sweep at the 2009 IRA Championships. While coaching at the University of California, Allen led the 2011 freshmen eight to an undefeated season and assisted with the 2010 IRA national champion varsity eight.
United States crews won a total of five medals at the 2014 World Rowing Under 23 Championships including gold in the lightweight men’s single sculls, women’s four and women’s eight; silver in the women’s pair; and bronze in the men’s eight.
Comments | Log in to comment |
There are no Comments yet
|