Coaches

Jon Miller – Director of Rowing/Varsity Men’s Head Coach

Kaitlin Tierney – Varsity Women & Frosh Women Head Coach

Jack Newell – Frosh Men’s Head Coach/Varsity Men’s Assistant

Mitchell Byarlay – Men’s & Women’s Assistant Coach

Phoebe Castleblanco & Matt Lenert are additional members of the comprehensive coaching staff.

Jon Miller

Jon Miller is currently in his 11th season leading the Vanderbilt Rowing Program, beginning coaching in the fall of 2007 as an assistant coach for the program. He assumed the position of Head Coach in January of 2009. It was during the spring of 2009 when the class of 2012 and Jon laid the foundation for how the program would evolve over the next decade. Under his leadership, the team has won five SIRA Medals. He has also led the team to success at the ACRA National Championships, with 7 total medals, including 3 gold, and a small boat team point trophy. Jon coached the varsity women’s eight to a 9th place finish in 2016 and the varsity women’s four to a National Championship in 2019. Jon coached the men’s varsity eight to a 16th place finish at the ACRA National Championships in 2012, the best program finish. Jon graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Economics in 2007. He rowed four years for the program, his last two in the varsity eight.

Kaitlin Tierney

Kaitlin started her rowing career at McLean High School where she competed at the state and national level for three years. She then attended Arizona State, rowing four years and serving as the women’s vice president for two. While a sophomore at ASU she was hired by Tempe Junior Crew as the novice coach and held the position for four years. After graduation, she was invited back to ASU to coach the men’s and women’s novice teams for the 2017-18 season and traveled to regattas such as San Diego Crew Classic, Covered Bridge, and WIRA, with the women’s novice 4+ finishing first and the men’s novice 4+ finishing second at the San Diego Fall Classic. Then she moved to New York City and was hired by Row New York to be the head coach for the Hewitt School’s team for the 2019 season where the team saw a first-place finish in the novice 8+ at the SRL Championship regatta.

 

Jack Newell

Jack Newell began his rowing career in the Spring of 2009 during his first year of High School and rowed for four years before attending college and continuing to row at the University of Dayton.  After four years of collegiate rowing, Jack graduated in the Spring of 2016 and began coaching at his alma matter the following Fall. After spending two years as an assistant coach, Jack assumed the role of head coach for the 2018-19 season.  During his only year as head coach for the Flyers, Jack led the Men’s Novice 4 to a top 5 finish at the Head of the Hooch regatta in the Fall, and two first-place finishes in the Spring. While doing so, he also led the Men’s Varsity 4 to a top 10 finish at the ACRA National Championships. 

 

 

 

Mitchell Byarlay graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati. It was at Xavier where Mitchell started his rowing career with Xavier Crew. During his five years
with the team, Mitchell was awarded the male novice of the year, as well as competing as stroke seat for the male varsity boat the following year. During his final year with the Xavier program, Mitchell took up the position as acting head coach
for the team. Mitchell began coaching with Vanderbilt in the fall of 2018.