July 19, 2012
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa Director of Athletics Gary Barta has announced that Steve Pritzker has been named head coach of the UI rowing program. Pritzker is just the second head coach in program history.
Pritzker has spent the last nine seasons on the staff at the University of Virginia. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2007 and was named director of recruiting in 2005.
While at Virginia, Pritzker helped guide the Cavaliers to NCAA team championships in 2010 and 2012, along with runner-up finishes in 2005 and 2007. Virginia won eight ACC titles in his nine seasons.
“I am very thankful for this opportunity at the University of Iowa,” Pritzker said. “I would like to thank Gary Barta, Paula Jantz and the rest of the UI Department of Athletics. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on campus and the surrounding communities. I’m very excited to work with the current student-athletes and build a program that competes for conference championships and is a national presence on a consistent basis.”
Pritzker is the only coach in NCAA Division I history to earn the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association’s National Assistant Coach of the Year award twice, taking home the honor in 2007 and 2010. He was also named the South/Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2007.
Pritzker was directly responsible for Varsity 4 boats that won NCAA titles in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2010. His boats also won multiple gold and silver medals at the ACC, South/Central Regional and NCAA championships during his tenure.
“Steve is a proven winner with great experience at the national level,” Barta said. “He knows what it takes to win conference and national championships. I’m confident Steve will run a program that strives to be successful, both athletically and academically. We are very excited to have him on staff.”
The native of Alexandria, Va., is also active on the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association board. He was elected by his peers as the South Region representative to the National Governing Body for women’s rowing and served as chairperson for the South/Central Regional Sprints from 2006-10. Pritzker is also the chairperson of the Division I Collegiate Coaches Association/US Rowing poll.
“I have tremendous respect for all of the coaches and programs within the Big Ten Conference,” Pritzker said. “The Big Ten is one of the most competitive and talented conferences in women’s rowing.”
Pritzker graduated from Yale and received his master’s from Virginia. He was selected as a Schwartz Research Fellow at Yale, while earning four varsity letters as a coxswain on the rowing team.