Spillane, Blue Crew Coaches Earn CRCA National, Regional Coach and Coaching Staff of the Year Honors
WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley College crew head coach Tessa Spillane has been named the 2023 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Division III National and New England Regional Coach of the Year. In addition, Spillane, associate head coach Emilie Muller and assistant coach Emilia Ball '19 have been named the 2023 National and New England Regional Coaching Staff of the Year.
This year marks the fourth time that Spillane has earned the National Coach of the Year Award, with Wellesley's head coach having also received it in 2011, 2016 and last year in 2022. Spillane has guided Wellesley to 12 consecutive appearances at the NCAA Division III Championships and 11 NEWMAC Championships in her career. Voted on by coaching peers, the award is bestowed upon coaches who have exhibited remarkable achievements during the current season, showcased significant team improvement from the previous season, and consistently upheld the values of professionalism and integrity in rowing.
2023 is also the second consecutive year that Spillane, Muller and Ball have earned National Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Muller, who joined the Wellesley coaching staff in 2017-18, was elevated to the role of Associate Head Coach at the start of the 2022-2023 season. In Muller's time as a member of Spillane's coaching staff at Wellesley, the Blue have earned four top-three national finishes, including back-to-back national championships in 2022 and 2023. Ball, who joined the Wellesley coaching staff as an assistant prior to the 2021-22 season, holds the distinction of having been a part of all three of Wellesley's national championship teams. Ball rowed in the varsity eight as a first year student-athlete in 2016 and was an assistant coach in each of the last two seasons.
"It is an honor to coach alongside two thoughtful, kind, vibrant, passionate, gifted and hardworking coaches in Emilie Muller and Emilia Ball," said Spillane. "They bring so much to our student-athletes each and every day and they make our program all the better. Their dedication to excellence, while simultaneously operating with such grace is a gift to all of us. In addition to their daily dedication, we would be remiss if we didn't include our strength coach Tim Snyder in Wellesley's national coaching staff recognition. Tim makes our team better with each workout. His passion, warmth and high expectations make him a terrific mentor for our student-athletes. We are so proud of all three of these exceptional individuals!"
Wellesley captured its second consecutive and third overall NCAA national title in 2023. The 2023 National Champion Blue also captured the 2023 New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship and saw the team's varsity eight finish first at the National Invitational Rowing Championship for the first time. Wellesley's varsity 8 and second varsity each earned runner-up finishes at the New England Rowing Championship. Wellesley was also the top Division III team at the 2022 Head Of The Charles Regatta, finishing second to only Division I Mercyhurst with a program record time of 16:40.742.
CRCA Announces 2023 National Coach and Staff of the Year Awards
The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association works to promote a positive collegiate rowing experience by fostering a diverse and inclusive community of coaches that value their professional development and promoting equity & leadership within the sport. The CRCA serves as the voice and advocate for its members, in order to grow and promote excellence in collegiate women's rowing.