Find out what you need to know about:

• Seeking out and getting scholarships

• The college recruiting process

• What to expect from a collegiate rowing experience

• Balancing studies and training

• U19, U23, Olympic/Senior National Team opportunities

Host & Moderator: Rachel Freedman, Founder of RowSource and Co-host of Steady State Podcast

Important: This is NOT a recruiting opportunity. Current collegiate coaches on the panel cannot talk one-on-one with prospective student-athletes nor their family members in attendance, and will not engage in any evaluations.

PANELISTS

ANTHONY CHACON  |  Asst. Coach & Recruiting Coordinator, Stetson University
Chacon rowed in high school, but moved into the coxswain seat at Grand Valley State University. In the 20+ years since, he’s earned a masters degree in kinesiology and a USRowing Level III High Performance Coach Certification. He’s coached U19, U23, collegiate, and masters programs including Notre Dame, Long Beach Rowing Association, Colgate, and Stetson. He’s also an accomplished masters coxswain who holds several gold medals from Head of the Charles.

BRIAN CONLEY  |  Head Coach, Old Dominion University
After a standout career at Saint Joseph's Preparatory School, Conley attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a four-year oarsman including three years on the first V8. He went on to row in the Penn Athletic Club elite program. He’s coached for Lower Merion High School, Dartmouth, and Upper Valley Rowing Club, plus 12 years at Lehigh before being named Head Coach of ODU.

KATIE O’DRISCOLL  |  Head Coach, Catholic University
O’Driscoll was a walk-on at Ithaca College where she was part of three NCAA appearances in the V8, was a four-year CRCA Scholar-Athlete, and a first-team Pocock All-American. She participated in the inaugural postgraduate program at the Institute for Rowing Leadership, a year-long coaching education program specifically designed to train rowing coaches. She coached at The Winsor School, University of Washington, the U.S. Rowing Junior Sculling Development Camp, and George Mason University before becoming head coach of CUA.

JOE RICHARDS | Head Coach, George Mason University
Joe learned to row at George Washington University where he spent all four years with the men’s crew. He received a Master of Sports Leadership from Northeastern University and began his coaching career at Yorktown His School as novice women’s coach before becoming the assistant men’s coach at the University of Southern California. A few years later he joined the Colby College program as an assistant coach for men’s and women’s rowing, later working as the recruiting coordinator for both programs. Joe has been with GMU for 12 season, having been named Head Coach in 2019.

Important: This is NOT a recruiting opportunity. Current collegiate coaches on the panel cannot talk one-on-one with prospective student-athletes nor their family members in attendance, and will not engage in any evaluations.