U-M Earns Regional Staff of the Year Distinction
7/11/2019 4:53:00 PM | Rowing
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The coaching staff for the University of Michigan rowing program garnered Regional Staff of the Year honors for Region 4, the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) announced on Thursday (July 11).
Michigan's staff is led by head coach Mark Rothstein, and includes assistants Liz Tuppen, Emily Sugiyama and Dan Harrison. Graduate assistant Kate Wright also works closely with the program, in addition to undergraduate assistants Kalia Krichko and Sadie Staudacher.
Rothstein is a five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, including the 2019 honoree, and was National Coach of the Year in 2001. Under Rothstein's direction, U-M has won or been runner-up in 15 of 20 Big Ten Championships, including winning the 2019 title. Michigan has earned a top-10 ranking in the preseason in four of the last five years, and was ranked top-10 all season long in 2019.
At the Big Ten Championships, Michigan medaled in all seven events, with four gold medals (1V8, 2V8, 2V4 and 1N8) and two silver medals (1V4, 2V4). The four event wins and 186 points that the team totaled were both program bests. In fact, U-M's score marked the second-highest point total by any team in conference history, and Rothstein's 1V8 boat won its first Big Ten gold since 2012.
At the national regatta, Michigan set another program best with 119 points to place third overall as a team. Two Wolverine boats outperformed their seeds (1V8, sixth to third; 1V4, fifth to fourth) and the first and second varsity eight boats captured bronze medals. It was Michigan's second trip to the podium in the last three years (third place, 2017), and just the third time in program history that U-M had multiple boats earn a national medal (2001, 2012).
This season produced five Wolverine All-Americans: first-team selections Victoria Glunt, Caroline Hendershot and coxswain Charlotte Powers, and second-team honorees Madison Byrd and Kathryn Grotto.
Tuppen has been with the program since the fall of 2012, and she began working with the 2V8 boat since 2015. In those five seasons, U-M's second varsity eight boat has three Big Ten Championships (2015, '17, '19) and two NCAA medals (bronze in 2017, '19). The boat has made three consecutive Grand Final appearances at the NCAA Championships.
Sugiyama rowed at Michigan from 2009-12 and joined the coaching staff immediately after her eligibility expired. She's been a full-time assistant coach since the fall of 2016, and the 1V4 boat she coaches had qualified for the Grand Final all four seasons at the NCAA Championship. This year, she led the 2V4 boat to Big Ten gold, while the 1V4 and 3V4 boats earned silver medals. The 1V4 went on to place fourth at the NCAA Championships.
Harrison was a graduate assistant in 2018 and was elevated to full-time status last summer. In his first season full-time, Harrison coached U-M's novice program. At the Big Ten Championships, the 1N8 boat won gold and the 2N8 boat won bronze.
Wright leads U-M's graduate and undergraduate assistants, all three of whom are former Wolverine rowers. She joined the staff last fall one year after her eligibility ended, having competed from 2014-17. Wright worked with both the varsity and novice programs this year, and was heavily involved with U-M's recruiting efforts.
Krichko worked closely with Harrison and the novice program in her season on-staff. Staudacher joined the staff after medically retiring from the roster.
CRCA Regional Staff of the Year honors are voted on by members of the Coaches' Association.
Players Mentioned
