Entering his 11th season as head coach in 2026, Dave O’Neill has elevated Texas Rowing into a perennial national contender. The five-time CRCA National Coach of the Year, O’Neill has won five NCAA National Championships during his head coaching career, including three national titles while at Texas. O’Neill’s five NCAA National Championships are the most by any active rowing head coach in the country. O’Neill has won the most varsity races in NCAA rowing history. In 2012, O’Neill coached Team USA at the Summer Olympics.

The Longhorns have placed in the top-eight at the NCAA Championship in each of his seasons on the Forty Acres, including back-to-back National Championships in 2021 and 2022, and a third Championship in 2024. In 2022, he was named the USRowing Man of the Year and the Rowing News Coach of the Year.

O’Neill has directed the Longhorns to 10-consecutive conference championships and eight-consecutive top-four NCAA Championship finishes. In each national regatta from 2017-2021, Texas posted a program-record national finish, logging a fourth-place showing in 2017, a third-place finish in 2018, a second-place performance in 2019 and the National Championship in 2021.

At Texas, O’Neill is nine-time conference of the Year, a five-time CRCA Regional Coach of the Year and was named the 2015, 2021 and 2022 CRCA National Coach of the Year.

O’Neill has led his teams to the NCAA Championships in each of his last 26 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including 16 years at the University of California. In 20 out of his 26 seasons as a head coach, his teams have finished within the top-four in the country. Additionally, in 22 out of his 26 years as a head coach, his First Eight has advanced to finals at the NCAA Championships.

In 2025, O’Neill and the Texas Longhorns wrapped up another successful run at the NCAA Championships with a third-place finish. It was the eighth-consecutive top-four finish for the Horns. Texas compiled 118 points – the fifth-highest points total at a national meet in program history. The Texas I Four clinched its sixth-straight top-three finish at the national regatta with a third-place finish. The UT II Eight registered a fourth-place finish and the I Eight concluded the national meet with a third-place finish to earn a spot on the podium. Texas won the first-ever SEC Championship in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on May 11, claiming the program’s 10th-straight conference title and the program’s 14th overall. The Longhorns won three of six races with three runner-up finishes.

Under O'Neill's tutelage, Texas won its third NCAA Championship in 2024 and its third in the last four years. The Longhorns totaled a program-record 130 points at the national regatta. Texas became just the third program to win three NCAA titles over a four-year stretch, joining Brown (1999-2000, '02) and Ohio State (2013-15). It was also the first time Texas had won two events at the same national championship. The Longhorns won their second-straight national title in the I Four and registered a runner-up finish in the II Eight. UT captured the national crown after the I Eight won the program's third Varsity Eight national championship. Senior Anna Jensen was named Big 12 Rower of the Year and the CRCA's National Rower of the Year. Freshman Rhiannon Luke garnered Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Honors as well.

In 2023, the Longhorns bolstered a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The Texas Four was crowned National Champions for the first time in program history. With the finish, UT had placed in the top-four for the fourth time in the last six national regattas. The Texas Second Eight finished sixth in their grand final race while the First Varsity Eight tallied a fifth-place finish. Senior Kate Knifton was tabbed Big 12 Rower of the Year and the Longhorns earned six All-Big 12 Team honors.

2022 saw Texas become just the sixth program to win back-to-back titles and the first since 2015. The Longhorns' First Eight also won a second consecutive national crown, while the Four won bronze and the Second Eight placed fourth. Fran Raggi was tabbed the first ever CRCA Division I Athlete of the Year, while also collecting Big 12 Rower of the Year honors, and Kate Knifron was named the USRowing U23 Co-Female Athlete of the Year. Raggi, Knifton, Aspa Christodoulidis, Anna Jensen and Rachel Rane earned All-American honors. Those five and Lisa Gutfleisch were named to the All-Big 12 Team and Grace Holland was named the Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Year. O'Neill earned CRCA, Big 12 and Rowing News Coach of the Year accolades and was named the Man of the Year by USRowing. The Texas staff also earned CRCA national and regional Staff of the Year honors.

In 2021, O'Neill guided Texas to the first national championship in program history as all three boats finished in the top three at the NCAA Championships with the First Varsity Eight sealing the title with a come-from-behind victory in the grand final. O'Neill was named the CRCA National Coach of the Year, while the Texas Rowing staff garnered CRCA Staff of the Year accolades. After leading Texas to a sixth-straight Big 12 Conference crown, O'Neill was honored as the conference Coach of the Year.

Alex Watson was named the 2021 Big 12 Rower of the Year and Anna Jensen was honored as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Watson was one of six Longhorns to collect All-Big 12 Conference honors.

In a historic 2019 season, O’Neill led the Longhorns to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships and all three Texas boats finished in the top three for the first time in program history. O’Neill was awarded CRCA Region III Coach of the Year honors for the third consecutive season. Four student-athletes – Fanny Bon, Ashley Jacobs, Ljiljana Josic and Milica Slijepcevic – earned First-Team All-America honors, while Fran Raggi was named a Second-Team All-American.

Slijepcevic was named the 2019 Big 12 Conference Rower of the Year, helping lead Texas to its fifth-consecutive league title. She was one of six Longhorns to earn All-Big 12 Conference honors in 2018-19.

In 2018, Texas earned a then-program-best fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, placing all three of its boats among the top-five overall finishers for the first time in program history. Three Longhorns – Bon, Emily Froehlich and Mariam Soufi – were named CRCA First-Team All-Americans.

Froehlich, who became the third three-time All-America rower in UT history, was named the 2018 Big 12 Conference Rower of the Year, leading Texas to its fourth consecutive conference title.

O’Neill in 2018 served as the coach for Serbia in the 2018 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, a national team that included Longhorns Josic and Slijepcevic. Later in the summer, former Longhorn rower Gia Doonan claimed a gold medal as part of the highly decorated United States’ women’s eight at the World Rowing Championships, becoming the first World Champion in program history.

The 2017 campaign yielded the first top-five national finish in program history as the Longhorns placed fourth at the NCAA Championships. UT equaled a school-best fourth-place finish from its I Eight, finished a school-best fourth place in the Four and added a seventh-place finish from its II Eight, which won the petite final.

Texas won all five races at the Big 12 Championships and swept the league regatta for a third straight year. Doonan was named the Big 12 Rower of the Year for the second time in her career.

In 2016, Texas posted its second straight top-10 team finish at the NCAA Championships, where the Longhorns placed eighth among 22 teams. Doonan earned her second first-team All-America selection in as many seasons, and Pippa Loveard earned a second straight second-team All-America honor. Froehlich joined Loveard as a second-team All-American.

Texas captured all five races for the second time in as many league championship regattas, as UT won the 2016 Big 12 Championships and earned the automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships.

In his first season at Texas (2014-15), O'Neill led the Longhorns to a seventh-place finish in their first-ever team appearance at the NCAA Championship. The seventh-place showing marked the top finish ever by a Big 12 Conference rowing program at the NCAA Championships. Doonan and Froehlich became the second and third first-team All-Americans in school history, and Loveard was selected as a second-team All-American. Doonan was the 2015 Big 12 Rower of the Year.

Texas won its first Big 12 team title since 2012 and swept the Big 12 Championships for the first time since 2011. Those efforts led to O'Neill's third career selection as the CRCA National Coach of the Year, and his staff was tabbed as the CRCA National Staff of the Year.

Prior to his arrival at Texas in the summer 2014, O'Neill led the University of California women's rowing program to two NCAA team titles, 12 NCAA top-four finishes and four NCAA individual event crowns.

A two-time National Coach of the Year at Cal, O'Neill directed the Golden Bears to NCAA team titles in 2005 and 2006. Cal added NCAA runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2014 to go with eight additional top-four NCAA team showings under O'Neill's guidance.

O'Neill led Cal's varsity eight boat to NCAA titles in 2005 and 2013 and the varsity four to NCAA crowns in 2011 and 2014. The Golden Bears' varsity eight placed among the top-three at seven NCAA Championship regattas and set an NCAA record en route to a national title in 2005.

Under O'Neill, Cal's second varsity eight boat posted nine top-three finishes at the NCAA Championships. O'Neill's varsity four won the 2011 NCAA title and added a second NCAA title in 2014. The seven-time Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year led California to nine Pac-12 team titles in its final 11 seasons under O'Neill.

O'Neill's influence has impacted the sport at the U.S. national and international levels as well. Nine of O'Neill's Cal rowers raced for their respective senior national teams, and 11 competed for under-23 national teams. Former Golden Bear Erin Cafaro rowed for the USA's women's eight at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics.

O'Neill served a stint as the lead coach for the U.S. Women's Under-23 National Team in 2014 after serving in the same capacity in 2006 and 2007. The U.S. won gold in the women's eight at the 2006 World Rowing Under-23 Championships and gold in the women's quadruple sculls at the 2007 World Rowing Under-23 Championships. Under O'Neill, the U.S. women's four won silver at the 2009 World Championships. Notably, he was the only women's collegiate coach on staff for the U.S. at the 2012 London Olympics. O'Neill also was a senior U.S. national team coach in 2009 and 2010.

O'Neill led the women's rowing program at Boston College for seven years before taking over at Cal. His teams won races at the Big East Regatta, the New England Championships and the Champion International Regatta.

O'Neill was a founding member of the Boston College men's club rowing program during his freshman year at the school. He medaled at the U.S. Rowing Nationals, the U.S. Olympic Festival, the CRASH-B Sprints and the Canadian Henley. O'Neill earned a bachelor's in history from Boston College in 1991.

THE DAVE O’NEILL FILE

Individual

• Five-time CRCA National Coach of the Year (1999, 2005, 2015, 2021, 2022)

• 2022 USRowing Man of the Year

• Four-time CRCA National Staff of the Year (2015, 2021, 2022, 2023)

• Nine-time CRCA Regional Coach of the Year (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022)

• Four-time CRCA Regional Staff of the Year (2015, 2018, 2019, 2022)

• 2025 SEC Coach of the Year

• Nine-time conference Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)

• 2022 Rowing News Coach of the Year

Team

• Led Texas to the 2021, 2022 and 2024 NCAA National Championship.

• Has led Texas to nine-consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships.

• Directed the Longhorns to a then-program-best second-place team finish at the 2019 NCAA Championships.

• Led Texas to nine-consecutive Big 12 Conference Championships (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024).

• Won NCAA team titles in 2005 and 2006 at California.

• Led Cal to a pair of NCAA runner-up finishes (2013, 2014) to go with eight additional top-four NCAA finishes.

• His teams have advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of his 26 seasons as a head coach (16 seasons at California and seven seasons at Texas).

Name	Title	Phone
Dave O'Neill	Head Coach
Nick Baker	Assistant Coach
Gia Doonan	Assistant Coach
Alexa McAuliffe	Assistant Coach
Rachel Sander	Director of Operations
Spencer Kales	Boatman/Rigger	775-843-5727
Lanie Nitsch	Assistant Coach

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics

2023-24 Rowing Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff