USRowing Announces 23 New Level 3 High Performance Coach Graduates

USRowing is excited to announce the 23 coaches who have completed the most recent Level 3 High Performance Coach Certification Course.

Over the course of several months, these coaches completed 11 elite coaching modules designed to advance their skills in fields such as biomechanics, advanced rigging, long-term athlete development, and rowing philosophy, to name a few. All told, the graduates completed over 100 hours of training to earn their certification.

Please join us in congratulating the latest additions to the Level 3 coaching ranks.

Josh Baker

Josh Baker Head ShotJosh Baker began rowing as a freshman in high school where his passion for the sport began. From Orlando, he began coaching in 2010, while pursuing his undergraduate degree at Florida State University. After graduating in 2013 and taking a few years away from the sport, Baker began coaching part-time again in 2016 in Nashville, which led to full-time opportunities where he has since coached at the junior, collegiate club, and masters levels in both Tennessee and Florida. He currently serves as the program director and head coach at Atomic Rowing in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

With a passion for strategic leadership, program building, and high-performance training, Baker is excited to apply the lessons learned from Level 3, share those lessons and his experience with new and developing coaches, and continue his education in the pursuit of becoming the best coach and leader he can be.

Rodrigo Banegas

Rodrigo Banegas PhotoRodrigo Banegas has been a lifelong rower, starting his career at the age of 14 in one of the most successful rowing clubs in South America, Club de Regatas Rosario in Argentina. During his rowing career, he participated in the Argentinian nationals as a lightweight until an accident in his left knee jeopardized his potential. Despite this, he has continued to race, participating nationally and internationally in masters' regattas.

Banegas has coached as part of the learn-to-row program at his club in Argentina and at Rocky Mountain Rowing Club. He was an assistant coach at High Mile Rowing Club in Denver. As president and head coach, currently he is devoted to opening a non-for profit organization to impact his community in Palm Beach County, Fla. – the Rowing Club of the Palm Beaches.

Banegas is a physician, American Board certified in orthopedics and hand surgery. He has an extensive academic career reaching the level of associate professor at University of Colorado and Florida Atlantic University. He is excited to bring together his medical, teaching, and rowing experiences to make the Rowing Club of the Palm Beaches an unique rowing institution.

Jason Beagle

Jason Beagle Head ShotJason Beagle began rowing in 2007 and went on to win three first-place medals in the PR3 four with coxswain Para rowing event at the Head of the Charles Regatta including two course records. His first taste of international competition was the 2009 World Out Games in Copenhagen, Denmark, winning a bronze medal in the men's eight event. A 2012 member of Team USA, Beagle was the alternate for the PR3 four with coxswain event for the London Paralympic Games.

Beagle began coaching while a resident athlete at the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center in 2013. After relocating to Atlanta, he has served as the head Para rowing coach and coordinator at Atlanta Rowing Club since 2015. In 2022, he assumed the role of learn-to-row program coordinator.

Beagle was president of the DC Strokes Rowing Club (2009-2011), has served as the Para rowing coordinator for the Head of the Hooch Regatta since 2016 , and became an USRowing Para rowing technical classifier in 2022.

Beagle believes that the USRowing Level 3 High Performance Coaching Certification has provided him with the tools to support the growth of the sport of rowing in Atlanta and the Southeast region.

Ashley Blake

Ashley Blake PhotoAshley Blake is the head men's and women's rowing coach at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She specializes in sports performance training and adopts a holistic approach to athlete development. Blake is certified as a strength and conditioning specialist, functional strength coach, sports nutrition specialist, and is a coctoral candidate in strategic leadership at Liberty University.

In addition to coaching at UMass Lowell, she offers private sports performance coaching and consulting through her business, Speed of Strength Performance. Prior to coaching at UMass Lowell, Blake coached and rowed at GMS Rowing Center, Riverside Boat Club, Clark University, Steel City Rowing Club, and Merrimack River Rowing Association. When taking a break from coaching, she competes in Ironman triathlons (11x) and is the current USAT Long Course National Champion. She'll compete in the Long Course World Championships in Spain as part of Team USA but believes rowing to be the superior sport.

Cory Conzemius

Cory Conzemius Head ShotCory Conzemius has been the head coach of men's and women's rowing at Oklahoma City University since the fall of 2021. Since taking the helm, he has worked to build a high-performance culture focused on work ethic, training smart, and having fun. In addition to serving as a coach of the OCU Program, he assists with the OKC Riversport masters program and youth rowing league. Conzemius is passionate about sculling. He has previously grown the sculling discipline at the youth level with his previous clubs and has a desire to see collegiate sculling grow as well. His OCU program is a model of success in this regard as the program focuses on sculling and small boat development, while also competing in larger boat classes at the IRA level. Conzemius has experience coaching at the youth, middle school, collegiate, and adult levels. He enjoys the fact that the sport can be for all ages.

Jessica Deitrick

Jessica Deitrick PhotoJessica Deitrick is in her fourth year as head coach of women's rowing at Colgate University. Her rowing career began in high school in Rhinebeck, N.Y. She was then recruited and rowed for William Smith College for four years. Upon graduating, Deitrick became an elementary school teacher in North Carolina for seven years. She found her way back to rowing in 2014 as the head coach of the collegiate club rowing team at High Point University. After two years at High Point, she transitioned to the United States Naval Academy as the assistant coach of the women's team where she spent three successful years, winning the Patriot League Championships and advancing to NCAAs each year. During her time at Colgate University, Deitrick has doubled the size of the team and fostered a welcoming culture of inclusive competitiveness.

Dani Dewitt

Dani Dewitt PhotoDani Dewitt is an athlete, engineer, and high-performance coach. As an athlete, Dewitt won multiple club, collegiate, and elite national championships, in addition to competing at the World Rowing Under 23 World Championships in the lightweight women's single sculls.

Dewitt is a USRowing Level 3, USA Triathlon Level 1, Ironman, and Precision Nutrition certified coach. She coaches remotely on her interactive training platform, BitCrew. She also is available for in-person coaching.

Dewitt's mission is to empower, educate, and inspire others to lead fitter, healthier, happier lives. She believes everyone is capable of much more than they imagine, and anyone can be a better athlete, leader, and human. Dewitt is passionate about helping athletes realize their unique potential.

Theresa Gang

Theresa Gang Head ShotTheresa Gang is a member of the Asheville Rowing Club and just finished a term as chair of the board. She is excited to champion access for young adult athletes. Gang began rowing at West Side Rowing Club in Buffalo, N.Y. and continued at Western Reserve Rowing Association. Her experience includes serving as the executive director of the Cleveland Rowing Foundation and spearheading a campaign, in collaboration with the Trust for Public Land, to purchase a permanent home for rowing on the Cuyahoga River for over 1,000 athletes, while working with the Cleveland Metroparks to create a public park with access to the river. Gang successfully coached for Shaker Heights High School, earning opportunities to compete at scholastic nationals, before departing to Asheville, N.C. She is a masters athlete and continues to compete locally and nationally.

Megan Getman

Megan Getman Head ShotMegan Getman started rowing as a junior in high school and continued into college at Pacific Lutheran University. She started coaching the local junior program while rehabbing an injury and finishing up college. In the 20 years that she has been coaching, Getman has coached a wide variety of rowers from juniors and scholastic to masters, competitive and recreational, sweep and sculling.

Getman coached for Community Rowing, Inc., in Boston while in grad school. There she developed her primary focus of supporting masters recreational rowers. She worked with novices to experienced rowers. While coaching at CRI, she primarily coached sweep rowers.

Currently, she is head coach of the adult recreational programs at Austin Rowing Club in Texas. She expanded from sweep-only coaching to include sculling during the COVID pandemic. She now coaches experienced rowers in sweep and sculling and supports the whole program and other recreational coaches in their practices. Getman's goal is to provide a solid foundation of technique and training, so each rower can pursue their goals and row through all phases of life.

Kate Hebdon

Kate Hebdon Head ShotKate Hebdon started her rowing career in 2014 at Belmont Rowing Center, just outside of Charlotte, N.C., by being placed in the coxswain seat of an eight without knowing anything about rowing: not port from starboard, nor bow from stern. (She even counted to 11). Hebdon continued to develop her knowledge and skills through extensive coxing for their adult team at regattas throughout the region, eventually becoming a sweep and scull rower herself and training to compete at masters worlds in 2018. After that experience, she returned to BRC and started working as the head masters coach and program manager, with her focus being on club organization, program development, team cohesion, and staff management. After successfully navigating BRC through the COVID-19 pandemic and hosting multiple regattas, she acquired her PMP certificate in 2021 and moved across the country to begin work as the director of rowing for Olympia Area Rowing in Washington. She currently leverages her background in graphic design, marketing, and communications, alongside her project management experience (and now USRowing Level 3 Coach Certification) for OAR, and even occasionally gets out on the water to row.

Pamela Hughes

Pamela Hughes Head ShotPamela Hughes has coached scullers of all age classifications since 2013. In 2018, she joined North Bay Rowing Club in Petaluma, Calif., and expanded her skills in sculling and sweep disciplines as a juniors coach. In 2021, Hughes assumed the role as juniors head coach, worked to rebuild the youth competitive squad, and coached athletes to the 2022 USRowing Youth National Championships. Additionally, she is the race training coach for NBRC masters. Utilizing education attained through her USRowing Level 3 High Performance Coach Certification, Hughes will continue her professional mission to collaborate with rowers towards achieving their highest possible skill level.

Hughes began rowing as a NCAA Division I student-athlete at Rutgers University. As a masters sculler, she competed in several regattas including Head of the Charles and Head of the Schuylkill. She is an avid water sports participant, sailed from Oahu to California (currently planning a return sail in 2024), and attained a Stress and Rescue SCUBA certification. She lives on a boat in California, rows a Fluidesign, and shares companionship of a redbone hound with her husband, Bill.

Nadia Kean

Nadia Kean Head ShotNadia Kean was introduced to the sport of rowing by her sister, Lisa, who rowed for the Austin Rowing Club Juniors. Kean joined the team in 1996 and the choice to try rowing was a major turning point in her life. She went on to row for the University of Texas in 1999 and was the first Texan to be recruited to the women's team. In 2000, Kean switched to rowing for the Texas Crew varsity women's team. In 2000, she was asked to become an assistant coach for the ARC Juniors, and in 2002, she was asked to be the co-head coach for the Texas Crew novice women's team. In 2005, Kean moved to Rowing Dock, where she was the head coach until 2012, at which point she became a private rowing coach at Texas Rowing Center. In 2021, Kean joined the coaching staff at Burnaby Lake Rowing Club in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she spends half the year with her family. In addition to rowing, Kean had a 15-year career in the sport of Roller Derby, playing for Texas Roller Derby, Texas Rollergirls, Team Texas, and USA Roller Derby. Over the years, Kean developed a unique methodology for coaching athletes and founded the coaching company, Get Smarty Coaching, as a way to share her knowledge of how to help athletes learn and grow. This is her second time completing the USRowing Level 3 Certification, and she's incredibly happy to have had the opportunity to take the course again. The information learned during the course has been invaluable, and Kean is very excited to pass on the knowledge to the athletes that she works with.

Franck Kiser

Franck Kiser Head ShotFranck Kiser has been passionate about rowing since his first experience as a Georgetown University lightweight competitor. He considers being a heavyweight alternate to the Henley Royal Regatta and his role as interim lightweight freshman coach to be among his favorite college memories.

After competing for Potomac Boat Club for several seasons, Kiser moved to Arizona to pursue an International MBA at Thunderbird. Without access to water, he filled the rowing void by playing rugby, competing in Ironman triathlons, and running ultra-marathons.

Upon graduation, he began a career as a pharmaceutical executive in Switzerland where he also found time to coach adult novice rowers at the Reuss Club Luzern and to complete several Engadin cross-country ski marathons and the Alpine ultra-marathon. His time in Lucerne also provided opportunities to row with an array of international elite oarsmen preparing for pre-Olympic or world championship competition on the Rotsee Regatta course. He credits this experience with developing in him an appreciation for multiple different rowing styles and approaches to training.

Upon his return to Philadelphia, Kiser coached several seasons at Whitemarsh Rowing Club and Germantown Academy.

In 2015, he founded his own club, Pegasus Rowing. His goal was and continues to be, to provide a year-round club training option for dedicated junior rowers in the King of Prussia area. The program emphasizes character traits that make both good rowers and good people. Pegasus Rowing has produced numerous regional, and national level medal winners with many graduating to Division I and Ivy League programs.

Kiser is known by his friends as an unapologetic advocate of lightweight rowing, particularly for juniors. He founded and is regatta director for the annual Norsk Rowing Marathon. He is the consulting coach to the new East Westchester High School program and has been head coach of the Upper Merion High School rowing program since 2016.

Kiser believes that good coaches never stop seeking better ways to coach. He has found the Level 3 Certification Course process to be a valuable tool in his continuing coach education.

Most of all, he considers himself incredibly fortunate to have a supportive wife, Catherine, and three wonderful children, Sten, Caroline, and Liam for whom he is eternally grateful.

Sue Koscielski

Sue Koscielski Head ShotSue Koscielski started her rowing journey as an adult and quickly found a passion for the sport and a desire to continue to improve. From very early on, she sought opportunities including attending camps and competing at various regattas including masters nationals. Coaching soon became a natural extension of rowing as a way to share her experiences with others and rooted in the belief that rowing can have a positive impact on people of all ages and abilities.

In 2017, Koscielski and her rowing partner, Mark Noel, realized not only a need for positive and inclusive youth sports in their community but also a need for a sport like rowing that could reach youth and adults in a unique way. Her experience mentoring young people in various capacities, including coaching swimming, leading girl scout troops, and fostering children, combined with Noel's experience as an assistant rowing coach, led them to create Sweeps & Sculls Rowing, a club with a strong culture that emphasizes a positive environment, inclusiveness, and safety.

Koscielski is currently the director and head coach at Sweeps & Sculls. In the first few years, she successfully navigated the club through expected hurdles such as initial growth, equipment acquisition, and facilities challenges, but also unexpected hurdles such as Noel's untimely passing and the COVID-19 pandemic. It has not always been an easy road, but she is looking forward to continuing to build on the foundation that is in place, offering anyone that is interested the opportunity to build physical and mental skills through the sport of rowing, including herself.

Ioannis Magnis Head ShotIoannis Magnis

Yianni Magnis began rowing in high school where his passion for the sport developed. As a junior rower, he was a national champion in Greece. He also competed at the World Rowing Junior Championship, as well the World Rowing Under 23 Championships.

After taking a break for a few years, he returned to rowing competitions as a masters rower and a rowing coach. In 2015, he started a rowing club in Oxnard, Calif. He currently coaches junior and masters rowers, as well as competes at the in World Rowing Masters Regatta.

Liz Miller

Liz Miller Head Shot Liz Miller is the head coach at Villa Maria Academy in Malvern, Pa. She helped start the varsity program at VMA in the winter/spring of 2020. Last spring in their second scholastic season of racing, her lightweight four with coxswain earned a bronze medal at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America Regatta, and this fall, Villa raced for the first time ever at the Head of the Charles. Miller began her coaching career in 2010 at Harriton High School as the freshman/novice girls' coach. The following fall, she founded Harriton Boat Club, a club team for the school where she was the director of rowing and head girls' coach. In the spring of 2011, she became the varsity girls' coach. While at Harriton, her varsity athletes medaled at Philadelphia City Championships, Stotesbury Cup Regatta and won the varsity four with coxswain at the SRAA Regatta in 2013. Her varsity crew that year was also a finalist at the Henley Women's Regatta. She moved to Radnor Girls Crew Club in the fall of 2013 as the first assistant coach and then moved on to become the head coach the following year with her varsity four with coxswain winning the Stotesbury Cup Regatta. In the fall of 2015, she moved to a new challenge at Lower Merion High School and took over the varsity girls' program there in 2016. At LMHS, her crews medaled at City Championships, Stotesbury, and the SRAA Regatta every year of her tenure. In 2018, her national champion varsity four with coxswain traveled to the Henley Women's Regatta and were defeated in the quarterfinals by the eventual winners.

Miller began her rowing career at Harriton High School and raced during the club season for Bachelors' Barge Club and for the USRowing National Development team in 2000. She rowed for the University of Miami, where she medaled in the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Championships, Big East Championships, and Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Championships. As a masters rower, she has competed with Harriton Boat Club and Whitemarsh Boat Club.

In her time outside of rowing, Miller works at Ridley High School as a family and consumer sciences teacher where she teaches foods and fashion design textiles classes. She loves to spend time with her parents, both of whom are USRowing referees, and her regatta dog, Georgia. Miller is excited to use the practices and ideas she learned in Level 3 to help empower more young women and coaches in the sport.

Matthew Oclander

Matthew Oclander Head ShotMatthew Oclander has been an assistant coach at Seattle Pacific University since 2019 and the head youth coach at Renton Rowing Center since 2021. While at SPU, he had developed rowers from their first strokes on the water to be a part of crews that have gone to the NCAA Championships, as well as multiple conference (GNAC ) and regional (WIRA) victories. Prior to 2019, Oclander spent two years as the men's head coach at OKC Riversport, culminating in multiple central youth championships and a silver medal at the 2018 USRowing Youth National Championships. Other coaching stops have included Seattle University, Bothell High School, Lake Washington Rowing Club, Green Lake Crew, Resilient Rowing Club, and Northern Virginia Rowing Club. His rowing career began on the Occoquan River at West Springfield High School, and after that, he rowed and was a captain at Seattle Pacific University. When the megaphone isn't in-hand, Oclander is honing his craft as a boatman, repairing and maintaining shells and such of all kinds at SPU and beyond.

Daniel Passarella

Dan Passarella Head ShotDan Passarella starting rowing in middle school in Belleville, N.J., and continued in high school from 1980 to 1985. He rowed at Marietta College from 1985 to 1987. After graduating from college, he coached the Marietta College crew team from 1988 to 1990. After moving back to New Jersey, he coached Nutley and Belleville high schools from 1993 to 1995. In 2019 after a career in the IT industry in Northern Virginia, he became a founding member and head coach of Riverside High School Crew team and P10 rowing club, both in Loudoun County, Va.

Passarella and his wife have been living in Loudoun County, Va., for over 20 years and have a son who is a senior in high school.

Bob Reichart

Bob Reichart Head ShotBob Reichart is the director of coaches and head masters sculling coach at Capital Rowing Club in Washington D.C., where he has been coaching since 2014. Reichart has been a guest coach at Craftsbury Sculling Center since 2018. He learned to row and compete as a lightweight at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. (Class of 1984) In between Trinity and Capital, Reichart served as a Supply Corps Officer in the United States Navy, retiring after 30 years. Reichart rows and competes for both Capital Rowing Club and Chinook Performance Racing, medaling at the USRowing Masters National Championships, World Rowing Masters Regatta, and Head of the Charles.

Joe Richards

Joe Richards Head ShotJoe Richards is the head women's rowing coach at George Mason University. Prior to being the head coach, he was an assistant for five years. His previous stops include five years as an assistant coach at Colby College, three years as an assistant coach with the University of Southern California Men's Crew Club, and one year as an assistant coach with Yorktown High School. He is a 2004 graduate of George Washington University and earned his master's degree in sports leadership from Northeastern in 2012. He lives in Alexandria, Va., with his wife and two daughters.

Marci Robles

Marci Robles Head ShotMarci Robles was named the head coach of the George Washington University women's rowing program at the start of the 2018-19 season. Under her guidance, the program has posted three consecutive second-place finishes at the Atlantic 10 Championship, setting the high-water mark for the program. In 2022, GW won the A-10 gold medal in the second varsity eight, its first top finish in a scoring event at the championship meet since 2013. Robles was named the CRCA Regional Coach of the Year after guiding GW to a second-place finish at the A-10 meet in 2021. The varsity eight and second varsity eight earned silver medals at the conference meet, while the varsity four earned bronze. Robles led GW to a second-place finish at the A-10 meet in her first season at the helm in 2019, with all three scoring boats earning silver medals. Robles, who grew up in the D.C. area, joined GW from Rutgers University, where she served as the assistant coach for the rowing program for one year. Robles was the head men's rowing coach at Jacksonville University from 2014-2017. She also had assistant coaching stints at Gonzaga University and Georgetown University. Robles was a four-year coxswain on the men's rowing team at Boston College. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in art history and theology from Boston College in 2006, earned a certificate in museum studies from Tufts University in 2009, and is working towards finishing a masters in sport and athletic administration from Gonzaga.

Matt Smith

Matt Smith Head ShotMatt Smith, a 2004 United States Olympian, is currently the associate head coach for the Princeton University heavyweight men's team. He has been with Princeton since 2014. Smith, who served as associate head coach at Cornell University from 2008-14, spent the 2012-14 summers as either an assistant coach or head coach of the USRowing Under 23 Men's National Team. In 2017, he coached the men's pair at the World Rowing Championships. Since 2014, Smith has helped 10 Princeton boats reach the medal stand at the IRA National Championship of which two were national champions.

Upon graduating from Wisconsin in 2000, Smith was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army. During his time in the military, Smith was promoted twice, eventually earning the rank of Captain, and was awarded the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service medals. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School and Airborne School. A seven-time member of the U.S. National Team, Smith has won medals at the Pan American Games, World Rowing Championships, and USRowing National Championships, while also representing the U.S. in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Smith is married to Hilary Gehman,a six-time member of the U.S. National Team and a two-time Olympian. They have two sons, Luke and Carson.

Dianna Woods

Dianna Woods Head ShotDianna Woods started rowing at the University of Puget Sound as a freshman, first learned to scull while completing her master's degree at the University of California, Santa Cruz, coxed and rowed at the Texas Rowing Center in Austin, and started rowing and coxing at ZLAC shortly after discovering the club during strolls along the Mission Bay boardwalk. She became a member of ZLAC in January 2015, and though she never wanted to leave again, necessity brought her to Virginia for a short time. During her brief stint there, Woods coached with the novice junior girls at TC Williams in Alexandria, while coxing with the masters women's team at Alexandria Community Rowing. Woods began coaching with the masters team at ZLAC after she returned to San Diego in 2018 and was truly honored when she was selected as the juniors head coach in 2019. In addition to her rowing experience, Woods brings 10 years of teaching and advanced degrees in education to her coaching practice. She hopes the Level 3 certification will provide the knowledge for her to continue to develop and grow the team, as well as help increase diversity and inclusion in the ZLAC junior program.