Drexel University Athletics
Women's Rowing
- Title:
- Head Women's Rowing Coach
- Email:
- kl3494@drexel.edu
- Phone:
- 215-571-3748
Katie Lane was named head coach of women's rowing on September 5, 2023, announced by Director of Athletics Maisha Kelly and Director of Rowing Paul Savell. Lane returns to Philadelphia after most recently serving as the digital marketing and media manager for HUDSON Boat Works and coaching for Northeastern University.
In her first year as head coach, Lane helped lead the Varsity 8+ to a gold medal at the Dad Vail Regatta, winning the overall championships. The Dragons also traveled overseas, qualifying for the Island Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta for the first time in program history. Lane's first victory as a Dragon came on the Schuylkill at the Kerr Cup, where Drexel captured the Cup for the sixth consecutive season. Ariana Townsend of Drexel women's rowing has been selected to represent El Salvador at the U23 World Championships, becoming the first Dragon to compete in the championships.
Lane's experience coaching on the Schuylkill comes from her time as an assistant coach at Penn, where she led the recruiting efforts for the Quakers from 2017 - 2020. During her tenure, her Varsity 4+ boats turned in second and fourth-place performances at the Head of the Charles Regatta in 2018 and 2019 and helped the program to a third-place team finish at the 2018 Ivy League Championships.
Additionally, she served as the head coach of the U23 team at the Vesper Boat Club in 2018. There, she led the team to two gold medal finishes at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in the Senior 8+ and the U23 8+ and two silver medal finishes at the 2018 USRowing Club National Championships in the Senior 4+ and Senior 8+. Vesper also captured the Women’s Team Points Trophy and the overall points trophy in that same year.
Prior to Penn, Lane served as the associate head coach of women’s rowing at Fordham University, where she helped the team to a program best third place finish at the Atlantic-10 Championships in 2017. Lane also guided the lightweight 4+ to a 1st place finish at the Princeton Chase and a 3rd place finish at the IRA Regatta in 2015.
Her coaching career started in 2011 at Wentworth Institute of Technology, when she was named the first female head coach of the men's club team at Wentworth and retained her position as head coach when the program went varsity in 2013-14. Under her direction, the program earned its first medals at the Head of the Charles, the Dad Vail Regatta, and the New England Rowing Championships. Wentworth went on to win the New England Rowing Championships in 2014 in both the Varsity 4+ and Second Varsity 4+.
She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Vermont, an M.S. in Marketing Intelligence from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University, and an Advanced Certificate from the Institute for Rowing Leadership at Community Rowing Inc. Lane earned her Level 3 USRowing Coaching Certification and is a graduate of the NCAA Women’s Coaches Academy.
