Roster

|

Schedule

|

Coaching Staff

|

News

|

Photos

|

Archives

|

Other Links Facilities Recruiting Survey Camp Information

Doug Wright Position: Head Coach

Doug Wright, in his eighth year as head coach of SMU Rowing, has built the Mustangs into a competitive Division I program poised to break into the nation's Top 25. Wright has been with SMU Rowing since the team's inception in 1999, serving a year as assistant coach before being elevated to the head coach position. He has shaped the program into one that focuses on the student-athletes' success and well being both on and off the water.

"The philosophy of the program centers on three components: wellness, education, and performance," explains Wright. "Those three components don't stand alone; they're integrated into a concentric process, and they represent the means through which the entire team attains higher levels of learning and accomplishment. This philosophy has helped us excel both in the classroom and on the water, and we hope it can serve as a blue print for our student-athletes to achieve their life-long goals after leaving SMU."

The Mustangs' 2006-07 season featured medal-winning performances during the fall at the Head of the Oklahoma, the Head of the Colorado, and Head of the Hooch Regattas. In the spring the varsity eight earned dual-race wins over Creighton and Alabama and finished first at the Midwest Intercollegiate Championship. At season's end senior Meg Gaab was named to the CRCA All-South Region Second Team, while junior Ellen Cieskiewicz was named a 2006-07 CRCA National Scholar Athlete and ESPN The Magazine District VI 2nd Team Academic All-American.

"The foundation for success has been set," Wright said. "If we continue to recruit quality junior rowers, and continue to develop novice walk-on athletes into varsity-level contributors, our goal of reaching the NCAA Championships can be obtained in the near future."

The SMU Rowing program has steadily improved throughout Coach Wright's tenure. The Mustangs' 2005-06 season featured a win by the varsity eight at the inaugural Midwest Intercollegiate Championship Regatta, and Ashley Luther was named to the Pocock All-American 2nd Team, becoming the first All-American selection during Wright's tenure. Luther was also named to the CRCA All-South Region First Team. In addition, Ellen Cieskiewicz, Sarah Boaz and Lauren Soulis were named 2005-06 CRCA National Scholar Athletes.

The 2004-05 season included numerous medal-winning performances during the fall head-race season and a solid finish at the season-ending NCAA South/Central Regional Regatta, with season-ending individual honors going to Meg Gaab (CRCA All-South Region Second Team) and Susie Thompson (CRCA National Scholar Athlete).

In the fall of 2003 the Mustangs raced a freshman eight for the first time ever at the famed Head of the Charles Regatta.

The 2002-03 squad included SMU's first four-year senior class in the history of the program. That season also featured the Ponies first-ever appearance at the Head of the Charles. In 2001-2002, Wright led a vastly improved team to nearly 20 first or second place finishes and watched his varsity eight place 3rd in the Cal Cup event at the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic.

In his first season as head coach, Wright led the 2000-01 squad to first place finishes in eight events, including four first place showings at the Head of the Colorado.

In 1999-2000, SMU Rowing's inaugural season, Wright served as an assistant coach and helped develop the walk-on novice rowers who would later become the backbone of Southern Methodist's first varsity crews. Wright came to SMU after serving four years on the coaching staff at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y. While there he coached under Jim Joy, former Canadian National Team Coach. During the 1998-99 season Wright was elevated to the position of head coach for the Hobart College men's team.

In the summer of 1999 Wright planned and coordinated an 18-day pre-World Championship training camp that prepared international crews for competition in the 1999 World Championships in St. Catherines, Ontario. He also served as the training camp coordinator for Ireland, Greece, South Africa and Estonia.

An upstate New York native, Wright graduated from North Carolina State University, where he competed on the rowing team for four years. In addition to being NC State's team captain, Wright was named the squad's head coach in his last year of college.

Wright and his wife, Keylie, were married on July 31, 2002. The couple has one son, Charlie, who was born in June, 2004.

SMU, the only Division I athletic program in Dallas, Texas, sponsors 17 sports and has been ranked as the top school in its conference for 10 straight years in the Director's Cup overall athletic rankings. More information about SMU and its coaches, athletes and teams is available at www.SMUMustangs.com.