Kelsie Chaudoin, who has two decades of collegiate experience and has won championships both as a student-athlete and as an associate head coach, has been appointed as USC’s head women’s rowing coach, announced Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen on Friday.
“Kelsie is a true winner, and we are excited to welcome her to the Trojan Family,” Cohen stated. “Her dedication, commitment to helping student-athletes reach their full potential, and her character make her the perfect fit to lead our rowing program. Throughout her career as a student-athlete and coach, she has consistently achieved championship success and demonstrated unwavering integrity. We are confident she will have a lasting impact at USC.”
“I’m thrilled to join the Trojan Family and lead USC’s women’s rowing program,” Chaudoin said. “I am grateful to Jen Cohen and Paul Perrier for their trust in me and the opportunity to coach at such a prestigious institution with a rich tradition and strong support. I am also thankful for the mentors and coaches who have guided me, and I am excited to bring what I’ve learned to USC. The program is set for future success, and the department’s dedication to providing an exceptional experience for student-athletes is unparalleled. I can’t wait to start building a championship program. My husband Corey and I are excited to return to California and get started.”
Chaudoin, a former All-American rower at the University of Virginia, comes to USC from her alma mater, where she has been the associate head coach since 2020. During her tenure, she helped the Cavaliers win three consecutive ACC titles from 2021 to 2023, primarily overseeing the varsity fours group. Under her guidance, the varsity four crews reached the NCAA Grand Final in both 2021 and 2023, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Returning to the West Coast, where her coaching career began in 2015 at Stanford, Chaudoin served as an assistant coach until 2020. Her time at Stanford was marked by three top-four finishes in 2016, 2018, and 2019. She also led the Stanford varsity four to a fourth-place finish in 2016 and a program-best runner-up finish in 2019.
As an undergraduate at Virginia, Chaudoin had no prior rowing experience but became a four-time ACC Champion, First-Team All-American, and the 2008 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. After graduating in 2008 with a degree in architecture, she won a U-23 World Championship in the Women’s 8+. She later earned an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in 2022.
Chaudoin has also coached the U.S. National Team at the Under-23 World Championships in 2019 and 2022. In 2019, she led the Women’s 8+ to a bronze medal, and in 2022, she assisted the Women’s 8+ in winning the World Championship by over four seconds.
What People Are Saying About Kelsie Chaudoin…
“I was lucky to work with Jen Cohen for seven years here in Washington. She’s discovered a winner in Kelsie Chaudoin, whom I attempted to persuade to join me when I accepted this position. Kelsie has truly deserved her opportunity. She’s an outstanding coach and an incredible human being, and I’m delighted to call her a friend and colleague. I’m delighted she’s back on the West Coast, and we’re looking forward to competing each other as both of our teams enter the Big Ten. – Yaz Farooq, Head Coach, University of Washington Women’s Rowing; National Rowing Hall of Fame (2014); Three-time NCAA Champion (2009, 2017, 2019).
“Kelsie Chaudoin is well prepared to be the Head Coach at USC. The Trojans are gaining a passionate believer and builder of women. She will teach, coach, counsel, and motivate them to excel. Kelsie is compassionate, thoughtful, and has excellent integrity and character, in addition to her teaching abilities. She will lead her team admirably, and I can’t wait to see her flourish!” – Kevin Sauer, Former Head Coach, University of Virginia Women’s Rowing; Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2017); Two-Time NCAA Champion (2010, 2012).
“I’m very excited for Kelsie and the Women of Troy. Kelsie is an excellent coach. She would have been successful at everything she chose to do in life, but she caught the rowing bug and discovered her life’s loves were mentoring, educating, and coaching student-athletes to row fast. I saw Kelsie’s passion for the sport and ability to connect with student-athletes firsthand during my years working with her at the Oakland Strokes and subsequently Stanford. Kelsie possesses a unique blend of talent and vision, and once she sees what needs to happen, she devotes unlimited energy to bringing it to life. If I could give any counsel to USC student-athletes, it would be to lace your shoes and hit the pavement tomorrow, because Kelsie isn’t going to run a shimmy-sham-clam-bake business. Wow! “The Big Ten just became a lot more complicated.” – Derek Byrnes, Head Coach, Stanford University Women’s Rowing; National Champion (2023); Three-Time CRCA National Coach of the Year.
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