Meet Our Dedicated Coaches
Our team of expert coaches is committed to nurturing the skills and passion of athletes of all ages in the sport of rowing.
Our Coaching Philosophy
At Austin Rowing Club, our coaching staff is dedicated to fostering a supportive and challenging environment for our athletes. With a focus on skill development, teamwork, and personal growth, our coaches are passionate about guiding each rower to reach their full potential. We believe in the power of rowing to build character, discipline, and resilience, and our team is committed to making a positive impact on every athlete’s journey.
Master's Coaching
Patrick Kelly
Masters Racing Team: Head Coach
Patrick has worked at ARC for over ten years. He has coached many ARC club members, having worked with Competitive Masters, Learn to Row, Team Survivor, and Rec crews. Coach Kelly currently coaches the Varsity Boys squad with our Juniors Program. PK rows with the Masters Racing Team, and stays active with running and cycling.
Coach Kelly started rowing as a college freshman at Loyola Marymount University. He coached collegiately for twenty years before moving to Austin and joining ARC. PK is married to his wonderful wife Laurie, who he met at ARC!
Megan Getman
Masters Club Team Head Coach
Megan has been coaching master’s recreational crews since 2016, and in fall of 2021 she became the head coach for the master’s club rowers where she oversees practices and nurtures community among rec rowers and coaches – both sweep and sculling.
In 2001, Megan joined the local high school team and went on to row at Pacific Lutheran University. While rehabbing a back injury in 2006, Megan started coaching the junior’s program that shared the boathouse with her college team. Megan continued to coach at CRI in Boston while studying for her grad programs.
Eventually a job brought her to Texas and ARC. Megan is often joined by her dog, Winny. In her spare time she paints and reads comic books.
Paulina Guerrero
Masters Club Team Coach
Paulina Guerrero started her rowing journey with the Austin Rowing Club junior’s program back in 2015 and finishing her senior year in the Spring of 2018 with the junior varsity team. After her years with the junior program, she joined the Men’s Master Competition team as their coxswain and is still with them. She’s our coach for a few of our outreach programs at the club.
In her spare time, she likes to enjoy hiking and biking along Lady Bird Lake. A fun fact is she has a boat named after her at the boathouse!
Desirae Underwood
Masters Club Team Coach
Nijia Zhou
Masters Club Team Coach
Scott Brinkman
Masters Club Team Coach
Arch Bell
Masters Club Team Coach
Jim Chou
Masters Club Team Coach
Junior's Coaching
Patrick Kelly
Junior's Program: Head of Juniors Program, Boy’s Head Coach
Patrick has worked at ARC for over ten years. He has coached many ARC club members, having worked with Competitive Masters, Learn to Row, Team Survivor, and Rec crews. Coach Kelly currently coaches the Varsity Boys squad with our Juniors Program. PK rows with the Masters Racing Team, and stays active with running and cycling.
Coach Kelly started rowing as a college freshman at Loyola Marymount University. He coached collegiately for twenty years before moving to Austin and joining ARC. PK is married to his wonderful wife Laurie, who he met at ARC!
Hannah Heyerdahl
Junior Varsity Girls: Head Coach
Hannah Heyerdahl-Nussdorfer has been with the ARC Junior Program since 2018 and is the current head coach for the varsity girls. She grew up in Atlanta where she first started rowing in college. She rowed at the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech before moving to Austin.
Hannah enjoys working with juniors at all age levels and has experience working with both varsity and novice girls. Most recently she trained up novice girls to race at high levels leading up to youth nationals. She primarily worked with girls in the in the u16 8+ (6th and 11th place), but also trained girls to be able to compete in the u17 8+ and youth categories within their first year of rowing.
Hannah is married to Ethan, who is also a girls coach at ARC! They have a dog together named Butter. You can usually see Butter the dog on the launch during practice watching boats. Hannah enjoys lifting, rowing, and spending time with her family in her free time.
Thomas Johnston
Junior Novice Girls: Lead Coach
Thomas joins the ARC coaching team this year with 8+ years of elite rowing. His accomplishments include two recruitments to the US Junior National Team for both sweep and sculls. He was later recruited to the University of California Berkeley where he sat on an undefeated freshmen 8+ and won an IRA Silver in the Coxed 4 in 2017.
Coach Thomas moved to Austin in June 2024, from Washington, DC, following the completion of his Masters in Cybersecurity Technology. He enjoys fitness, cooking healthy, and is always taking courses on new and interesting things.
Jack Conlin
Junior Novice Boys: Lead Coach
Courty Stanton
Junior Varsity Girls: Assistant Coach
Courty got his start as a rower at Mt Baker Rowing & Sailing Center in Seattle, WA where he placed 1st at Youth Nationals in the Men’s 4+, and 1st at the Canamex Regatta as a member of the U.S. Jr. National Rowing team in 2004. His senior year he sat 7 seat in the crew that finished 4th in the Men’s 8+ in 2005. He went on to row at the University of Washington (Class of ’09) where the team had several undefeated seasons. After graduating UW, he was the assistant coach for the Lakeside School Varsity Girl’s team for their 2009 season, helping the team qualify the Lightweight 8+ and Open 4+ for Youth Nationals. In 2010 and 2011, as head coach, he helped the Varsity Boy’s qualify for Youth Nationals in the Lightweight 4+ both years. After roughly a decade away from the sport, Courty is thrilled to finally be back as a part of the rowing community!
Ethan Nussdorfer
Junior Varsity Girls: Assistant Coach
Ethan has coached with ARC since 2016. He has coached rowers of all ages and skill levels, but his passion lies with the Juniors rowing team.
Ethan enjoys working with student athletes to develop not just rowing proficiency, but also leadership, teamwork, and perseverance.
Cooper Jobe
Junior Novice Girls: Assistant Coach
Cooper is a new ARC coach this season. He started rowing at ARC in 2012 in the recreational program and joined the juniors team as soon as possible in 2014. Cooper loved the close team environment and being out on the lake. He went to youth nationals in the Varsity Boys Lightweight 2x, 4-, and 8- during my time as a junior and loved every second of it. After moving to Savannah, GA and graduating college He is back in Austin and excited to be back at the boathouse.
When not at the boathouse you can probably find him at the climbing gym, comic store, or local arcade playing street fighter.
Spencer Dettlinger
Junior Varsity Boys: Assistant Coach
Spencer Dettlinger joins the ARC Coaching Team with extensive rowing experience. He rowed at Oakland Strokes from 2013 to 2018 and was a 2-time Silver medalist at Youth Nationals in the Junior Men’s 8+. Spencer also stroked the USA Men’s 8+ to a Silver medal at the 2017 Junior World Championships in Trakai, Lithuania. He went on to row at University of California, Berkeley and was a 2-time PAC 12 Silver Medalist as well as the 2021 IRA Silver medal in Men’s JV8+.
Aside from rowing, Spencer is also an avid mountain biker, car enthusiast, video producer, and joke teller.
Holly Delaney
Novice Girls: Assistant Coach
Selina Brandon
Junior Varsity Girls: Assistant Coach
Selina joined the sport of rowing in 2011 with her twin sister at Texas A&M University and continues to row competitively for the ARC Master’s Racing Team. When she isn’t rowing, she enjoys coaching club swimming and spending time with her dogs.
Pedro Kfuri
Junior Varsity and Novice Boys: Assistant Coach