Kelsie Chaudoin Named USC Women’s Rowing Head Coach
Kelsie Chaudoin, whose experience in collegiate rowing spans two decades and includes championships as a student-athlete and associate head coach, has been named USC’s head women’s rowing coach, Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen announced Friday, June 28.
“Kelsie is a winner, through and through, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the Trojan Family,” Cohen said. “Her tireless work ethic, relentless commitment to helping student-athletes realize their fullest potential, and her character make her the ideal person to lead our rowing program moving forward. At every step in her career – as a student-athlete and as a coach – she has achieved championship success and displayed unwavering integrity, and we are confident she will make a lasting impact at USC.”
“I’m over the moon to join the Trojan Family and lead the women’s rowing program at USC,” Chaudoin said. “I want to thank Jen Cohen and Paul Perrier for their confidence in me and for the opportunity to coach at a world-class institution with incredible tradition and support. I am also full of gratitude for the coaches and mentors I have had over the years and look forward to bringing everything I’ve learned from them to the team here at USC. The program is poised for success moving into the future, and the department’s commitment to providing an exceptional student-athlete experience for all athletes is second to none. I am eager to get to work as we build a championship program. My husband Corey and I are excited to be back in California, and I cannot wait to hit the ground running.”
Chaudoin, a former All-American rower at the University of Virginia, joins the Trojan Family from her alma mater, where she has served as associate head coach since 2020. During that time, she helped the Cavaliers win three consecutive ACC titles from 2021 through 2023. Chaudoin was primarily responsible for the varsity fours group. In both 2021 and 2023, Chaudoin’s varsity four crews also raced in the NCAA Grand Final, placing fourth and fifth respectively.
After four years in Charlottesville, Chaudoin returns to the West Coast, where her collegiate coaching career started in 2015 at Stanford, serving as an assistant coach for the Cardinal until 2020. Her time in Palo Alto was highlighted by three top-four podium finishes in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Additionally, she coached the Stanford varsity four to a fourth-place finish in 2016 and a program-best runner-up finish in 2019.
As an undergraduate, Chaudoin arrived at Virginia with no prior rowing experience and left as a four-time ACC Champion, First-Team All-American, and the 2008 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The summer after she graduated from Virginia, she went on to win a U-23 World Championship in the Women’s 8+. Chaudoin graduated from UVA in 2008 with a degree in architecture and later went on to earn her MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in 2022.
Chaudoin also served as a coach for the U.S. National Team at the Under-23 World Championships in 2019 and 2022, respectively. In 2019, she led the Women’s 8+ to a bronze medal World Championships performance, and she assisted with the 2022 Women’s 8+ that won the World Championship by more than four seconds.
What They’re Saying About Kelsie Chaudoin….
“I was fortunate to work with Jen Cohen for seven years here at Washington. She’s found a winner in Kelsie Chaudoin, who I tried to get to come with me when I took this job. Kelsie has truly earned this opportunity. She’s an excellent coach and an incredible human being who I am proud to call a friend and colleague. I’m glad she’s back on the West Coast and look forward to racing one another as both of our teams move into the Big Ten.” – Yaz Farooq, Head Coach, University of Washington Women’s Rowing, National Rowing Hall of Fame (2014), Three-Time NCAA Champion (2009, 2017, 2019)
“Kelsie Chaudoin is so ready to be the Head Coach at USC. The Trojans are getting a passionate believer in and builder of women. She will teach, coach, counsel and drive them to excellence. In addition to her coaching acumen, Kelsie has incredible integrity and character and is kind and thoughtful. She will lead her team well, and I cannot wait to watch her succeed!” – Kevin Sauer, Former Head Coach, University of Virginia Women’s Rowing, Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2017), Two-Time NCAA Champion (2010, 2012)
“I am so pumped for both Kelsie and the Women of Troy. Kelsie is a brilliant coach. She would have succeeded at anything she elected to do in life but got that rowing bug and found her life’s passions were mentoring, educating and teaching student-athletes to go fast. From my years spent working with Kelsie at the Oakland Strokes and then at Stanford, I witnessed first-hand her love for the sport and ability to connect with student-athletes. Kelsie has that special combination of talent and vision, where once she can see what needs to happen, she brings a boundless energy toward willing it to life. If I could give advice to the USC student-athletes, you better lace your shoes tomorrow and start hitting the pavement, ’cause Kelsie isn’t going to be running some shimmy-sham-clam-bake operation. Wow! The Big Ten just got a lot more complicated.” – Derek Byrnes, Head Coach, Stanford University Women’s Rowing, National Champion (2023), Three-Time CRCA National Coach of the Year
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