St. Mary’s City, Md. — Dan Schenk has resigned as head men’s and women’s rowing coach at St. Mary’s College of Maryland after one season, accepting a position as director of rowing and head coach at Vero Beach Rowing in Vero Beach, Florida. Crystal Gibson, the college’s director of athletics and recreation, announced the move, noting a national search for a replacement will start immediately. Schenk, who joined the Seahawks in September 2024 as the program’s third head coach, guided the women’s team to a second consecutive Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference championship and a historic seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division III Women’s Rowing Championships.
Under Schenk’s leadership, the women’s rowing squad repeated as MARC champions on May 4, 2025, at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey, securing an automatic bid to the national championships. The team competed at the NCAA event from May 30 to 31, 2025, also at Mercer Lake, where the first varsity eight boat advanced to the grand final for the first time in program history, placing sixth in that race and contributing to the overall seventh-place team standing. This marked the Seahawks’ third appearance at the NCAA championships, following berths in 2022 and 2024, and represented the highest national finish since the program’s elevation to varsity status. Schenk mentored seven All-MARC selections, including three on the first team, highlighting individual achievements amid the team’s success.
The men’s rowing team, meanwhile, placed seventh in an 11-team field at the 2025 MARC championships, building on foundational efforts in a program that shares resources and training with the women. Schenk’s departure comes as the St. Mary’s College rowing coach role transitions, with Gibson emphasizing the need for a leader to sustain momentum in both programs. The college, located along the St. Mary’s River, benefits from its waterfront setting for rowing, with practices and competitions often drawing from the local Southern Maryland community.
Schenk’s prior experience included serving as head coach at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he oversaw both men’s and women’s programs starting in December 2021. Before that, he held roles such as executive director at Baltimore Community Rowing, bringing a background in program development and athlete mentoring to St. Mary’s College. His move to Vero Beach Rowing, a nonprofit community organization promoting the sport for youth and adults, aligns with its mission to foster fitness and cooperation through year-round programs. The Florida club, based at the Toffey Rowing Center on Acacia Road, operates on the Indian River Lagoon and has hosted training for visiting teams, including collegiate groups during winter and spring.
The St. Mary’s College rowing coach position oversees a program that became varsity in the 2015-16 academic year, making it one of the younger Division III offerings in the region. The Seahawks compete in the MARC, which includes schools from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and beyond, with annual championships determining qualifiers for nationals. Women’s rowing at St. Mary’s has seen steady growth, with the 2025 season’s NCAA performance surpassing previous efforts; in 2024, the team placed ninth at nationals after winning MARCs. The men’s program, while not qualifying for NCAA events as Division III men’s rowing lacks a national championship sponsored by the NCAA, focuses on conference competition and development.
Facilities play a key role in the program’s appeal, with the William E. Seale Rowing Center dedicated in September 2023 in recognition of a donor’s contributions to the college. The center supports training on the river, where calm waters and minimal boat traffic provide ideal conditions for Southern Maryland athletes. Rowing at St. Mary’s draws recruits from across the state and beyond, with scholarships available through the college’s athletic aid packages. Community ties extend to the Southern Maryland Rowing Association, a local group offering recreational and competitive opportunities for all ages, often sharing the river with college teams.
In Southern Maryland, where waterways like the Potomac and Patuxent rivers foster aquatic sports, St. Mary’s College serves as a hub for rowing. The college’s teams participate in fall head races, such as the Head of the Occoquan in November 2024, where both squads posted strong results to close the non-championship season. As the search for a new St. Mary’s College rowing coach begins, candidates will likely emphasize building on recent successes, including the women’s back-to-back MARC titles and national prominence.
Division III rowing emphasizes student-athlete balance, with no athletic scholarships but academic aid available at St. Mary’s, a public honors college founded in 1840 to commemorate Maryland’s colonial history. The program’s growth mirrors broader trends in collegiate rowing, where women’s teams have expanded under Title IX, leading to more NCAA opportunities. For St. Mary’s, the 2025 season under Schenk set benchmarks, positioning the next St. Mary’s College rowing coach to pursue further conference dominance and national contention.
