Hartford, Conn., Sept. 6 Pamela Besteman (Ann Arbor, Mich.) has been hired as an assistant womens rowing coach at Trinity College and Kevin MacDermott (West Hartford, Conn.) has been named as assistant coach of the Bantam mens rowing squad. Besteman replaces Chuck Rodosky, who served as Trinitys assistant womens rowing coach for one season, while Besteman replaces recently hired Trinity womens head rowing coach Wesley Ng (Toronto, Ontario).
The Trinity womens rowing team finished the 2006 season with a 9-1 record and finished second in both the New England Division Championships and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships, and fourth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) National Invitational Regatta. The Bantams qualified for their fourth straight NCAA Division III National Championship Regatta, finishing fourth in the grand final and third in the Overall Points Standings. Trinity has been to the last four NCAA Division III Championship Regatta, winning the Varsity Eight National Championship title in 2005 and capturing two New England crowns (2003 & 2005), two NESCAC crowns (2004 & 2005), and the 2005 ECAC National Invitational title in the process. The Trinity College mens crew team, coached by Larry Gluckman, finished the 2006 season with a 9-1 record and swept the New England Championship (2nd straight) and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) National Invitational Regatta Championship crowns.
Besteman, a 1996 graduate of Grand Valley State University with a bachelors degree in physical education, comes to Trinity from Eastern Michigan University where she served as head coach for the womens crew programs the last three seasons and assistant womens rowing coach from 2000 to 2003. Besteman, who also holds a masters degree in individualized studies from Eastern Michigan, was a four-year rower at Grand Valley State where she helped her lightweight varsity eight crew earn a Midwest Championship title in 1994 and a silver medal in the 1995 Dad Vail Regatta. Prior to Eastern Michigan, Besteman served as an assistant mens rowing coach at the University of Michigan and as an assistant womens crew coach at George Mason University.
MacDermott, a 2002 graduate of Wesleyan University, comes to Trinity after serving as assistant mens rowing coach at his alma mater for four seasons. MacDermott was a four-year letterwinner in crew and captain as a senior at Wesleyan. He was named the Team MVP in both 2001 and 2002 and Freshman of the Year in 1999.