Natasia Giles

Giles joined the Hawkeyes in 2017-18 after a four-year coaching stint at Texas.

In 2019, the Hawkeyes continued to make strides, completing the season ranked in the US Rowing/CRCA Coaches poll for 29 consecutive weeks. Iowa’s I Varsity Eight named two All-Americans – Hunter Koenigsfeld and Contessa Harold. At the Big Ten Championships, the I Varsity Eight earned a bronze medal and at the NCAA Championships the I Varsity Eight placed the highest it ever has, finishing ninth overall to help the Hawkeyes finish 13th overall.

In 2018, Giles was a CRCA Region 4 Staff of the Year honoree. Giles led the Hawkeyes to scoring records at the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Championships and was named a Region 4 CRCA Coach of the Year. Iowa placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships, matching their best finish in school history, with a school-record 111 points. The Hawkeyes earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships and set a school record by placing 11th with 69 points.

Giles spent her first two years at Texas as a volunteer assistant coach where her duties included recruiting and training novice athletes. She was promoted to graduate assistant coach in 2015 and held that position for two years. As a graduate assistant, Giles led the 1V4 boat to a fourth-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships and helped transition the novice athletes to varsity competition.

After playing golf in high school, Giles joined the Texas rowing program as a talent-transfer student-athlete and contributed to four consecutive Big XII Championships for the Longhorns. She earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and health at Texas in 2012 and a master of education in exercise science in 2017.