MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College Director of Athletics
Larry Hiser announced the hiring of
Greg Myhr as the Pioneers' head men's rowing coach Tuesday (July 30) afternoon.
"We are honored to welcome Greg into our Marietta College family. He has a proven track record at the Division I level of improving the speed of every crew he has coached," Hiser said. "He has an innate ability to find the motivational key to each of his rowers. Lastly, his approachable, down-to-earth personality will fit well within our college and local community. We are extremely excited about the future of Pioneer Rowing under Greg's leadership."
Myhr comes to Marietta College after serving as the head coach for the Cambridge Boat Club in Cambridge, Massachusetts the past two years. He was responsible for implementing a fully integrated program for both the Masters and Junior rowers at CBC. Myhr led the CBC Junior Women to three gold medals at the 2018 Canadian Henley Regatta.
"Marietta Rowing has a long and storied history and I'm thrilled at this opportunity to help write the next chapter," Myhr said. "I am immensely grateful to Athletic Director
Larry Hiser and his entire staff, as well as to the search committee and the alums and student-athletes whom I've so far met. The rich traditions of this program are a testament to the hard work and dedication of all the athletes and coaches throughout the history of the Marietta program, and I am awed and excited to add to this legacy."
Myhr began his coaching career as the assistant men's coach at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, from 1995 to 1997. He took over as the Badgers' head freshman coach from 1997 to 2003 before moving to Georgetown University as the freshman heavyweight coach from 2003 to 2005.
Wisconsin won five Ten Eyck Team National Championships and three Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Freshman Four titles during Myhr's tenure. The Badgers also claimed the program's only Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) Freshman Eight Championship in 2000.
Following his success at Wisconsin and Georgetown, Myhr was named the head men's rowing coach at George Washington in 2005. He spent four years developing the Colonials into a nationally competitive Division I program where his Varsity Eight crew ranked as high as No. 12 nationally in 2009.
Myhr accepted the head men's heavyweight coaching position at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 and remained with the Quakers for six years. His tenure at Penn included success at the conference and national levels, while the Quakers turned in their one of their best years in recent school history in 2015.
Penn finished 10th overall in the Ten Eyck team points standings at the 2015 IRA Regatta, highlighted by an 11th-place finish in the Varsity Eight to match the school's previous best that was achieved in 2012. The Quakers also earned the Clayton Chapman Team Trophy at the IRAs, recognizing the nation's most improved team.
During a two-year stint as an assistant coach at St. Joseph's University, Myhr was a member of the United State coaching staff at the Under-23 World Championships held in August 2016 at Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Myhr guided the U.S. to a seventh-place finish in the men's single event and a 13th-place finish in the men's lightweight double.
Emerging from a pool of highly-qualified applicants, Myhr is tasked with returning the Pioneers to national prominence. Marietta is a founding member of the Dad Vail Rowing Association and won the first Dad Vail gold medal awarded in 1934.
"Thanks must also be given to our rowing alumni who care deeply for their alma mater," Hiser said. "From their prominent position in the rowing community they provided the creditability necessary to attract such a strong candidate pool. The importance of their help simply cannot be overstated."
Myhr rowed collegiately at Wisconsin serving as a team captain and winning the Norm Sonju Award for outstanding contribution to the success of the UW crew program.
Myhr was a part of the Freshman Eight crew that won a bronze medal at the 1989 Eastern Sprints. He added a pair of IRA silver medals to his resume in the 1990 Straight Four and 1991 Varsity Eight. The Varsity Eight crew was a grand finalist at the 1992 IRA.
An avid sportsman, Myhr has competed in the Head of the Charles 27 times since 1987. He has completed 19 American Birkebeiner ski marathons since 1996 and completed the 2002 Wisconsin Ironman Triathlon.
Myhr received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1992.
A native of Bethesda, Maryland, Myhr was a standout oarsman at Walt Whitman High School where he helped launch and served as the team captain for the first high school rowing team in the state. Myhr capped his scholastic career with an invitation to the U.S. Junior National Selection Camp in 1988.
Myhr and his wife, Kitty, have one son, August.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
