STANFORD, Calif. -- Farwell Director of Women’s Rowing Derek Byrnes and his staff have been named the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association’s (CRCA) Division I Staff of the Year, the association announced Friday morning. Byrnes' staff, this year made up of Alben Family Associate Head Coach Molly Hamrick, assistant coaches Antonella Kugler, Molly Milligan, and Maegan Neihart, and director of operations Emily Sprigings, were honored for the second time in the last three seasons.
“Each of us is fortunate to work with an incredible group of passionate student-athletes that loves to compete,” noted Byrnes. “They just make us coaches look good. As a staff, this was the best group effort I have experienced at Stanford. Emily (Sprigings) is the backbone of our whole operation. In her first year on the Farm, (Molly) Milligan made an immediate impact in both leading the third varsity eight boat to an undefeated season and developing athletes to contend for our NCAA squad. Maegan (Neihart) and Antonella (Kugler) crushed the fours group by galvanizing a super talented and competitive group of athletes to prove that anything can happen. And of course, there are no words that will do Molly (Hamrick) justice. In addition to coaching the second varsity eight boat to a gold medal at NCAAs, she is the linchpin of this program and a joy to have on our coaching team. I am proud of the daily effort and energy this group brought to the boathouse and so excited for the year ahead.”
The Cardinal capped the 2025 season by winning its third NCAA team title, powered by Grand Final victories in the second varsity eight and varsity four. Stanford also claimed its fourth straight conference team title and its first as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, sweeping all races at the championship regatta for the first time since 2021.
Stanford’s rowers were also lauded on the national stage, placing five student-athletes on the CRCA’s First-Team All-America squad for the fourth time in program history. In addition, senior Iris Klok was named a finalist for the coaching association’s Athlete of the Year award.
“Derek is an exceptional leader for both us as a staff and for the hundreds of athletes with whom he’s worked,” lauded Hamrick. “He cultivates an environment that pushes people to be their best but, more importantly, allows them to do so in a way that feels both joyful and authentic to themselves. He cares very deeply about the well-being of the people around him and has taught me how to take what I do seriously without taking myself too seriously. It’s such a privilege to work and learn alongside him.”
Stanford’s 2025 campaign continued the legacy of a program that has now won three NCAA team titles (2009, 2023, 2025), seven individual boat national championships, and has finished as one of the top six teams in the country every year in Byrnes’ tenure.