University of Iowa Athletics
Head Coach

Andrew Carter

Andrew Carter - Women's Rowing - University of Iowa Athletics

Bio

Andrew Carter was named the third head coach in program history for the University of Iowa rowing program in July 2013.

During his coaching career, Carter has earned more than 50 championship medals, and over the last 15 years, he has coached 12 All-Americans and 59 National Scholar-Athletes. Before becoming a Hawkeye, he turned Miami into a nationally-ranked program, and led Clemson to its first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference title and NCAA Championship appearance.

Despite the 2020 season being canceled due to Covid-19, Carter and the University of Iowa was selected to host the USRowing U23 Selection Camp in 2020 and 2021.

In 2019, Carter led Iowa to another successful season, further cementing the team’s status as a rowing power. The Hawkeye I Varsity Eight finished third at the Big Ten Championships and followed up its performance with a program-best ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Contessa Harold and Hunter Koenigsfled were both named All-Americans for the second consecutive year, while Hannah Greenlee earned her first All-America honor. Academically, Iowa had 11 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars and seven National Scholar Athletes. The Hawkeyes ended the season having been ranked in the US Rowing/CRCA National Poll for 29 straight weeks.

In 2018, Carter was named CRCA Region 4 Coach of the Year. He led Iowa to the national stage for the second straight season, setting a school-record with 69 points and an 11th place finish at the 2018 NCAA Rowing Championships. The Hawkeyes reached as high as No. 7 in US Rowing/CRCA Coaches poll, a program-best, and set a scoring record at the Big Ten Championships, placing fourth with 111 points. Three Hawkeyes earned All-Big Ten honors, and Contessa Harold recorded a program first by sharing Big Ten Athlete of the Year honors. Five Hawkeyes – Rachel Canon, Kaelynn Heiberg, Logan Jones, Gemma Kerr, and Hunter Koenigsfeld – were named CRCA National Scholar Athletes, and on two consecutive weeks, the Hawkeys I Varstiy Eight earned Big Ten Boat of the Week honors.

In 2017, Carter became the first coach in program history to be named Region 4 Coach of the Year. Hled Iowa to its second NCAA Championship in program history and its first since 2001.The Hawkeyes tied for fourth at the Big Ten Championship and scored 116 points at the conference meet, which marks the highest point total in program history. Senior Cristy Hartman earned first team All-Big Ten honors and junior Ashley Duda earned second team All-Big Ten honors. Senior Sarah Powell earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Morgan Grastorf and Cristy Hartman were named All-Region athletes and Victoria Bricker, Kaelynn Heiberg, Gemma Kerr, and Rachel Canon were selected as CRCA Scholar Athletes. Carter led the Hawkeyes to their highest national ranking in program history with a No. 11 mark in the April 25 selcted as CRCA/USRowing poll.

In 2016, Carter led Iowa to a fifth place finish at the Big Ten Championships, the Hawkeyes highest finish since 2009. Iowa scored 95 points at the conference meet, the second highest point total in program history, and the highest since scoring 99 in 2003. Redshirt senior Beth Baustian earned first team All-Big Ten honors for the second time, while redshirt senior Hannah Hawks earned second team All-Big Ten honors and senior Nina Hendricks earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Baustian earned second team CRCA All-American honors and first team CRCA All-central region honors. Sophomore Izzy Dolba earned second team CRCA All-Central Region Honors and Madeline Anglin, Victoria Bricker, Katie Brown, Kaelynn Heiberg, and Gemma Kerr were CRCA Scholar Athletes. Carter led the Hawkeyes to the collegiate trophy at the Head of the Des Moines in the 2016 season opener.

In 2015, the Hawkeyes continued to take steps forward. The Iowa rowing program garnered votes in the polls and closed the year ranked fifth among Region Four of the NCAA. Freshman Gemma Kerr was invited to attend the 2015 Junior Canadian National Team Selection Camp and sophomore Morgan Grastorf was selected to attend the U.S. Women’s Under 23 National Team Selection Camp. The Hawkeyes tallied 79 points to finish sixth at the 2015 Big Ten Championship. Iowa’s point total marked the second highest scoring performance at the Big Ten Championships in program history, and the highest since 2003 when the Hawkeyes totaled 99 points to finish fourth. After the competition, senior Beth Baustian earned first team All-Big Ten recognition, junior Cristy Hartman earned second team All-Big Ten honors, and junior Zoe Ribar was Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award recipient. Grastorf earned her second consecutive first team All-Central Region honor, while Victoria Bricker, Ellen Cranberg, Madeline Anglin, Katie Brown, Destinee Gwee, Gabrielle Watson, and Hannah Hawks were named CRCA Scholar Athletes. Anglin, Brown, and Gwee were also honored as scholar athletes in 2014, while Watson received the third honor of her career.

In his first season at the helm, Carter helped the Hawkeyes attract the attention of the rowing community and receive votes in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA)/USRowing Coaches Poll throughout the season.

Freshman Morgan Grastorf — who began the season as a novice — garnered Pocock All-America Second Team and All-Central Region First Team recognition. She was also invited to attend the 2014 USRowing Women’s Pre-Elite Camp in June, which grooms up-and-coming rowers for the national teams. Following the Big Ten Championship, sophomore Zoe Ribar was named first team All-Big Ten, sophomore Lauren Subler was named second team All-Big Ten and junior Gabrielle Watson received Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award.

The 2V4 crew of junior Rachel Crosley, freshman Kasia Gniatczyk, freshman Bec Clayton, sophomore Skylar McSorley and sophomore coxswain Rachel Chambers were recognized as Big Ten Boat of the Week following their first place result in the season opening regatta at Clemson. It marked Iowa’s first weekly conference honor since April 15, 2008 and just the second boat of the week nod for Iowa all-time. The Hawkeyes performance at Tennessee in the regular season finale highlighted the year, as Iowa defeated the Lady Vols in all five events of the regatta for the sweep. Iowa closed out 2014 with a seventh place finish at the Big Ten Championship at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Hawkeyes also excelled in the classroom with five earning CRCA Scholar Athlete honors and 16 receiving Academic All-Big Ten recognition. Mackenzie Norton and Skylar McSorley (4.0) were also named Big Ten Distinguished Scholars.

During his coaching career, Carter has earned more than 50 championship medals, and over the last 14 years, he has coached eight All-Americans and 36 National Scholar-Athletes. Before becoming a Hawkeye, he turned Miami into a nationally-ranked program, and led Clemson to its first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference title and NCAA Championship appearance.

Carter came to Iowa City following a four-year stint as head women’s rowing coach at the University of Miami, where he helped the Hurricanes rise from the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference into the national polls.

Under his leadership, the Varsity 8+ posted an overall record of 30-11 in 2013, highlighted by a San Diego Crew Classic Cal Cup Championship. In 2012, the Open 8+ and the Championship 4+ each earned silver medals at the Head of the Hooch Regatta, while the Varsity 8+ secured a bronze medal at the event.

Before taking over at Miami, Carter spent the 2008-09 season as an assistant coach at Clemson University, where he coached the Varsity 4+ group that claimed 2009 ACC and NCAA titles. The Tigers achieved a No. 9 national ranking along with eight top-three finishes during the fall season before claiming their first ACC Championship and earning a berth into the NCAA Championships.

From 2000-08, Carter was head coach of the men’s and women’s rowing programs at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. He led the Bobcats women’s team to back-to-back NCAA Division III Women’s Rowing Championships appearances, and the men’s team became one of the top programs in an NCAA division. Among the student-athletes Carter coached was 2005 graduate Andrew Byrnes, a gold medalist for the Canadian National Team (men’s eight) at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

During the 2006-07, Carter spent a sabbatical year, serving as director of coach development for Otago Rowing Association in Dunedin — the capital of Otaga province in New Zealand. While working with Otaga Rowing, he headed the regional high performance ID and development program, while overseeing more than 40 coaches and 20 regional programs.

Before his time at Bates, Carter spent the 1999-00 season as an assistant coach at the University of Southern California. From 1996-99, he served as head rowing coach at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Carter has also coached various successful collegiate, club, and provincial programs throughout his native Canada.

Carter spent two years working at Canada’s National Rowing Center in London, Ontario, prior to coming to the United States. His achievements as a rower and coach include numerous medals in many of North America’s major rowing competitions such as the National Invitational Championship, Dad Vail, Canadian Championship, Royal Canadian Henley and the Head of the Charles Regatta.

Carter is a U.S. Rowing Level III Coach and a Rowing Canada Aviron Level IV Coach, as well as a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Master Instructor and Master Coach Evaluator. He is affiliated with the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association and U.S. Rowing.

Carter earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology-biomechanics from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a master’s degree in kinesiology-biomechanics from the University of Western Ontario. Highly regarded in both the academic and coaching fields, Carter is a regular speaker at national and international coaching conferences on topics in biomechanics, technique, equipment, and training.

He and his wife, Kim, have a son, Mason.