WORCESTER, Mass. - The National Intercollegiate Rowing Championship (NIRC) announced the recipients of the regatta's postseason awards.
Williams College head coach, Marc Mandel was named the NIRC Men's Coach of the Year by his peers, and Wellesley College's Tessa Spillane was voted the Women's Coach of the Year.
Mandel earned his second straight Coach of the Year title after guiding Williams to its second consecutive NIRC men's title in 2023. The Ephs rowed to wins in the first, second, and third varsity eight categories, while the fourth varsity claimed third.
"It's always an honor to be recognized by fellow coaches within the NIRC, peers who have always been so supportive, gracious, and successful in their own careers," stated Mandel. "I have tremendous respect for this group given that we've all devoted our lives to the sport of rowing and the athletes we coach. Our team's development, consistency, and focus during practice over the course of the year were remarkable to observe, and I am thankful for their trust in and willingness to embrace our process. Finally, this award should be shared with our Assistant Coach Graham Marks, Athletic Trainer Yaz Wilkinson, and Strength and Conditioning coaches Marshall Creighton and Rob Livingstone."
Spillane, who earned her second straight Coach of the Year honor, led Wellesley's varsity eight to its first victory in program history at the 2023 NIRC Championship. The second varsity eight raced to a fourth-place finish, while the third varsity eight came in fifth overall.
"It is a true honor coaching alongside some of the very best coaches in this sport. As a league, the NIRC is so incredibly strong and as a program, we take a lot of pride in being able to race every year at the National Invitational. In accepting this award, I would like to accept it on behalf of our incredible coaching staff at Wellesley - Associate Head Coach Emilie Muller, Assistant Coach Emilia Ball, Strength Coach Tim Snyder all are tremendous resources for our student-athletes," expressed Spillane. "We are lucky coaches to be able to work with such an exceptional team at Wellesley - so as is our tradition at Wellesley; Blue Crew, giving all of you a shout out for your amazing work ethic, team first attitude, and for taking care of the details - and each other - every single day."