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Mercer Juniors Coaches

Katie Bitz Assistant Varsity Girls Coach
	katie@rowpnra.org Katie began coxing in the Fall of 2000 for Pacific Rowing Club in San Francisco. After high school she chose to continue her rowing career as a Spartan for Michigan State University. During her freshman year she was part of MSU's first ever Big Ten Championship team. As a sophomore, she coxed the second varsity eight, helping the team earn its highest national team ranking of sixth in the country. In 2008 her team had its most successful season to date. Katie coxed the varsity eight boat to the Big Ten Title that ensured MSU a second Big Ten Championship in four years. In the same year her varsity eight made their first ever appearance in the grand final at the Central Region Championships where they captured a silver medal. With the help of their performance Michigan State earned their first Central Region Team Championship. Katie’s boat capped of their year with a sixth place finish at the NCAA championship. Bitz also earned individual honors for their performance. She was named First Team All Big Ten as well as First Team All Central Region. Katie also showed that she was a scholar-athlete by being named a National Scholar Athlete three times during her tenure at MSU. After graduating from Michigan State, Katie moved to Princeton, NJ in order to train with the US National Team. Katie is in her second stint coaching the Mercer varsity women. She served as the women’s assistant in 2009 prior to being named the Assistant Lightweight Coach for Princeton University in 2010. Katie also finds time to also coach the US National Team Women. We are really excited to have her return to the staff this year.
Amanda Gettelfinger Assistant Novice Girls Coach
	agettelfinger@rowpnra.org
Paul Kuhlman Novice Boys Coach
	pkuhlman@rowpnra.org Paul Kuhlman is the Boys Novice coach and one of the three members of the class of 2007 currently on the Mercer staff. Starting in the spring of 2004, Paul rowed for Mercer all four years while attending WW-P South. Although he did not row while attending Dickinson College, the values and discipline that rowing instilled in him proved invaluable during his academic pursuits. After working for PNRA over the summer, Paul was offered the position that he holds today. Paul is overjoyed at the opportunity to return to Mercer and give back to the program.
Rachel LaBella Masters Head Coach & Girls Novice Coach
	rlabella@rowpnra.org Rachel started rowing her freshman year at Mercer Junior Rowing Club and made an immediate impact by winning the Northeast/ Mid-Atlantic Regional in the novice eight. She quickly rose up the ranks and made the varsity 8 as a sophmore and earned a bronze medal at the Regional Championship. The following year she won the Mercer Sprints and the Northeast/ Mid-Atlantic Regionals in the Varsity 8. Her boat turned down the bid to Youth Nationals in order to compete in the Women’s Henley Regatta where they placed second in the Peabody Cup. Rachel was named co-captain of the team her senior year and recruited to UCLA. During her freshman year she showed her peers that she was dedicated to the sport by earning a seat in the Varsity 8. In 2010 her crew earned UCLA’s first ever team berth in the NCAA Tournament and her boat finished 9^thplace in the Varsity 8. That same year, her fellow athletes voted Rachel the Most Valuable Oarswoman and voted her Captain of the team for the 2011 season. Graduating many seniors, the 2011 season was spent pushing the lower classmen to achieve their goals. Rachel was voted Most Outstanding Senior and was inducted into the Bruin Varsity Club for completing four years as a division one athlete at UCLA. Rachel is now pursuing a career in Marine Biology and Conservation.
Sean McCourt PNRA Director of Programs & Events, and MJRC Women’s Head Coach
	seanmccourt@rowpnra.org Sean McCourt is the Head Coach of the Mercer Junior Rowing Club and is responsible for oversight and training of all crews. He is also responsible for organizing and overseeing PNRA’s summer camps and regattas. Sean began rowing in high school at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia. He went on to row for Boston University, where he graduated in 1999 with a B.S. in Secondary Education, and stroked the BU Varsity Heavyweight Eight for two years. During that time he was selected to attend the US Pre-elite Team camp in 1998, Lightweight Selection in 1999 and was runner up in the 2000 US Senior Lightweight Pair Trials. Sean’s coaching experience includes the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee where his freshman crew went undefeated. He also coached for St. Joseph’s Prep, where his crews achieved victories at the Head of the Charles, Stotesbury Cup, Philadelphia Catholic League and the City Championships. Sean, who is a Level III USRowing Certified Coach, has coached MJRC crews since the program’s inception in February, 2002.
Justin Mills Varsity Boys Coach
	jmills@rowpnra.org Justin Mills began his rowing career with the Mercer Junior Rowing Club. In 2005, Justin was a member the MJRC Men’s Lightweight coxed four that won MJRC”s first National Championship at the USRowing Youth National Championships. During the 2010-2011 season, Junstin coached MJRC's Novice Women to a winning season whcih included wins at the Frostbite Regatta, Shoebie Cup Regatta, Saratoga Invatational Regatta, Mercer Lake Sprints and the Mid-Atlantic Junior Regional Championship Regatta. Several of the Coach Mill's Novice rowers competed in varsity boats at the USRowing Youth National Rowing Championship.
Emily Regan Assistant Varsity Men's Coach
	eregan@rowpnra.org Emily began her rowing career in the fall of 2006 during her freshman year at Michigan State University (MSU). While at MSU, she competed in the Varsity 8+ that won three consecutive Big Ten Championships from 2008-2010. During her senior year she was named Big Ten Rower of the Year and a Pocock All-American. The Summer following her senior year, Emily competed in the 2010 U-23 World Rowing championships winning a gold medal in the Women's 8+ and is currently training with the US Women's rowing team. In 2011, Emily won a Gold Medal as part of the W4- at the World Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia. Emily was a volunteer Novice rowing coach in the fall of 2010 prior to her graduation from MSU.
Kerry Simmonds Assistant Boys Novice Coach
	ksimmonds@rowpnra.org Kerry is a native of San Diego, California, where she graduated from Torrey Pines High School. She rowed in college for the University of Washington. During her senior year and Washington, Kerry was Captain of the Husky's team. She graduated in 2011 with a degree in biology. Kerry won a Gold Medal at the 2010 FISA Under-23 World Championship as a member of the women's eight. In 2011, Kerry was a member of the United States Women's eight that won the Silver Medal at the Under-23 World Championship in Amsterdam, NED. Kerry is currently training with the USRowing Senior Women's Team in Princeton New Jersey.