Meet The 2025 Pathways Development Camp Coaches

The Pathways Development Camp (PDC) is a great stepping stone towards the U.S. national teams. PDC will help rowers develop their technique in small boats and learn or improve their sculling skills. Long-term athlete development in small boats is the foundation for successful rower development around the world. Coaches will focus on teaching some of the most important skills rowers, and coxswains need to develop to become elite athletes.  

Collectively, these coaches

• Contribute more than 150 years of coaching expertise spanning high school, collegiate, club, and national levels.
• They are former Olympic gold medalists and world champions, with accolades including FISA Coach of the Year and multiple national and international championship medals.
• Have produced medal-winning crews at national and world championships, as well as at the Olympic Games.

Scroll down to learn more about each coach, and get more information on Pathways Development Camp here.

Sean McCourt: Pathways Development Camp Logistic Director & Boys Recruiter

• Former rower at St. Joseph's Prep & Boston University
• Attended U.S. Nations Cup (Under 23) and Lightweight Selection Camps; runner-up at 2000 World Championships Trials
• Built successful programs at Mercer Juniors and served in USRowing U17 athlete development

Sean McCourt is currently head coach for The McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN. He began rowing in high school at St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia and went on to row for Boston University, where he graduated with a B.S. in secondary education. During that time, he was selected to attend the U.S. Nations Cup (Under 23) Lightweight Team Camp in 1998 and Lightweight Selection Camp in 1999 and was runner-up in the lightweight pair at the 2000 World Championships Trials. 

Outside of McCallie, McCourt's coaching experience includes St. Joseph's Prep, where he was an assistant coach before starting the PNRA/Mercer program. He spent the next decade building the Mercer Juniors into a perennial contender. Still, more importantly, a strong community that encapsulated athletes from suburban areas and inner-city neighborhoods in Trenton, N.J. McCourt also has spent several years helping with the USRowing U17 development program. He has served as the head coach for the Midwest & Central Region boys' squad from 2019-2022.  Since 2023, he has identified and recruited athletes and oversaw the camp's logistical operations.

Over the years, he has helped many athletes achieve their goal of competing on the collegiate level. His crews have achieved victories and medals at the USRowing Youth National Championships, SRAA Nationals, Head of the Charles, Head of the Schuylkill, Head of the Hooch, Stotesbury Cup, Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Youth Championships, Reading Amateur Regatta (UK), Women’s Henley Regatta (UK), Southeast Youth Championships, Philadelphia City Championships, and the ODP Challenge, among others.

Amanda Polk Sobolewski: Pathways Development Camp Girls Recruiter & Olympic Gold Medalist

• Two-time Olympian; 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist (Women’s 8+)
• Five-time World Champion in the Women’s 8+; broke world records in 2012 and 2013
• Former Assistant Coach at Clemson University

Amanda (Polk) Sobolewski is a two-time Olympian and a 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Women’s 8+ for the Rio Games. Before this accomplishment, she was a 5-time World Champion in the Women’s 8+ in 2010, ’11, ’13, ’14, ’15). She was in the previous two World Record breaking Women’s 8+ in 2012 and 2013 in the World Cup 3 in Lucerne, Switzerland. She is a 5-time World Cup Winner in the Women’s 8+ and a silver medalist at the 2009 World Rowing Championships in the Women’s 4-. Sobolewski’s first international gold was in 2008 in the Under 23 World Championship Women’s 8+. However, her first international appearance was in 2004 at the Junior World Championships in the Women’s 8+, finishing 7th overall. She attributes her Junior National experience to being her inspiration to row at the National and Olympic level. 

After retiring from Olympic training, Sobolewski moved to Easley, South Carolina, where she worked as an assistant coach at Clemson University from Spring 2017 to 2018.

Megan Dirkmaat McCourt: Camp Director & Olympic Silver Medalist

• Olympic Medalist and national team member (2001-2007)
• Rowed for UC Berkeley; coached at Stanford and Princeton
• Stroked the women’s 4– to gold at the Munich World Championships in 2007

Megan (Dirkmaat) McCourt began rowing in high school at the Los Gatos Rowing Club in California. Her success there led to a rowing scholarship at The University of California-Berkeley. She was invited to her first national team camp in 1998 and became a permanent resident at the Princeton Training Center in 2001 after graduating from Berkeley. 

Megan made her first national team in 2001, racing in the women’s 8+ at the FISA World Championship in Lucerne, Switzerland. She went on to make the 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007 National Teams. In 2004, Megan was a member of the women’s 8+ that won gold in the Munich and Lucerne World Cups, and a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. This crew also set a world-best time in the Olympic heat of the women’s 8+. After a post-Olympic break, which included a stint coaching at Stanford University, Megan returned to Princeton. She earned a spot in the women’s 8+ for the 2005 World Championship in Gifu, Japan. 

Following the World Championship in 2005, Megan decided to take the 2006 season off and attend graduate school at the University of Washington. After graduating with a Master of Education in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership, Megan returned to Princeton for the 2007 rowing season. She was selected to stroke the women’s 4- at the Munich World Championship, capturing the gold medal and upsetting the heavily favored Germans on their home course.

Dan Beery: Olympic Gold Medalist & Three-Time World Champion

• Olympic Gold Medalist (Men’s 8+ in 2004)
• Multiple World Championship medals in various boat classes
• Coached at Chattanooga Juniors, McCallie School, St. Joseph’s Prep, and Upper Merion High School

Daniel Beery is an Oaktown, Indiana native who started rowing in college at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  After graduating, he continued training at Penn AC and NYAC.  As a Senior National Team member, Beery has had many successes, including an Olympic gold medal in 2004 in the Men’s 8+.  A few of his additional rowing accomplishments include: 2002 World Championships Silver Medal - Men's 2+, 2003 World Championships Gold Medal - Men's 2+, 2004 Lucerne World Cup Gold Medal - Men's 4-, 2005 Gifu World Championships Gold Medal - Men's 8+, 2007 Pan Am Games Gold Medal - Men's 8+, 2007 Pan Am Games Silver Medal - Men's 2-, and 2007 World Championships Gold Medal - Men's 4+.

Beery has coached rowing at Chattanooga Juniors, the McCallie School, St. Joseph's Preparatory, and Upper Merion High School. 

Al Morrow: Six-time Olympian, FISA Coach of the Year

• Olympian and former Head Coach of the Canadian National Team
• Competed in 6 Olympics and coached at 17 World Championships
• Named FISA Coach of the Year; extensive experience in both men’s and women’s rowing

Al Morrow has spent most of his life rowing. His involvement as an athlete culminated in 1976, when he was a member of the team that represented Canada at the Olympics in Montreal. The previous year, he had won a bronze medal with the coxless four at the Pan American Games in Mexico City. He also participated in three World Championships: 1970, 1974, and 1975.

Soon after the 1976 Olympics, Morrow became Head Coach of the men’s rowing team at UBC. Just a year later, he was made an Assistant Coach with the national team at the World Championships, and it has been in coaching that he has made his most significant contributions to rowing. Morrow became Head Coach of the University of Victoria rowing team in 1978.

Over the next decade, he led the team to two championship titles. It was during this time that he became the National Head Coach, starting with the 1980 Olympic team. The 1980 Olympics was the first of six Olympics as a coach for Morrow. He also went on to coach Canadian rowers at over 17 World Championships.

Although he moved to the University of Western Ontario in 1988 to focus on women’s rowing, Morrow continued his work at the national level, where he coached women’s rowing for 16 years (1988-2004).

It was in 1992, at the Olympics in Barcelona, that the team reached its zenith. The duo of Marnie McBean and Kathleen Heddle won two gold medals at those Games, a feat that put the rowers and Morrow in the world spotlight. Morrow’s rowers also won three medals at the 1996 Olympics and one more medal in 2000. In 1999, FISA named him coach of the year.

In all, Morrow’s athletes have won a combined 25 World Championship and Olympic medals since 1991.

Micah Boyd: Olympic Bronze Medalist

• Olympic Medalist (bronze in Men’s 8+ in 2008) and USRowing Athlete of the Year
• Competed at the University of Wisconsin
• Diverse coaching experience at Emory, UNC, and Duke University

Micah Boyd started rowing at the Minnesota Boat Club as a sophomore in High School. Primarily a sweep rower, he was forced to scull due to the small size of the team and no pair event at Youth Nationals. He and his brother won the Youth 2x their senior year. He then enrolled at Wisconsin and rowed in the Varsity 8 for 3 years, with the best finish being sophomore year, winning Eastern Sprints and finishing 2nd at IRAs. 

After college, Boyd made the 2005 US National Team, winning a bronze medal at the World Championships in the Men’s 2+. He went on to make the 2008 Olympic Team, winning a bronze medal in the Men’s 8+. In addition to his successful Olympic debut, Boyd was also named Athlete of the Year by USRowing.

Boyd has coached in a variety of college and high school settings. He started at Emory University coaching women's basketball, then coached the UNC-Chapel Hill Men’s team for 6 years, receiving the ACRA Coach of the Year award in 2015. Then, he switched teams and went to Duke University as an assistant coach for the women’s team. 

Garrison Smith: Baylor School Director of Rowing

• Former rower from Yale; built successful programs at Northfield Mt. Hermon, Taft School, and Kent School
• Coaches for USRowing’s ODP and Youth Development Camps; consistently produces medal-winning teams.
• Director of Rowing and Head Coach at Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN

Garrison Smith is the Director of Rowing and head boys’ coach at Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN.  Smith began his rowing career as a walk-on at Yale University and played hockey for two years. He rowed in multiple grand finals at Eastern Sprints as an oarsman and won the Head of the Charles, Canadian Henley, and the U.S. Olympic Festival.

Smith began coaching at his alma mater, Northfield Mt. Hermon, in 1997, and then spent six years building a successful boys' program at The Taft School. He later moved to Kent School, beginning as an assistant for the boys' team before taking over as head of the girls' program in 2007.

Past summers have found him busy coaching at Princeton and with the Southeast Juniors. Most recently, he has been coaching for USRowing’s ODP and YDC camps. Smith was selected to be the head coach of the USRowing Northeast ODP camp in 2020, and served as an assistant coach for the Southeast ODP camp in 2021. In 2022, he served as the head coach for the Southeast ODP camp.

Smith has helped to build two programs into perennial New England contenders, and his boats have won multiple medals and the team championship at NEIRA. His crews have won stateside at the National Schools Regatta and internationally at the Reading Amateur Regatta and have been two-time finalists at the Henley Women's Regatta.  The consistent success of Smith's teams and programs is notable. The Kent girls were among the top three teams in NEIRA in 10 out of 11 years, with the first varsity eight medaling in the NEIRA finals for 10 consecutive years.

Cory Sanderson: Former Head Coach at CanAmMex

• Former Head Coach and Executive Director at Nashville Rowing, with extensive experience coaching at various USRowing development levels
• Led athletes to podium finishes at USRowing Summer Nationals, Junior World Championships, and more
• Proven track record in athlete development

Cory Sanderson has worked with the Men's Junior National Team system at the Olympic Development Program, Development, High Performance, Youth Regional Challenge, and Selection levels in Pittsburgh, Maine, Oregon, Florida, and California over the last decade. Over those years, he has coached crews that have consistently made the finals and found themselves on the podium at USRowing Summer Nationals at the U17, U19, Intermediate, and Senior levels, with athletes continuing on to medal at CanAmMex, Junior World Championships, and beyond in subsequent years.

He coached at Nashville Rowing in Tennessee for 10 years and served as the Executive Director since 2017. Since 2014, Nashville has had athletes earn 35 invites to all levels of JNT camps, medal at CanAmMex, Junior World Championships, World Indoor Championships, HOCR, hold World Records, and graduate with scholarships earning medals at NCAAs, Eastern Sprints, and IRAs. Nashville Rowing has qualified boats for the USRowing Youth National Championship every year since 2014, with athletes competing in the 2x, 2-, 4+, Ltwt 4+, and 8+. Sanderson looks forward to continuing the development of athletes from all over the country at Pathways Development Camp, and is excited to continue developing the next generation of great rowers and community leaders. 

Grace Malacrida: Level III Certified Coach

• Founder and Director of Rowing at Mile High Rowing Club, Colorado
• Started rowing in 1981 at Rutgers
• Consistently qualifies boats for Youth Nationals with multiple medal-winning crews

Grace Malacrida currently resides in Colorado.  She began rowing in 1981 at Rutgers University and is still passionate about the sport today.  She earned her Masters in Sports Management and served as an officer in the United States Air Force.

Malacrida is a USRowing Level III certified coach and co-founder of Mile High Rowing Club, Colorado’s most successful youth rowing program.  For 15 straight years she has qualified boats for Youth Nationals and has had several boats medal and place in the top 10, including the W1x, W2-, W4+ and M4-.

A rower still today, Malacrida won two gold medals at the 2023 San Diego Crew Classic, a bronze medal at the 2022 Head of the Charles Regatta in the Grandmaster Women’s 8+, and five gold medals at the 2022 World Master Rowing Championships in Libourne, France.

Walker Ferris: Head Coach at St. Andrews Rowing Club

• Former University of Georgia men's coach
• Rowed for Savannah Country Day School and the University of Georgia
• USRowing U19 and Olympic Development Program coach

Walker Ferris is originally from Savannah, GA, and rowed for the Savannah Country Day School. He then attended the University of Georgia, where he rowed for four years, and double majored in economics and history.  

After graduating, Ferris coached high school rowing in Jacksonville, FL, from 2015 to 2017 before returning to Athens, GA, to lead the men's rowing program at the University of Georgia from 2017 to 2021. He currently serves as the men’s head coach at St. Andrews Rowing Club.

Ferris has coached for the USRowing U19 National Team System and Olympic Development Program for the past several years.

Jack Impronto: Assistant Coach at Wesleyan University

• Former Head Boys Coach at Glastonbury High School with significant success in Connecticut Public Scholastic Rowing
• Active coach in USRowing’s youth development program since 2021
• Rowed at Trinity College

Jack Impronto is currently the men’s assistant coach at Wesleyan University.  Prior to Wesleyan, he served as the head boys coach at Glastonbury High School, and led the team to many successful placings in the Connecticut Public Scholastic Rowing Association.  Impronto has been coaching for USRowing’s youth development program since 2021.

Impronto rowed for Glastonbury High School for 4 years, then rowed at Trinity College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. 

Larkin Brown: Assistant Coach at the University of Southern California

• Silver medalist with Team USA in Women’s Eight at the 2018 Junior Rowing Worlds
• Former co-captain at UVA with multiple ACC titles and NCAA competition experience
• Former coach at Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, TN.

Larkin Brown is currently an assistant coach at the University of Southern California. Prior to coaching at USC, Brown coached for the Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, TN.  In 2024, she joined the coaching staff at USRowing’s Youth Development Camp.

A 2023 graduate of Virginia, Brown was a co-captain as a senior. She was a member of UVA’s ACC title-winning Second Varsity Eight in 2022 and also won an ACC title in the 2021 Varsity Four. In 2023, she helped UVA’s Varsity Eight take second at the ACC Championships and 11th at the NCAA Championship.

A native of Ringold, Ga., Brown earned a silver medal with Team USA in the women’s eight at the 2018 Junior Rowing Worlds in the Czech Republic. Brown earned a degree in government and history from UVA and has also been involved with community outreach. 

Richmond Coney: Assistant Coach for Princeton University

• Rowed for Drexel University, serving as team captain
• Led teams to success at collegiate championships, such as Dad Vail and strong IRA performances
• McCallie School alumnus

Richmond Coney is currently an assistant coach for Princeton University’s open women’s rowing team. Before coaching at Princeton, he attended The McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After high school, he competed collegiately for Drexel University, where he served as a team captain, leading the team to its third consecutive Dad Vail Championship and a program-best performance at IRAs.