Samuelson Joins Card Staff

STANFORD, Calif. – Former Stanford lightweight rower Skyler Samuelson has rejoined the program as an assistant coach, head coach Kate Bertko announced.

Samuelson competed for Stanford for the 2017-18 season in her final year of eligibility after graduating from Barnard College at Columbia University, where she rowed for three seasons.

Samuelson earned her master's at Stanford in Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies – earning a 3.97 GPA -- while helping the Cardinal to the fourth of their now five consecutive IRA national championships.

During that time, she also was active in the Stanford community as a member of the Stanford Women's Educational Erging Program. In that role, she helped organize weekly erg sessions for local middle school students from East Palo Alto. She also coached them erg technique and educated students about workout regimens.

Samuelson earned a 3.80 cumulative grade-point average while attending Columbia University's Barnard College, graduating in 2017. She majored in Russian Literature and Language and considers herself proficient in Russian and French.

Samuelson walked on to the Columbia lightweight team and quickly found a home in the sport. She was a 4.0 student in 2016 and 2017. And, in 2017, was the recipient of the Ed C. Hewitt Award for tenacity, dedication, and inspirational leadership.

Before returning to Stanford as a coach, she lived in Houston where she was general manager and rowing and strength coach at ROW Studios, and was a personal trainer. Before that, she served as a volunteer assistant with the rowing program at Bowdoin College in Maine in the winter of 2018.

Samuelson is a native of Freeport, Maine, and attended Maine Coast Waldorf School.