UC Rowing Announces Peter Rosberg as Next Head Coach

July 20, 2018

Cincinnati, OH -- Head Coach/Director of the University of Cincinnati (UC) Rowing Team Rolf Linder announced today the appointment of Peter Rosberg as the next Head Coach of the club. In August, Rosberg will commence his duties which will include being Head Novices Coach for the club, with further responsibilities coming at a later date. Linder anticipates stepping away from the program at the conclusion of the 2018/19 season, his seventh since returning to the team in 2012.


Peter Rosberg Background and Commentary For the past five years, Rosberg has been the Head Coach of the Texas Crew, the men's and women's club rowing program at the University of Texas in Austin, TX. Under Rosberg's leadership, the program has grown in size and strength from 15 student-athletes when he took over in 2013, to approximately 75 today. Now a perennial contender in the big boats, Texas finished as high as 12th in the nation in the men's (2017) and 14th in the women's (2016) varsity eights at the annual American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) championship regatta. In addition to the Texas Crew which Rosberg coaches, the University of Texas also fields a highly successful women's varsity rowing program, making Rosberg familiar with the challenges and rewards of on-campus recruiting alongside the NCAA team. The Texas Crew houses its boats and equipment at the Texas Rowing Center in Austin, where Rosberg also coaches junior and masters rowers and successfully recruits athletes in a state dominated by sports other than rowing. Rosberg said, "Words cannot describe how excited my family and I are to be joining the Bearcat family. UC has a strong history in the sport and I look forward to building on that legacy. I am anxiously awaiting the challenges to come. Go Bearcats!"  
Linder Commentary Linder added, "All of our coaches and athletes on the UC Rowing Team are absolutely thrilled to welcome a new head coach with the deep experience of Peter Rosberg. A person of his commitment and caliber will make a substantial impact on the program as we move into our fourth decade of rowing at UC." The UC Rowing Team will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2021. Linder went on to say, "UC Rowing has competed with Peter Rosberg's crews from both Texas and Penn State over the past several years at important regattas around the country. These crews have always been fast and well-coached and we have enjoyed this healthy rivalry. Peter's coaching legacy is one of athlete motivation and involvement. He has a proven track record of team-building."
Rosberg Rowing History and Connections As a youth, Rosberg rowed at the Detroit Boat Club, where he returned in 2001 to start his professional coaching career. In 2007, he was hired by the Penn State Crew as their Novices coach and was quickly promoted to Head Coach. He spent six years with the Nittany Lions, where his crews enjoyed significant success including a top5 ACRA finish for the women's varsity eight in 2012, and Championships for the men's varsity fours in 2008 and 2009. From Penn State, Rosberg moved to the Texas program in 2013. Rosberg rowed as a varsity athlete for four years at Marietta College where he was mentored by renowned coach, John Bancheri, currently Head Coach at Grand Valley State University, a long-time top national program in the ACRA rowing association. Rosberg's wife, Megan, rowed for the University of Cincinnati when the program had Varsity status.

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University of Cincinnati Rowing Team Background and History The University of Cincinnati Rowing Team is a co-ed, nationally-competitive Club rowing team. The team's mission is to be a "Union of Competitors with Responsibility and Character." Leading graduates of the program have competed internationally at the highest level, most notably Kelly Salchow MacArthur '96, a two-time Olympian. The team traces its roots to 1981 when UC students first learned the sport under the guidance of National Rowing Hall of Fame honoree, Bill Engeman, then a Cincinnati-based attorney, and Harry Graves, at the time a Procter & Gamble sales executive. Steve Baker ‘86 was the Team's first President and Captain. Baker is currently a Cincinnati-based financial executive. Rolf Linder was UC's first volunteer coach during his off-hours from his work at Procter & Gamble, staying until his business career took him to the east coast in the fall of 1984; he returned in 2012 as Head Coach to re-focus the team and shore up support from the University and alumni. Other notable coaches over the years include Tim Garry (UC College of Law '85 and currently a trustee of the Team's alumni organization); Olympian and ten-time Polish national champion Wieslaw Kujda, who coached UC women's lightweights to a national title in 1989; and Tim Royalty UC '90, a former Bearcat rower and national champion lightweight sculler whose 15-year tenure spanned both Club and Varsity years. In 2015 the UC rowing alumni organization purchased the Team's training site on the Little Miami River. Directing the purchase was Jennie Rosenthal Berliant, the UC team's first coxswain, who serves as President of the team's alumni group.
Recent UC Rowing Team Results and Facts In the most recent season, UC Rowing athletes earned the Women's Small Boats points trophy at the 2018 ACRA championship regatta, earning two silver medals under the guidance of Varsity Women's Coach Marc Oria and Novice Women's Coach Maria Ciminelli. The team also earned a bronze medal in the men's open single event at the prestigious "Dad" Vail Regatta in Philadelphia in May, 2018 with Men's Coach Brian Pack in charge of this squad. In the big boats, the Bearcats placed 8th in the nation in the men's varsity eights, and 10th in the women's, at the 2016 ACRA championship. The UC Rowing Team receives financial support from UC's Student Activities & Leadership Development; student-athletes also pay dues and raise funds to support coaches' salaries, team facilities, travel, regatta entry fees and other expenses. An Executive Board composed of students directs the affairs of the team, with Professor Bruce Jayne serving as long-time faculty advisor.
For more information, contact Rolf Linder, Head Coach/Director of Rowing RolfLinder@CincyRowing.org   Peter Rosberg PeterRosberg@CincyRowing.org   Alex Stringfellow, UC Rowing Club President President@CincyRowing.org