Awards
2025 Coaches’ Choice Award
Phil Carney was the 2025 Coaches’ Choice Award recipient. The person who nominated him said the following of Phil:
“Phil Carney is in his 39th season at Wesleyan and is the longest-tenured member of our Athletics staff. His recent coaching accomplishments speak for themselves: a 3rd-place finish in the Collegiate 8 at this fall’s Head of the Charles, a 5th-place finish at the 2025 IRA National Championship, and the 2024 IRA Division III National Championship in the Varsity 8.
What stands out just as much, however, is the consistency and depth of his program year after year. Under Phil’s leadership, Wesleyan’s Varsity 8 sets the competitive standard, while the 2V, 3V, and 4V boats are perennial podium threats at major championships. The 3V’s victory at the 2025 NIRC is only the latest example of the strength he builds throughout his squad.
Phil has also made lasting contributions to the sport beyond Wesleyan. He has served on countless rowing committees, is a trusted voice whenever rules or changes are discussed, and Phil was involved in making the IRA’s Division III event a reality. His steady advocacy and thoughtful vision have helped advance collegiate rowing in tangible ways.
In the day-to-day work of coaching, Phil runs an exceptionally clear, disciplined, and athlete-centered program. His athletes respond to his leadership with urgency, trust, and a genuine hunger to improve boat speed. Many of his former athletes have gone on to become successful coaches themselves—a testament not only to his ability to build fast crews, but to inspire a lifelong love of rowing and the craft of coaching.
On a personal level, Phil is an indispensable colleague. We talk multiple times a day, always with the shared goal of creating a fast, healthy, and well-functioning boathouse for both the men’s and women’s teams. We bounce ideas off of each other, look at video of our crews or just chat about whatever comes up. His respect among peers runs deep—USCGA coach Bill Randall even reached out to me, unprompted, to say Phil would be an outstanding nominee for this award. I also know that Phil has great respect for every coach he competes with.
After 39 years and counting at Wesleyan, I can say that Phil loves coming to the boathouse and getting out on the water every day!”
2024 Coaches’ Choice Award
The first ever Coaches’ Choice Award was presented to Andriel Doolittle, Director of Rowing & Head Women’s Coach at United States Coast Guard Academy. The Coaches’ Choice Award is intended to highlight and recognize a coach in attendance at The Conference who has shown exemplary effort in coaching and mentorship for their team, club or program. A true role model in the coaching community, this coach is a dedicated educator for both athletes and fellow coaches, an inspiring leader and mentor, and has a commitment to learning themselves. Nominator Bill Randall said this about Doolittle, “Coach Doolittle arrived at CGA in trying times, after the death of a loved coach. She stabilized the team and then grew the team. This year she the women’s roster is over forty rowers (that is 10% of the academies female students). But, beyond the growth, has been the culture change, she has created a stronger, more resilient, and more independent crew – a subject she will be talking about at the rowing conference in a few weeks. Two years ago, I stepped down as the director of rowing and Coach Doolittle took over the role. Thankfully, she did rehire me as the men’s head coach. Having the old director around could be very awkward – especially an older coach that has been with the CG for a long time, but she has been able to meet all the challenges and use the knowledge I have while maintaining her role as the director of rowing. The team has continued to flourish, and we have the largest roster and most competitive team CGA has had in well over a decade. In the spring we sent the first men’s boat every to the D3 IRA championships and this fall both varsity boats received automatic qualifies at the head of the Charles while the women had their best finish in over a decade. The bottom line is, while I am getting older and I have been at this for quite a while, I continue to learn from Coach Doolittle and the team continues to get better."
2024 Inductees Announced at the Luncheon
Stork Sanford
Rusty Callow
Randy Jablonic
Jim Ten Eyck
Harry Parker
2023 Inductees Announced at the Luncheon
Bebe Bryans
Robin Meiggs