UCLA, USC, and Navy Fill Assistant Coaching Openings
Guillermo Lemus, Larkin Brown and Nick Peterson have stepped into assistant coaching positions at the University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California and the United States Naval Academy respectively.
Lemus joins the Bruins after serving as associate head women’s rowing coach at the University of Kansas and before that as an assistant rowing coach at Oklahoma University. At Kansas Lemus coached the 2023 Big XII Newcomer of the Year and the 2022 Co-Big XII Newcomer of the Year. At Oklahoma Lemus was part of the team that earned a second-place finish at the Big 12 Championships in 2018 and 2019.
Lemus has also spent time coaching at University of Southern California, the University of San Diego, San Diego Rowing Club, California Yacht Club and Lions Rowing Club. He learned to row when he was just 12 years old in Amatitlan, Guatemala and graduated in 1990 from International Institute for Computer Studies.
Nick Peterson joins Navy heavyweight rowing with a notable rowing career of competing on the U.S. National and Olympic Teams from 1998-2000 and racing to a seventh-place finish at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He will be working with Steve Gladstone, who took the helm at Navy this summer.
“The Naval Academy epitomizes growth mindset,” Peterson noted about the program. “It’s a very freeing culture. Many athletes start as walk-ons so there is a culture of support, and everyone tries to make those around them better. At some point we all hit a roadblock of some kind. It can be very limiting because it means we don’t stretch beyond ourselves. With a growth mindset everything is an opportunity to learn.”
For Peterson, his time working with Guennadi Bratichko, who coaches at Capitol Rowing Club in Washington, D.C. was very influential and built the foundation of the coaching style that he brings to the water while coaching at Navy.
Brown, who joins the USC coaching staff after a successful collegiate rowing career at the University of Virginia, coached for the USRowing Olympic Development program last summer and will bring a wealth of knowledge from her ACC and NCAA championship appearances.
“When I graduated, I felt like my rowing career was complete, but I was still not ready to leave rowing,” remarked Brown. “I think about how much I loved my college rowing experience and the opportunities it provided me. Since I’m a recent graduate I know what it’s like to be a college rower right now.”
The USC rowing team, with Brown’s guidance, is excited and hungry to see out their potential this season.
“For us it’s still early days. One of our major goals is for the athletes to grow physically and emotionally– to create confident rowers and boost their belief in themselves and in each other.”
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