Patrick Kington -- SDRC Head Coach/Women's Varsity

Patrick started rowing in 1996 and has been coaching since 2004. He has coached at the scholastic, junior, collegiate, and international level. Kington has coached at SDRC since 2014, and has worked with the novice men, varsity men, and varsity women, becoming head coach of SDRC in 2017 and the varsity women in 2018

Bobbie Smith -- Women's Novice Coach

Bobbie joined San Diego Rowing Club after two years coaching at San Diego State University’s Women’s Team. Prior to that she was the assistant women’s coach at Marina Aquatic Center for five years and had another year as the head coach during the first year of California Yacht Club. 

As an athlete, she started her rowing career at UCLA, where she majored in Materials Science and Engineering and continued rowing post collegiately with an invitation to row at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center in 1999. The same year she was named to the Pac 10 All-Conference Team. She continued to row as a lightweight post collegiately for several years, rowing for both Long Beach Rowing Association and Southern California Scullers Club.

Her proudest moment as a coach was when her 2016 Lightweight Women’s Crew at Marina Aquatic Center won at the San Diego Crew Classic. The crew went on to place second at the Southwest Regionals and seventh at US Nationals. 

A close second, and something for which she is incredibly grateful, was to coach our Women’s Lightweight Four to a 9th place finish at USRowing Youth Nationals in 2019.

She is happy to be a member of our Masters Rowing program and the Executive Director of the San Diego Crew Classic.

Kenza McKerrihan- Women's Assistant Coach



Catherine Sheffler -- Women's Assistant Coach

Catherine began coxing in 2011 as a walk on for UCSD's Novice Men's team. As the Varsity 8 coxswain on the Women’s team the next 3 years, she led her team to a 3rd place victory at NCAA National Championships in 2013, and finished out her collegiate carrier with All-WIRA First Team honors, and the Coach’s award. She joined the SDRC’s Masters in 2016, and began coaching for the Novice Women in 2018.

Patrick Hurley -- Men's Varsity Coach

2023 will be Patrick's first season as the men's varsity coach and he has been at SDRC since 2013 in a variety of roles, mainly as the Novice Men's coach. He has coached several crew to top-three finishes at the Southwest Regional Championships. Patrick rowed in high school at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio before rowing at Rutgers University in college. He also coaches summer learn to row and high performance camps at SDRC, as well as corporate team building events and Wounded Warrior Project events during the year. Patrick is also a somewhat active member of the Masters team here at SDRC and has won the Long Beach Christmas Regatta numerous times, as well as one of the biggest trophies at USRowing's Master's National Championships.

Sam Prado- Men's Novice Coach

Sam started her rowing career in Mexico City at the age of 10, where she was part of the junior national team until senior year in high school. Sam moved to Dallas, TX in 2015, where she was part of her club’s first W2- to place in the top 8 at Nationals in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, she was named her high school team’s Novice Head Coach and in 2020 obtained the club’s first 4 regional titles for the Novice/U17 Women’s team, and two podium finishes at Nationals the same year. In 2021, Sam established the U17 Women’s program at Dallas United and qualified their first 8 to Nationals, where they placed in the C final.

This is Sam’s second year at SDRC, but first year as the Novice Men’s Head Coach. She is completing a Masters in School Based Clinical Counseling at the University of San Diego, where she also coaches the USD Novice Women’s Team.

“I am excited to be back at SDRC and continue giving back to the sport that has given me so much. I hope to continue growing our team and making an impact in the Southwest Region.”

Summit Gillespie- Men's Assistant Coach

Summit started his rowing career with Greenwich Crew in 2016, where he achieved top 5 finishes at the Youth Nationals in the Varsity 8 category. Summit then continued rowing at Temple University, where he was the varsity coxswain, winning the Dad Vail Regatta in the varsity 8 and competing at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship. Summit's coaching journey began at Greenwich Crew, starting with the middle school program but then working with Varsity and Novice women. Last winter and spring Summit served as a varsity women's Assistant Coach at San Diego Rowing Club. This year Summit will be working with the Varsity Men's team at SDRC. Summit is currently completing his studies at the University of San Diego.

Will Gleason- Men's Assistant Coach

Will started rowing in 2016 at Newport Aquatic Center and had a victorious run in the Varsity 8+ in his time competing for the club winning multiple events at Youth Nationals and the San Diego Crew Classic. After high school, Will took a gap year and coached Novice rowing with his dad, Pat Gleason, at NAC. Will continued his rowing career at the University of San Diego where he became team captain in 2021. Will started coaching at SDRC in the fall of 2023.

Maura Dahl- Middle School Head Coach

Maura began coaching at San Diego Rowing Club after taking on the Middle School team in January 2023. Her rowing career started at the University of Minnesota in 2014 when her novice coach stopped her during welcome week and told her “You NEED to row”. Since then, rowing has taken her to incredible regattas all across the country as a D1, Club, and now Masters rower. She began coaching learn to row sessions in 2016 and transitioned to Youth and Adult Novice coaching at Minneapolis Rowing Club in 2018, just a couple of strokes down river of her original boathouse. After a 2-year rowing hiatus while on Guam, Maura is thrilled to be coaching again with the Middle School program here at SDRC. 

Fun Fact: While this is her first year in California, she has known Mission Bay rowing for several years! Her first ever 2k race was the 2015 San Diego Crew Classic in none other than SDRC’s True North 8+!

Clare Botterill- Middle School Assistant Coach



Scott Walsh- Middle School Assistant Coach

Scott Walsh has 30 years’ experience rowing, and more than a few seasons as a coach. As a rower at Yale University, Potomac Boat Club, and San Diego Rowing Club, Scott has raced at U.S. Nationals, U.S. Olympic Trials, the Head of the Charles, and the Henley Royal Regatta. He also raced on the Republic of Palau’s outrigger canoe team. Scott coached the novice men’s crew at George Mason University; coached youth rowing, soccer, and basketball in D.C., Palau and San Diego; and served as Scoutmaster for Boy Scout troops in San Diego and Ethiopia. He has learned from some of the best coaches in the country, including SDRC’s own Pat Kington. He is excited to be a part of SDRC’s fantastic team of youth coaches and to share his love of rowing with SDRC’s middle school team.