Camps

Lorna Rundle brings extensive international racing experience and a proven record of developing young athletes to her role as U19 Selection Development Camp Women’s Head Coach. She looks forward to collaborating with athletes and coaches from across the country. 

Lorna began her rowing career in London, UK, at Lea Rowing Club on the River Lea. She competed nationally and internationally for fifteen years, winning three National Championships and representing Great Britain at both U19 and U23 world championships. She also raced as a lightweight and earned a bronze medal at the Lucerne International Regatta.  

Lorna moved to the United States in 2004 and began coaching at Montclair High School in 2008. In 2009, she and her husband, Jeremy Michalitsianos, also a former member of the Great Britain National Team, assumed leadership of the program, and transformed the team into a nationally competitive scholastic program. She has served as Head Women’s Coach ever since. 

Montclair has won 25 Stotesbury Cup Championship titles, 14 SRAA National Championships and 10 Mid-Atlantic Championships, along with more than 70 New Jersey State Championship titles. At USRowing Youth Nationals, Montclair has earned a bronze medal in the Men’s Varsity Eight in 2018 and most recently, a Championship win in the Women’s Youth Pair in 2025.  In 2018, Montclair reached the semifinals of the Thames Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. 

Sixteen Montclair athletes have gone on to represent the United States at the U19 and U23 World Championships, collectively earning three U19 and three U23 medals.  

Montclair athletes are recruited to leading universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe each year, with alumni going on to win major collegiate championships including IRA and NCAA titles, as well as winning the Oxford–Cambridge Boat Race and the Harvard–Yale race. Montclair alumni have also won four events at the Henley Royal Regatta. 

Lorna holds a BA in English Literature and History from Middlesex University (UK). She lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband, three sons, and their dog and cat. Outside of rowing, she enjoys running, hot yoga, and spending time in New York City. 

Paul Bugenhagen serves as the Hobart and William Smith director of rowing and head coach of the William Smith rowing team. He joined the HWS coaching staff in 2011 as the head coach of Hobart rowing and in 2020, added head coach of William Smith rowing to his responsibilities. Bugenhagen took on his current role as director of rowing and head coach of the Herons for the 2023-24 academic year.

Bugenhagen led the Statesmen for 12 years. He was the 2014 Joy of Sculling Collegiate Coach of the Year and earned three ECAC NIRC Coach of the Year awards and six Liberty League Men's Rowing Coaching Staff of the Year awards. Bugenhagen led Hobart to 10 consecutive Liberty League Championships and guided 10 crews to gold medal-winning performances at the NIRC as well as 11 additional podium finishes at the NIRC. He has mentored three U.S. National Team members, 10 Liberty League Crews of the Year and 42 All-Liberty League selections. In the classroom, his charges have picked up 109 Liberty League All-Academic awards, 36 NIRC All-Academic selections and 10 CRCA Scholar-Athletes.

Bugenhagen came to Hobart after six successful seasons as the head coach of the Bucknell men's rowing team. The 2009 ACRA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year oversaw the development of five ACRA All-Americans, including two in 2010-11, six ACRA All-Mid-Atlantic pics, and 18 ACRA National Academic Team honorees. 

Additionally, Bugenhagen spent three summers as the head coach of the pre-elite program at the Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia. At Vesper, he coached eight U.S. National Champions and 10 crews to gold medals at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Bugenhagen has also supported the U-19 Men, U-23 women, and U-23 men as an assistant coach with the U.S. National Team.

Before Bucknell, Bugenhagen spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Princeton University. He also has served as the head coach of the Carnegie Lake Rowing Association in Princeton, N.J., and of Gainesville Area Rowing.

Bugenhagen earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in exercise and sports science from the University of Florida. He is a USRowing Level III and FISA Level II certified coach.

Erin Hayes currently serves as an Assistant Coach/Coxswain Coach with the University of Alabama Women's Rowing Team, where she is helping to build success at a high level.  Prior to her role at Alabama, Hayes coached at St. Andrew Rowing Club for several years, leading multiple boats to podium finishes at the USRowing Youth National Championships, including a gold medal in the Women's Youth 4+ in 2024. Hayes’s coaching philosophy emphasizes technical precision, competitive resilience, and fostering a positive, high-performance team culture. She is also committed to developing athlete autonomy, helping athletes build confidence, decision-making skills, and ownership of their performance that will serve them well beyond their rowing careers. Drawing on her experience as both a former coxswain and coach, she is excited to support the continued development of athletes within the U.S. Rowing pathway after working at the U19 High Performance Winter Camp this year. 

Eric is an Assistant Coach at Detroit Boat Club. Rowing became Eric’s passion after his very first learn-to-row session. It brings him great happiness to share the joy of rowing with others. Eric started rowing while in high school at Detroit Boat Club Crew. After high school, he competed while in college at Grand Valley State University. He competed at numerous regattas including Royal Canadian Henley Regatta and Dad Vail Regatta.

Eric’s coaching career started with the city of Detroit learn-to-row program. He started coaching competitive juniors at Rockford High School in West Michigan. After returning to Detroit, he coached competitive juniors at Detroit Boat Club crew. Eric is currently Head Coach of Varsity Men at Texas Rowing Center in Austin, TX. He has coached multiple boats that have been top finalists at Midwest Junior, Central Youth, and Youth National Championships. Eric has also coached at U-19 Selection Development Camp for summers 2023 and 2024.

Conny Kirsch was named Women's Rowing Head Coach at The Bolles School in 2019. Kirsch brings extensive experience as a coach and athlete at the international and collegiate levels. Her 16 years as a college coach include serving as an assistant at the University of Massachusetts, Indiana University and most recently at UCF. At UCF, she helped the Knights to five consecutive conference team titles, guided the 2V8+ to four straight titles from 2015-2018 and coached the V4+ to a conference title in 2019. At Indiana, she served as the lead recruiter and coordinator, working with athletes from around the world. She helped the Hoosiers’ 2nd Varsity Eight to the most wins in program history in 2011. Kirsch began her college coaching career at UMass, coaching freshmen, varsity four and lightweight rowers as well as coordinating team travel and recruiting.

Conny Kirsch has always had a passion for sculling since she grew up in Germany and sculling was the primary way of rowing as a Junior Athlete. After competing and winning her first Junior Worlds in Poznan in the quad in 1995, she then came in second in 1996 in Scotland. She competed at her third Junior Worlds in Belgium in 1997 in the double scull and won again. Her final German National Team competition was in 1998 at U23 where she competed in the double sculls again and won a silver medal. She was a standout rower at Ohio State and was the first rower inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

Conny has been a collegiate coach for over 13 years and involved with US Rowing since 2007 running sculling camps in the summer in Saratoga Springs, NY and Orlando, FL during the winter breaks. Most recently Conny coached formerly known ODP camps 2019-2021 and Selection Development Camps 2022-2024. 

Kirsch received her master’s degree in Counselor Education from Ohio State in 2006 and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Women’s Studies in 2003.

Alex Kincaid is the Head Coach of Men’s Rowing at Washington College. Prior to Washington College, Kincaid served as an assistant coach for with the heavyweight men’s program at the United States Naval Academy and previously served as the head men’s coach at Catholic University of America during the early stages of its development as a varsity program. Kincaid also has scholastic junior level coaching experience, having worked with junior athletes at DeMatha Catholic High School. Kincaid earned his B.A. in Philosophy from Washington College and an M.S. in Management with a concentration in Leadership from Catholic University. 

Delaney McGuire is in her second stint as an assistant coach for the women's rowing program. McGuire returned to Ypsilanti in June 2021 after a two-year stint as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at her alma mater, Saint Joseph's University.

McGuire had served as a graduate assistant on Savage's staff from 2016-18 before being elevated to an assistant coach from 2018-19. Currently, she is the recruiting coordinator and responsible for varsity athlete development.

In 2022, McGuire aided Eastern Michigan to a third overall finish at the CAA Championships. Along with the 1V’s bronze medal, the Eagles tallied 26 points, the most ever for EMU at the championships since the program joined the conference in 2012. Members of that Eagles First Varsity Eight squad, Emma Boersen and Chloe Hinojosa, were named to the 2022 All-CAA team.

At Saint Joseph’s, McGuire made an immediate impact, helping the Hawks capture their first-ever title in pairs at the Small Boat Challenge and place a program-best third in the 4+ at the Head of the Charles during the fall of 2019.

In 2021, SJU took home the bronze in 2V8 at Dad Vail Regatta, while finishing third at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships.

She was also a member of the Athletic Department's Executive Team for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

A four-year letterwinner at Saint Joseph's from 2012-16, McGuire served as team captain as a senior and earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team accolades. Also the recipient of the team's Vasquez Award, McGuire graduated with a bachelor's degree in art education.

Following graduation, McGuire joined the staff at Eastern Michigan as a graduate assistant. After serving in the role for nearly two seasons, she was elevated to full-time assistant in 2018 and oversaw recruiting and development.

In 2018-19, McGuire helped the Freshman 8 claim gold at the Dad Vail Championship, led the Novice 8 to finish a program-best fifth at the Head of the Hooch, and guided the Novice/3V8 to victory at the Cooper Invitational Regatta. Additionally, under McGuire's guidance, the Novice set a new record for 2K time and placed a student-athlete on EMU's all-time Novice 6K record board, while the 2019 recruiting class ranked the fastest in program history.

At the 2019 Colonial Athletic Association Championships, McGuire's assistance helped EMU match its best finish in program history. The Eagles finished third overall with a second-place effort in the Second Varsity Eight, a third-place mark in the First Varsity Eight, and a fourth-place performance in the Varsity Four race.

Earning a master's degree in sports management from Eastern Michigan, McGuire continued her rowing career while coaching as she earned a spot on the United States rowing team that competed in the 2018 World University Championships in Shanghai, China, and finished 11th in the Lightweight Double Sculls.

The Philadelphia native graduated from Archbishop John Carroll High School in 2012. She participated on the rowing and basketball teams while there and earned team MVP honors in rowing as a senior.

Walker Ferris grew up on the Vernon River in Savannah, GA, just a few miles from where he would later row for four years and captain his high school club in his senior season. He then attended the University of Georgia from 2011-2015, where he earned degrees in economics and in history while competing for the ACRA program at UGA, also leading organisational efforts to grow the club as its student board co-executive for three years. Walker then coached the youth program at Stanton-River Bank Rowing in Jacksonville, FL from 2015-2017 before returning to Athens to lead the men’s program of his alma mater from 2017-2021; he also served on the ACRA Board of Directors in 2020 and 2021, leading the effort to resume racing in place of an official championship in the spring of 2021. From 2021-2025, Walker grew the St. Andrew Rowing Club to new heights on the youth men’s side, culminating in multiple regional medals and the club’s first youth men’s national championship in the U16 4x+. Beginning fall 2026, he leads the U17/novice men’s program at the Atlanta Junior Rowing Association.  

Walker has also coached within the USRowing U19 development system since 2017, most recently serving as a lead men’s coach and an assistant pairs camp coach for the 2025 PDC program. He holds a USRowing Level II Coaching Certification, and believes strongly in helping athletes to take ownership of their personal role in the developmental process. Off the water, he enjoys live music, baseball, disc golf, and the outdoors. 

Caitlin is a sport and athlete development professional with experience in collegiate and club sport environments. She rowed at the University of Minnesota from 2008–2012. Following her collegiate career, she returned as a volunteer novice coach and has since coached at the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis Rowing Club, and Long Lake Rowing Club. 
 
She has also worked within collegiate athletics at the University of Minnesota and with Athletes in Action, contributing to department operations and athlete services. Across these roles, she has focused on holistic athlete development, supporting both performance outcomes and personal growth. 
 
Outside of rowing, she enjoys reading, movies, cooking, coffee, working out, traveling, women’s sports, spending time with her nieces and nephew, and petting every dog she meets. She also serves as commissioner of a fantasy WNBA league. 

Dan fell in love with rowing at Bowdoin College, where he learned to row and competed on the club team for four years. His goal is to help others build community, self-confidence, joy, and speed through rowing. He is currently an assistant coach with Michigan State University Club Crew, and in his free time he enjoys running, cycling, and cooking. 

Haley O'Donnell has been involved in developing competitive junior rowers in the Philadelphia area since 2021, coaching both at a local development camp for college-recruited juniors and with the nationally competitive Cooper Juniors Rowing Club. A successful junior athlete herself, she won the 2019 Stotesbury Cup and SRAA National Championships with her crew before going on to row at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and competed in a medal-winning conference championship crew as a freshman. She later earned a master’s degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning from Appalachian State University, where she also worked as a graduate research and teaching assistant. Haley has applied her expertise in human performance, training methodology, and athlete development across both rowing and strength and conditioning settings, and in 2026 earned her Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist credential through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She brings a strong foundation in technical development, intentional training, and positive team culture to her coaching. 

Dr. Stephanie Fryer is the Director of Camps and Athlete Development at USRowing. She brings extensive expertise in athlete development, grounded in both elite athletic experience and advanced academic training in sport performance and psychology. She holds a Doctorate in Sport and Performance Psychology, a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a Masters in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sport Performance. As an athlete, Stephanie competed at an elite level in Olympic-style pistol at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center and also had a successful post-collegiate career in pole vault, earning a USATF Club National Championship and setting indoor and outdoor records at Colorado College. Through her work in high-performance pathway programming, coaching, teaching, and mental performance, Stephanie has demonstrated a strong commitment to developing athletes through an integrated approach that supports excellence in performance, resilience, and long-term success.

ID camp participants will receive early invitation notices the day after their camp. Regular camp acceptances will start on March 16 and will continue on a rolling basis until the camp is filled. 

Depending on when you submit your information, you may be waiting to hear from us. You can always view your application status in the member portal by following these steps: 

Log in to your USRowing member portal HERE

• Once logged into your account select "Camps" from the lefthand menu
• If your application is still under review, it will appear under the 'Application Pending' tab.
• If your application has been accepted and is awaiting your payment and confirmation, it will appear under the 'Invitations to Review' tab.

• If your application has been accepted and deposit has been made, it will appear under the 'Enrollment Complete' tab.

   

You will receive directions from your camp director regarding the remaining balance payment and any additional requirements.  

Payment is due in full by May 31.

The cost of Selection Development Camp has increased due primarily to the increased cost of room and board, as well as boat rental fees. 

Plan on rowing A LOT! There are laundry facilities, but a general rule of thumb is to pack a week’s worth of clothing. Athletes will be staying in a dorm on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. Exact packing lists based on Eastern Michigan University's current dorm policies will be sent prior to camp to all registered athletes.

Essentials

• Bedding for a Twin XL bed (pillows, sheets, blankets) or a sleeping bag
• Sunscreen
• Bath Towel x 2
• Running Shoes
• Rowing Clothes
• Clothes for the dorm and non-rowing activities
• Rain Gear
• Nalgene or other types of water bottles (more than one is a good idea)
• Necessary Medication
• Hygiene products
• Personal athletic training items (bands, recovery items, liquid IV, athletic tape)
• Coxswains – Tape Recorder
• Coxswains – Cox Box (If you don’t have your own, please try and borrow one from your program)

Permitted (but not required) 

• Laptop Computers/tablets
• Cell Phone + Charger
• Mini Fridge (Cannot exceed 4 cu ft or 115 volts. There is a shared fridge on each floor.)
• Box Fan: 1 permitted per room. (The dorm is air conditioned.)
• Hair Dryer
• Small Stereo
• Heart Rate Monitor
• T-shirt or uni to trade

Prohibited (not exhaustive, use your judgement)

• Hot Plates
• George Foreman grill or toaster oven
• Open coil appliances
• Candles, incense, wax melters, and plug-in air fresheners
• Air conditioners
• Fireworks, propane, butane, or any other explosive materials (includes Hoverboards)
• Weapons (firearms, airsoft guns, and knives)
• Drugs, alcohol, tobacco
• Electronic cigarettes

Each camp location will have a list of the nearest urgent care facilities and hospitals should an emergency or serious injury arise. Coaches and staff will rely on local medical and emergency professionals in any situation that exceeds minor first aid treatment. 

We strive to make our camps accessible and affordable to families and athletes in need. If you are in need of a scholarship, please fill out the application. 

Coxswains: Please submit your additional materials (race recording, etc.) by completing this FORM. Please instruct your current Head Coach to submit your recommendation from by completing this FORM.

2026 Summer Camp deposits are 100% refundable within 48 hours of registration. Payments are 50% refundable until 3/31/26. After this date, payments will not be refunded due to administrative costs incurred, except in unforeseen circumstances. Refund requests should be sent in writing to stephanie.fryer@usrowing.org.