By Danielle Daniels
May 29, 2024
2012 Ohio State grad had been head coach for four years, and on staff since 2016
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kate Sweeney, head coach of the Ohio State University rowing team for the past four seasons and an eight-year member of the coaching staff, has announced her resignation. She will finish out the season as coach this Friday, Saturday and Sunday as her team competes at the NCAA championship regatta at Lake Bethel, Ohio.
“I have made the difficult decision to step away from coaching to be more present for my family,” Sweeney said. “Ohio State rowing has been instrumental in my life since I was 18 years old. It has been a true privilege to be a part of this program for so long.
“I am so grateful to Gene Smith and Janine Oman for this opportunity. All the assistant coaches and support staff have been incredibly supportive and excellent to work with, and I will miss spending time with them. Lastly, and most importantly, I want to thank the student-athletes for their devotion and contributions to Ohio State rowing.”
Sweeney, a 2012 graduate of Ohio State and a member of the 2011 Big Ten championship team, returned to Ohio State in 2016 as an assistant coach. She was named interim head coach during the 2020 season that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and she was named head coach later that year.
During her four seasons as head coach, Ohio State won a Big Ten title in 2022 – the program’s 10th – and had Big Ten runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2023 in addition to a fourth-place finish in 2024.
Sweeney was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2022.
Ohio State advanced to the NCAA championships all four seasons under Sweeney. The Buckeyes were sixth in 2021, eighth in 2022 and 12th in 2023.
Seven Buckeyes have been named a CRCA All-American to date under Sweeney’s direction.
“We are so appreciative of Kate’s leadership and support of our rowing student-athletes,” Janine Oman, Ohio State Senior Deputy Director of Athletics, said. “She has been a wonderful developer of young women. We wish Kate well as she embarks on her next journey, and we are excited that she can enjoy more time with her family.”
A search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
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