INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – USRowing has retained Marty Crotty and Steve Hargis as its men’s and women’s junior national team head coaches, the organization announced on Monday.

Crotty, who was recently named freshman coach at Princeton University, led the junior men’s eight to a gold medal at the 2005 FISA World Junior Rowing Championships in his first season as men’s junior national team head coach. Prior to joining Princeton’s coaching staff, he served as the executive director of Princeton International Regatta Association and the varsity men’s head coach at Mercer Junior Rowing Club.

Crotty, a 1998 graduate of Princeton University, was a member of Princeton’s national champion varsity eights in 1996 and 1998. He represented the U.S. internationally on several occasions, competing on two junior teams, two Under 23 teams and three senior teams. Crotty won a silver medal in the four at the 1999 Pan American Games.

Hargis, who is the director of rowing at the United States Coast Guard Academy, will return for his third year as women’s junior national team head coach. At the 2005 World Junior Championships, his women’s eight finished fourth, just missing a medal. Prior to taking over the junior women’s program, Hargis served as the head coach of the U.S. Junior National Team Development Camp.

In addition to his director of rowing duties at Coast Guard, Hargis has served as the women’s head coach for the Division III program since 1998. He was named the Collegiate Rowing Association’s Division III National Coach of the Year in 1993. During his tenure, Hargis has had several successful seasons including leading the program to an NCAA Championships team bid, the first ever NCAA berth for any Coast Guard sport.

The head coaches also have announced their assistants for 2006. Crotty will again be assisted by Colin Campbell. In addition to his work with last year’s junior men’s squad, Campbell was part of the junior men’s coaching staff in 2002 and 2003. He presently serves as head coach and director of the Peddie School Crew.

Hargis will be assisted by Veronica Platzer and Liz Trond. Platzer is currently the varsity assistant coach at the University of Virginia. She joined the Cavaliers’ staff in 2002 after stints at the University of Wisconsin and Mercyhurst College. Trond is currently the Youth Program Director and girls head coach at Maritime Rowing Club. She served as the head coach for the U.S. Junior Women’s National Team Development Camp in 2005. She also has coached at Sacramento State University, Orange Coast College and Fairfield University, among others.

USRowing is a nonprofit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. USRowing’s Official Patron is Concept2; its Official Electronics Outfitter is Nielsen Kellerman; its Official Dock is Connect-A-Dock; its Official Suppliers are NIKE, Inc., Filippi Boat Manufacturer/Elite Rowing, Inc., WinTech Racing, and System Scale Corp.; and its Preferred Printer is Sport Graphics Printing. USRowing also receives generous support from the National Rowing Foundation.

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