Coach Kris Sanford Moves On

After 14 seasons as head coach of the SU Women’s Rowing Team, Kris Sanford has announced that she is stepping down. In an email to her team, Sanford said she does so with mixed emotions. “You were all a real pleasure to coach and I thank you for that,” she said.

Sanford informed her team after a meeting with Senior Associate Director of Athletics Rob Edson on Monday. “Daryl (Director of Athletics Daryl Gross) will begin searching for my replacement immediately,” she said in the email. “I am very excited to watch the progress of the program in the coming years because I know it is going to get faster.”

Edson confirmed the search in an email to SARA President Tracy Smith and suathletics.com put out a news release this afternoon.

Edson said Associate Athletics Director Jamie Mullin will coordinate the search and that he and Mullin will present a short list to Gross. “I suspect that we will formally interview anywhere from 3-5 candidates and will attempt to do so as quickly as possible given summer schedules of those on campus and the candidates themselves,” he wrote.

Edson said he welcomes SARA’s offer of support. “While the involvement may not be formal,” Edson wrote, “I believe it will prove very valuable to us and the future of the program. For that, I very much appreciate your willingness to assist and value the perspectives and insights you can bring to us.”

The daughter of long-time men’s head coach Bill Sanford, Kristen Sanford grew up in the S.U. Boathouse and came home to Syracuse in the fall of 1994 after a stellar rowing career at the University of Washington and experience as executive director of the Indianapolis Rowing Center and Midwest Regional Technical Director for USRowing.

She started here as novice coach and recruiting coordinator and moved up to head coach in the fall of 1996. Her first varsity eight made the inaugural NCAA regatta in 1997 and she would take the V8 to the NCAA’s again in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2005.

This year’s varsity eight began with a strong win at home over Boston University, but then struggled against a schedule of highly-ranked crews and wound up the season finishing tenth (4th in petite final) at the EAWRC sprints.

Sanford’s athletes excelled in the classroom. 41 team members made the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in the fall semester of 2009.

Sanford plans to enroll in nursing school in January. “This is something I have always wanted to do and I am excited about the next chapter in my life,” she wrote in the email.