Friends of Port Rowing Director of Rowing Isa Abdur-Rahman announced on Monday that Jaclyn Smith has been retained as the Middle School Head Coach for FOPR.
Smith is currently the Head Coach for both the Men’s and Women’s teams at LIU’s newly launched rowing program. A Paralympian and a World Rowing Champion, Smith spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Sacred Heart.
“I have known Jaclyn from past recruiting contact with FOPR student-athletes and she is a tremendously gifted and respected coach in the rowing world. FOPR is truly fortunate to have someone of Coach Smith’s caliber working with our 7th and 8th-grade athletes”.
Smith is a two-time World Rowing champion and world record holder in the PR3 women’s pair. A member of the United States Para National Team from 2013-2020, she won a silver medal in 2016 in the LTA 4+ in Rio de Janeiro.
She has medaled three times in the LTA 4+ at the World Rowing championships, is a five-time Head of the Charles champion, and was the 2015 C.R.A.S.H. B’s Indoor World Rowing Champion.
Smith began her rowing career in 2007 at Our Lady of Mercy Academy, where she earned a 2010 NYS Silver medal in the junior 4+ and placed sixth at US Rowing Youth Nationals.
She went on to row at Sacred Heart University where she went undefeated her entire collegiate career in the MAAC conference in the women’s varsity pair. Smith won their program’s first and only Dad Vail Regatta medal in 2015.
She was named the program’s assistant coach in 2015, after graduating, and spent the first seven years of her coaching career there.
Nassau County athletes (12-18) / parents interested in our rowing programs should call (516) 570-3681. No prior rowing experience is necessary.
Some links to Coach Jaclyn Smith:
https://www.teamusa.org/para-rowing/athletes/Jaclyn-Smith
https://usrowing.org/sports/senior/roster/jaclyn-smith/134
https://www.si.com/olympics/video/2015/09/21/us-paralympic-rower-jaclyn-smith
https://www.liuathletics.com/news/2021/7/23/mens-rowing-smith-announced-as-inaugural-head-coach-of-rowing-programs-at-liu.aspx
