USRowing Announces Under 19 National Team Coaching Staff

USRowing is pleased to announce the 2021 Under 19 National Team coaching staff, which will lead the team that will represent the United States at the 2021 World Rowing Junior Championships this August in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Under the overall direction of USRowing Junior National Team System Head Coach Casey Galvanek, Eric Gehrke will take over as men's lead coach for the under 19 program, while Caitlin McClain will serve as the women's lead coach. Supporting Gehrke on the men's side will be boat coaches Bill Manning, Steve McCarthy and Andrew Hess, while Gordon Getsinger, Mike Wallin and Asiya Mahmud will work with McClain as the women's boat coaches.

"We are very excited to welcome this new staff and get to work," said Chris Chase, USRowing's Director of Youth Rowing. "Each of these great individuals brings a unique skill-set and personality to the coaching staff. As we implement some significant changes to our Junior National Team System, we are confident that each of these coaches will positively impact the experiences of our athletes."

The rest of the USRowing Junior National Team System coaches, including the High Performance, CanAmMex, and Olympic Development Program (ODP) staffs, will be announced over the next few weeks.

Meet the Coaches

Eric Gehrke, Men's Lead Coach

Gehrke Head ShotEric Gehrke takes over as men's lead coach after working within the junior national team system for more than a decade. He brings a wide array of experience as a development, high performance, worlds' development team, Olympic Development Program (ODP), Youth Regional Challenge and CanAmMex coach across both genders.

Gehrke has always tried to challenge himself to create speed at the highest level, with coaching stops at Gonzaga College High School, Nashville Rowing, University of Southern California, Saratoga Rowing Association and George Washington University. His boats have made USRowing Youth National Championships finals in four different boat classes across sweep and sculling, won Stotesbury Cup and Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA) medals, and qualified for the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships.

Caitlin McClain Head ShotCaitlin McClain, Women's Lead Coach

Caitlin McClain takes on the role of women's lead coach, having previously worked with the high performance, CanAmMex and world championships' squads. She has vast experience coaching both sweep and sculling boats as part of the USRowing system, as well as at Holy Names Academy in Seattle. From 2008-2020, McClain led Holy Names to unprecedented success – earning 10 medals at the USRowing Youth National Championships including two gold medals in the pair and the lightweight four with coxswain, as well as two bronze medals in the eight. She coached three rowers and two coxswains who went on to make World Rowing Junior Championships squads. This past August, McClain was named head women's coach at Seattle Pacific University.

McClain recognizes the value of a formative and rewarding competitive experience and will strive to create that for each of her athletes. She is a champion of collaborative leadership and is excited to work with the entire staff in the pursuit of coaching the U19 boats to the best finish in USRowing history.

Gordon Getsinger Head ShotGordon Getsinger, Women's Boat Coach

Gordon Getsinger began rowing in 2001 for The Salisbury School in Connecticut. He went on to row for four years at the University of California, Berkeley, from 2004-2008. In 2010, Getsinger began coaching as Saugatuck Rowing Club's boy's novice coach. He now serves as the Saugatuck girls' varsity head coach and director of rowing. Getsinger became the Saugatuck girls' first assistant coach in 2014 and took over as the head coach in the summer of 2015. Since he joined Saugatuck's staff, the girls' team has won five Head of the Charles titles and five USRowing Youth National Championships titles in the eight.

Andrew Hess Head ShotAndrew Hess, Men's Boat Coach

Andrew Hess is in his fifth year as lightweight assistant coach at Columbia University. Under his guidance, Columbia has secured IRA, Eastern Sprints, and Jope Cup championships. Hess served as men's head coach at the New York Athletic Club in 2019, winning the men's team points trophy at the USRowing National Championships, as well as multiple gold medals in Championship events at Canadian Henley.

Prior to coaching in New York, Hess spent years coaching with the Cincinnati Juniors and at Community Rowing Inc., where his crews achieved multiple medals at the Youth National Championships including a gold medal in the men's lightweight four with coxswain. During his career, Hess has assisted in coaching boats that have gone on to the under 23 and senior world championships.

Asiya Mahmud Head Shot

Asiya Mahmud, Women's Boat Coach

Asiya Mahmud is the associate head rowing coach at Drexel University and a USRowing Level 3 High Performance certified coach. Mahmud has been coaching for the last nine years, seven at the Division I collegiate level, with the goal of bringing access and opportunity to young women who aspire to row at the highest of levels.

During her tenure at Drexel, Mahmud coached the Dragon's women's varsity eight to the program's first-ever victory at the CAA Conference Championship and led the women's team to the overall point trophy at the Dad Vail Championship Regatta. Mahmud recently graduated from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law, with a master's oflegal studies and a concentration in NCAA compliance and sports law.

Bill ManningBill Manning, Men's Boat Coach

Bill Manning has been a long-time, successful international coach for USRowing at all levels. In 2019, he coached the U23 lightweight men's quadruple sculls to a fourth-place finish at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships, and in 2018, he served as head coach for the U.S. at the Youth Olympic Games, with responsibility for the men's single sculls and the women's pair. He also coached with the Under 19 women's team, winning two bronze medals at the world championships. At the senior level, Manning served as an assistant coach at the 2004 Olympic Games, has coached boats at multiple world championships, and coached multiple medal-winning boats at the 2015 Pan American Games.

During the academic year, Manning serves as the women's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Princeton University. Prior to assuming that role, he coached the Princeton lightweight men for six seasons. Before joining Princeton, Manning served as associate head coach at Harvard University under legendary coach Harry Parker.

Stephen McCarthy Head ShotSteve McCarthy, Men's Boat Coach

Steve McCarthy is the director of rowing for The Cleveland Foundry Rowing and Sailing Center and for St. Edward High School. He has coached within the USRowing Men's Junior National Team system for the last 12 years. McCarthy has coached youth, masters, scholastic, and college athletes over the last 14 years at several different stops including George Washington University, Three Rivers Rowing Association, Anacostia Athletic Club, and Bishop Ireton High School.

Mike Wallin Head ShotMike Wallin, Women's Boat Coach

Mike Wallin comes to the Under 19 National Team staff by way of Chicago, where he serves as the head coach of the Chicago Rowing Foundation. As a junior rower, Wallin attended St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia, where he was a member of back-to-back varsity eight national championship crews and made the 1998 Under 19 National Team. Wallin went on to win four consecutive IRA national titles under Steve Gladstone at the University of California, Berkeley. During his 15-year tenure as head coach, Chicago Rowing Foundation has won 40 Midwest Regional Championships in the eights, fours, and pairs. His varsity women's eight has reached the final at six consecutive USRowing Youth Regional Championships, earning a bronze medal in 2018 and a virtual gold in 2020. Wallin also has coached the Midwest Junior Men's Olympic Development Camp in the summers of 2018 and 2019. In 2019, his first and second men's eights brought home dominant victories at the inaugural America's Youth Cup in Sarasota, Fla.