POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist men's crew program has announced that Matt Lavin will take over as the varsity head coach and Andrew Sayles has joined the coaching staff and will be in charge of the freshmen boats while assisting with the varsity.
"I am very excited to be working with Matt in his new role as the varsity men's coach and I welcome Andrew to the staff as he transitions from captain of the team to coaching the freshman men," Marist Director of Rowing Tom Sanford said. "Both Matt and Andrew demonstrate technical knowledge, excellent judgment and the level of enthusiasm and dedication necessary to provide an environment where our hard working student athletes can excel in the classroom and athletically, both individually and as a team."
Lavin joined the Red Foxes' coaching staff in the fall of 2011 as the coach of the freshmen team while also assisting with the varsity boats. He will look to guide the program to an unprecedented 12th consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship. Before arriving at Marist, Lavin coached at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC while he finished his undergraduate career at Georgetown University.
"I'm excited to be heading up the team this year," said Lavin of his new position. "We have an excellent group who is working hard to achieve their personal goals and more importantly our goals as a team as we look to defend our MAAC Championship and excel at ECAC's this spring."
Sayles, a 2012 Marist graduate, moves into Lavin's former position as the freshmen coach. He is coming off of a successful four year career rowing for the Red Foxes. In his final year, Sayles was named a team captain and was a member of the Varsity Eight boat that was named All-MAAC. He was also nominated for Marist's Male Sportsperson of the Year.
"Andy Sayles will we be an excellent addition to our coaching staff as our Freshman team coach," Lavin said. "As a former captain and three year member of the Varsity Eight, Andy knows what it is to be a Red Fox. I am confident in his ability to lead our freshman team to another successful year."
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