Coach Andy Derrick has brought new era for Gonzaga women鈥檚 rowing
SPOKANE, Wash. (BVM) 鈥� As the Gonzaga women鈥檚 rowing team gears up for its upcoming spring competition season, the pressure and realities start to set in for the athletes and coaching staff. With a six-year West Coast Conference (WCC) winning streak, the Zags hold themselves to the highest standard and expectations in order to keep the streak alive.聽
The winter months are where champions are made. That is what they tell themselves as they spend most of the cold January-early March weeks on the indoor rowing machine, the erg, and the occasional water row when the temperature allows it.聽
The strength and resilience these athletes show through their sport is not only cultivated by their personal motivation and drive, but also by the leadership of their coaching staff. And this season, these ladies have a strong, united front leading the way to their hopeful spring season. At the head of this united front is head coach Andy Derrick.聽
Derrick came to Gonzaga from Seattle Pacific University in the fall of 2020. At Seattle Pacific, Derrick essentially built the program from the ground up back in 2016. In his first year at SPU, the program barely had any boats or rowers, and in just four short years he created a successful Division ll team created entirely of walk-on athletes. SPU had made several NCAA Championship appearances during his time there and several athletes were in contention for U.S. national team 蝉辫辞迟蝉.听
Growing up, Derrick did not think that he was going to be a rower, never mind a head rowing coach. Derrick grew up in Cincinnati where he played football until he entered high school. During his early high school years, Derrick discovered the sport of rowing and realized that he was pretty good at it. Throughout high school, he played both football and rowing but ultimately, when it came to the college recruiting process, he was finding a lot more success and collegiate interest in rowing than in football.
So he committed to rowing for the University of Washington (UW), the oldest and one of the most prestigious rowing universities in the country, if not the world. At UW, Derrick found himself in the top half of the team, competing for one of the top eight seats. In his collegiate career, Derrick competed in the top novice boat as a freshman and then spent his final two years in the varsity eight boat that competed at the IRA Championships in 2003 and 2004. Alongside his experience on the winning UW team, Derrick also competed on the U.S. junior national team during his late teens.聽
Needless to say, Derrick is a very experienced rower and coach, finding much success in both areas, which was exactly what the Zags needed. Derrick and assistant coach Chris Bailey-Green both came to Gonzaga in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic with hopes to change the program. While the team had found much success in years past, the recent years before Derrick鈥檚 arrival had been rough with several coaching changes that left a rocky program and athletes that had issues trusting their coaching staff. With Derrick鈥檚 arrival, however, faith has been restored and the athletes could not be more excited to see what they can do this season and the many to follow.聽
鈥淚 think Coach Andy is going to do a fantastic job with this team, now and in the many years to come,鈥� senior Jacqueline Allen said. 鈥淭his team is on a track that is going upward and I am so excited to see where it goes.鈥�
After winning the 2021 WCC Coach of the Year, Derrick has a lot of pressure to perform again this spring, but he is more than up for the challenge. He has full faith in his training plan, his coaching staff, and most importantly, his athletes. This season will be a challenge, but the Zags are more than ready to rise to the occasion.
