Meet the No Limits Quad

Meet the members of the No Limits quad – Marqus Brown, Maurice Scott, Napoleon Griffin, Brook Yimer, and Coach Patrick Johnson. The No Limits quad shared their journey of coming together as one unit to show a historic statement at the USRowing Masters National championships through a webinar on February 23. The roundtable discussion was a chance to learn and be inspired by their success stories. Watch the webinar on demand by clicking here.

Marqus Brown

Marqus Brown was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he was a collegiate rower and coach. He is a USRowing Marqus Brown BioLevel 2 Certified Coach and joined the Washington men's rowing team staff in the summer of 2021. At UW, he is responsible for coaching the third and fourth varsity eights. He spent the last three years as the head rowing coach at Boys' Latin High School in Philadelphia, where the team doubled in size during his tenure. Prior to taking charge at Boys' Latin, he was an assistant rowing coach at his alma mater, La Salle University in 2017-18. He also has been involved in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization and Access to Row Philly. A four-year member of the varsity rowing team at La Salle, Brown was the team's captain in 2015-16

Maurice Scott

Maurice Scott sat three-seat in the "No Limits" quad. Scott was born and raised in Philadelphia and first got into a Maurice Scott Bioboat around the age of 12 with a free learn to row program out of Bachelors Barge Club. When he was 14 years old in 2010, Philadelphia City Rowing was created and was open to all public school students. Scott hasn't looked back since. Scott won the Philadelphia City Championships his first year, and he was recruited to the Naval Academy for their lightweight program. He graduated and attended the prep school. While that door closed after a year, Scott attended Arcadia University on a full scholarship.

Following that, he went overseas, also on a full scholarship, and attended the University of New South Wales, where he was the first African American to represent the rowing team. Scott competed at the Australian University Games and won multiple championship titles while abroad. He then came home and ran cross country for Arcadia University, while rowing for Undine Barge Club on Boathouse Row. Scott graduated with a degree in global security and emergency management, with a minor in criminal justice.

Scott moved to Washington D.C. and currently works in law enforcement, while also balancing being an aspiring rower and face of change with Potomac Boat Club. Scott has acquired several sponsorships from around the world throughout his rowing career, and he hopes to continue to be a face of representation on a global level and to inspire.

Napoleon Griffin

Napoleon Griffin began his rowing career in early 2017 in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Prior to transitioning to rowing, he Napoleon Griffin Biowas a track and field athlete competing on the NCAA collegiate level. He then matriculated to masters track and field after a few years hiatus, battling male breast cancer. Upon his return to track and field, he won a total of 13 individual national titles, both indoors and outdoors, over various distances from the 800 meters to the 10,000 meters. In 2012 at Indoor Masters Nationals, he ran the anchor leg of the 4x200 meter relay that broke the then standing American record. In 2013, he won two individual gold medals in the 800 meters and 1500 meters at the World Masters Games in Torino, Italy. Once Griffin felt he had accomplished all he could in track and field, his focus turned to sculling where he became connected with the Puerto Rican rowing federation and quickly learned.

After the devastation of Hurricane Maria in September of 2017, Griffin relocated to Austin, Texas, and connected with Texas Rowing Center. Under the watchful coaching eye of Tracy Falkenthal, Griffin has experienced continued success. In 2018 at the World Masters Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Fla., he was the only male of color in the entire championships in the single sculls, finishing fifth. In 2019, he won the Heart of Texas in the double sculls and repeated in 2020 as the only interracial crew competing.

His proudest moments in his rowing career came in 2021 when he won two silver medals at the USRowing Masters National Championships in the double sculls (Texas Rowing Center) and as a member of the historic first all Black male quad (Athletes Without Limits). Griffin is an active member of three clubs the Puerto Rican Rowing Federation (Carolina, Puerto Rico), Texas Rowing Center (Austin, Texas), and Dallas Rowing Club (Dallas, Texas) where he simultaneously holds the title of "Most Meters Erged Annually "for all three clubs.

Brook Yimer

Brook Yimer began his rowing journey in Arlington, Va., attending Wakefield High School, and he continued as a Brook Yimerrecruit at Washington College, where he received his Bachelors of Science in Biology, with minors in chemistry and public health. Yimer is passionate about serving his community in D.C. and has served as a lead coach for the DC Strokes "Serve Your City" youth rowing program. He's a senior assistant coach for Athletes Without Limits and an assistant coach for Wakefield High School Crew. Additionally, he received the Elizabeth Bo Sportsmanship and Golden Goose Award for his commitment to bringing change in his campus and student athlete peers at Washington College.

Yimer is now the program coordinator for STEM to Stern, where he helps rowing clubs implement the program in their own communities. In addition, he is a board member of the Black Coaches and Rowers Associations serving as treasurer.

Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson has 20 years of experience at the high school and collegiate level and has been a leading advocate Patrick Johnson Biofor adaptive rowing over the last decade. As founding director of multiple DC-based adaptive programs for rowers with intellectual, physical, and visual impairments, he has introduced many deserving athletes to the thrills of both indoor and on-water rowing. Over the past 10 years, Johnson has served as a US Para Rowing National Team coach on many occasions with athletes medaling at the world championships and Paralympic Games.

Johnson heads up the Athletes Without Limits (AWL)/DC Strokes Rowing Club (DCSRC) Community Programs integrated rowing program, which is also a USRowing Freedom Rows program. The integrated teams partner with high school and collegiate rowers, coaches, veterans and volunteers to train together out the Anacostia Community Boathouse and compete in mainstream regattas and indoor rowing competitions throughout the country.

Johnson has played a critical role helping Athletes Without Limits achieve its mission for the inclusion of athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities into mainstream sport. What began as overseeing "Learn to Row" days at schools throughout the greater Washington area has led to five area high schools now including rowers with an intellectual disability as part of their high school rowing teams. Rounding out the spectrum of opportunities, many rowers on the AWL team regularly compete in non-adaptive races at prestigious USRowing regattas, as well as international-level Virtus (formerly Inas) events.

Such efforts have not gone unnoticed by the greater rowing community, and in 2019, Johnson received USRowing's Isabel Bohn Award, which is given to an individual or organization achieving measurable success in expanding rowing opportunities for those with physical and intellectual disabilities. Additionally, Johnson is an at-large board member of the Black Coaches & Rowers Association.