Directors

Will Porter

Women's Camp Co-Director

Will Porter, who was named head coach in 1999, has built Yale into one of the most successful women's crew programs in the nation. The Bulldogs have qualified for the NCAA Championship 20 times, have six top-five finishes (2002-5th, 2004 - 2nd, 2007 - 4th, 2008 - 4th, 2009 – 2nd, 2022-5th) and 17 top-10 finishes during his tenure.

Porter, has led the varsity eight to a 198-53-1 record, making him the winningest coach in Yale women’s crew history. He was named the 2007 College Rowing Coaches Association National Coach of the Year and has been selected New England Coach of the Year by the CRCA five times (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2013).

Under Porter’s direction, five Yale crews have won NCAA titles, including back-to-back championships by the varsity eight in 2007 and 2008. The 2009 second varsity also won an NCAA crown, and Yale again had the fastest crew in the nation in 2010 when the varsity eight captured the NCAA title for the third time in four years. His second varsity won the NCAA title in 2022. Porter’s three NCAA varsity eight titles ties him for the second most among active Division I head coaches.

As a team, Yale has finished in the top-10 at the NCAA Championship 17 times during Porter’s tenure. In addition, Porter has led the Bulldogs to four Ivy League Championships, three Willing Team Trophies for overall supremacy at Eastern Springs and two Ivy League Team Points Championship in 2018 and 2020. Yale also has won three Women's Henley Regatta titles in England and three Head of the Charles crowns. At the Henley Royal Regatta, Yale has progressed to the semifinal of the Remenham Challenge Cup five times, losing only to national team crews. In 2022 the Yale 1V lost in the final of the Island Challenge Cup.

Numerous rowers under Porter’s tutelage have gone on to compete on the international stage. At Yale, Porter has coached Seven Olympians, 10 senior team athletes and 21 U23 athletes. At the 2012 Olympics in London, three Yale graduates competed in the A final of the women’s eight. Taylor Ritzel ’10 won a gold medal with the United States eight, while Ashley Brzozowicz ’04 took home a silver medal with Canada. In addition, Tess Gerrand ‘10 sat in the Australian eight. Kristi Wagner competed for the USA in the 2x and Christina Bourmpou in the Greek 2- at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Porter’s rowers have shined both on and off the water. Yale has had 46 All-America and 83 All-Ivy selections during his tenure. In addition, there have been 124 CRCA Scholar Athlete (3.50 GPA or better) and 24 Academic All-Ivy selections.

The 2007 varsity eight NCAA title capped off the first undefeated season for the Bulldogs since 1979. In 2004, Yale placed second as a team at the NCAA Championships, the highest finish in school history. In 2005, Porter guided the Bulldogs to the EAWRC Sprints title, an 11-1 regular season record and a No. 2 national ranking. Porter won the varsity eight title again in 2007, 2008, and 2010 the second varsity in 2009 and 2021.

Before being named head coach, Porter served as the novice coach at Yale. Prior to Yale, Porter coached successfully at Stanford, Rutgers and Dartmouth.

Porter has been involved in rowing for more than 30 years. His career as a national team oarsman was highlighted by a silver medal race in the 4- at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba, and a bronze medal performance in the 8+ at the 1993 World Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.

Andy Card

Men's Camp Co-Director

Andy Card is in his 34th year as Y150 Alumni Head Coach of Men's Lightweight Crew at Yale. His 2022 Yale varsity lightweight crew had an undefeated regular season, capped off with a gold medal at the Eastern Sprints, as well as the Ivy League and Jope Cup team trophy championships. He was Ivy League coach of the year in 2022.

As both the mentor for the Yale Lightweight Crew and as a U.S. National Team coach, his crews have won gold medals at the Sprints, the IRA Collegiate National Championships, the Head of the Charles, Henley Royal Regatta, and the World Rowing Championships.

Coach Card has won every gold medal there is to win in rowing, save an Olympic gold. As captain of the 1985 lightweight crew at Princeton, Coach Card won the Sprints three years out of four years, including an undefeated championship season in his senior year, including winning the Kennedy Cup at the IRA. Before assuming the head coaching duties at Yale, Card coached the Princeton freshman lightweight crew to two undefeated championship seasons.