The Dartmouth Coaches:

Scott Armstrong

Armstrong's debut as varsity coach in 1992 shocked the rowing world with an undefeated dual race season (9-0), an Eastern Sprints Championship and an IRA Co-championship. Dartmouth was the most dominant crew in the country, sweeping all of their dual races by open water en route to their first Eastern Sprints title. Three weeks later, the Big Green dead-heated with Navy and Penn for the IRA title. At the National Championships in Cincinnati, Dartmouth was nipped at the line by 3 inches in the closest race in regatta history. Dartmouth has proven to be a leading crew every year since 1992, consistently ranking in the top 10 nationally . The Dartmouth varsity has made the Grand Final of the IRA National Championships 5 out of the last 8 years. The program has risen to the most competitive level under Armstrong's leadership and recruiting, and will be a perennial contender for the National Championship in the years to come. On the national level, Armstrong coached the US Pre-Elite Team for two summers. Working with US Elite Coach Mike Spracklin, Armstrong coached development camps of the best collegiate oarsmen and coxswains in the country and selected the top eight for international competition. In 1993 his eight won the gold medal at the World University Games in St. Catherines, Canada, defeateding top entries from Great Britain, Germany, Canada and France. Armstrong's rowing career featured victories in the varsity event at the 1984 Eastern Sprints and 1986 IRA, as well as the 1984 Henley Royal Regatta with Brown University. In 1985, Armstrong rowed in the US Pre-Elite eight that won the silver medal in the prestigious Lucerne Rowing Regatta in Switzerland. Scott lives in Meriden, NH with his wife Beth, 3 children and 2 dogs.

Will Scoggins

Chris Schmidt

After a year of graduate school in English Literature at the University of New Hampshire, Schmidt returned to Dartmouth as the Head Coach of Women's Rowing in the fall of 1997. During his first year, the women again qualified for the NCAA National Championship as a team. The varsity eight compiled the best record since 1984 ( 8-3), and all four eights qualified for the grand finals at Eastern Sprints, good enough for fourth place in the points trophy. 

In the summer of 1998, Schmidt was the Head Coach for the USRowing Women's East Coast Development Camp that won the Intermediate Eight at the Royal Canadian Henley. In the 1998-99 season, Schmidt's varsity eight again returned to the NCAA Championship, where they finished 11th in the country. 

Schmidt learned to row himself as a freshman at Dartmouth, where he was awarded the Tim Reyerson Award for outstanding freshmen lightweight in 1987. His senior year he held down the five seat of the Dartmouth Lightweight crew which won a Bronze Medal at the Sprints and a Silver Medal at the National Collegiate Championship. He was also a member of the Gold Medal, and course record-holding, 500 Meter Lightweight Dash Eight at the1992 Canadian Henley. 

Schmidt has also worked extensively for the academic support programs at Dartmouth and served as the Assistant to the Director of Composition from 1994-1996. As a summa cum laude graduate, he understands the challenges of balancing academics with athletics. 

Molly McHugh

Molly McHugh enters her second year of coaching the novice squad at Dartmouth. In her first year McHugh developed a strong group of athletes who will be a great addition to the varsity. In fact, one of her novice rowers learned so well under McHugh's direction that she made the varsity eight for the National Championships at the end of the season. McHugh teaches her athletes to pursue success on and off the water, while instilling in them enthusiasm, a positive work ethic, and love for the sport.

McHugh came to Hanover after coaching the novice women's squad at Rutgers University for two years. While at Rutgers, she coached many freshmen athletes who went on to make an impact on the varsity squad. In 1997, she assisted the varsity squad that qualified as a full team for the inaugural NCAA Championships. In 1998, her second novice eight won a bronze medal at the Eastern Sprints.

McHugh began her coaching career in 1994 as the assistant women's coach at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. That year, her novice four won both the Head of the Textile and Head of the Connecticut regattas. McHugh's novice record for two seasons at Trinity was 12-4. During this time, she also taught physical education classes in weightlifting and conditioning and studied in the graduate program in English. 

In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, McHugh was the assistant coach at the 1998 East Coast Development Camp. She has also coached several community programs. In Hartford, she was the head coach for the Riverfront Recapture rowing program, teaching the sport to people from throughout the greater Hartford community. She also supervised boating programs for inner-city youth. McHugh has also coached at the Craftsbury Sculling Center. 

An avid soccer and basketball player throughout high school, McHugh took up rowing her senior year when her school team was formed. She went on to row for four years at the University of Virginia. While at Virginia, she earned medals at several major regattas, including SIRAs, Dad Vails and the club event at collegiate nationals. Her freshman year, McHugh was rookie of the year. Her senior year, she was team captain and was voted most valuable oarswoman. A dean's list student, McHugh graduated in 1994 with a degree in English and African American Studies. 

Dick Grossman

In his 23rd year of coaching Lightweight Crew at Dartmouth, Dick Grossman has established his program as one of the top lightweight crews in the nation. His 1993 Varsity set a new course record for lightweights in their Eastern Sprints victory on Lake Quinsigamond, with the Dartmouth squad capturing the Jope Cup for overall Eastern Lightweight Rowing supremacy. In 1994, despite the loss of five seniors from the '93 Varsity Crew, the Dartmouth Lights went undefeated on the way to their second consecutive Eastern Championship. The Dartmouth Lightweight Varsity has finished in the top four nationally 4 of the past 5 years.

After two years practicing as an attorney, Grossman coached the Big Green freshmen from 1975 until 1978, when his freshman lights became the first Dartmouth Lightweight Crew to win an Eastern Sprints Championship. Since then his Dartmouth lightweights have medaled in three IRA regattas against predominantly heavyweight competition, and 9 crews have competed at the Henley Royal Regatta in England, including two in 1996. They have been frequent medalists at the American Rowing Championships, the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, and the Head of the Charles.

Grossman has been involved in rowing since 1961, when he started as a coxswain at Noble & Greenough School. Four years coxing at Nobles, followed by four years with the Harvard Heavyweights, established the base for a long and distinguished international career which included participation on five United States teams, and culminated with his winning a silver medal at the 1975 World Championships in Nottingham, England. He coached the U. S. crews in the 1977 Maccabiah Games in Israel to five gold medals and one silver. He coached at five U.S. Lightweight Team selection camps from 1979-1984, and managed the U.S. team at the World Championships in three of those years. He was a member of the U.S. Lightweight Rowing Committee for ten years, and was President of the EARC Lightweight Coaches Committee from 1980-1991. In addition to his position as Head Lightweight Coach, he serves as the coordinator of the Dartmouth Rowing Program.

Grossman lives in Norwich, Vermont with his wife, Elaine Warshell, and his two children Robin and T. J.

Chris Woll

A 1995 graduate of Dartmouth College, Chris Woll enters his second year as Freshman Lightweight Coach after leading his 1997 crew to an Eastern Sprints Bronze Medal.

Woll learned to row at Belmont Hill School, where he was a member of several excellent Varsity Crews. As a 165 pound freshman at Dartmouth he earned a seat in the Freshman Heavyweight Crew which won a berth in the EARC Grand Finals, one of only two Dartmouth Freshman Heavyweight Crews to advance to the finals in the last 15 years. He switched to the Lightweight Squad and spent a year rowing #6 in the Second Varsity, which represented Dartmouth at Henley that year. The following year he moved up to the #6 seat of the Varsity Lights, which proceeded to rack up an undefeated season, won the EARC Sprints, and won at Marlow and Reading on the way to making the quarter finals at Henley. That summer he was also a member of the Lightweight Eight that won gold at the Canadian Henley. Woll spent a year coaching the U. Mass Freshmen before returning to his alma mater.

Heavyweights | Women | Lightweights | Coaches | About the Boathouse & Rowing at Dartmouth | Racing Results

---