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Dan Gehn finished his 15th season as Director of Rowing and Head Men's Rowing Coach at Gonzaga University in 2009. Under his guidance Gonzaga crew has become a recognized team on the West Coast and in recent years the Bulldogs have started to appear on the national rowing scene. Since 2001 Gonzaga has competed as a member of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association. His Varsity 8+ and Junior Varsity 8+ teams have had 12 WIRA top-three finishes since moving into the conference, winning the Varsity 8+ and Junior Varsity 8+ in 2009. They have also won the California Cup twice, in 1997 and 2003 at the San Diego Crew Classic. In 2005 and 2008 Gehn was named the WIRA Coach of the Year. Gonzaga has also made a mark on the national scene, most recently with both the Varsity 8+ and Junior Varsity 8+ obtaining automatic bids to the IRA National Championships. It was the first-ever bid for the Junior Varsity 8+ and the second for the Varsity 8+. The Varsity 8+ placed 17th, its best finish in school history - since the IRA's was made the official men's national championships in 1997, while the Junior Varsity 8+ placed 13th. As a team, which included the Freshman 8+, the Zags earned a collective 16th place finish. The 2008 season was no different as the Varsity 8+ obtained a bid to the IRA National Championships placing 21st. It was the school's first appearance since the IRA become the official men's national championship 12 years prior. They also had their first appearance in the USRowing Top 20 rankings debuting at number 18. The Bulldogs are no strangers to the IRA's, having made their first splash in 1996 when the Varsity 8+ finished 13th. Since then the Varsity 4+ has dominated for the Zags, finishing fourth in 1998, 2006 and 2007. The Varsity 4+ also claimed a seventh place finish in 2005 and a ninth place finish in 2004. Helping programs garner national recognition is something Gehn has prided himself on since entering the coaching profession in 1989 as freshman men's rowing coach at the University of Wisconsin, his alma mater. His freshman rowing squads were repeatedly ranked among the nation's elite squads for freshman crew. In 1989 his freshman 4+ claimed the championship at the IRA Championship Regatta. During his six-year tenure at Wisconsin, Gehn's squads won six Midwest Rowing Championships and had four top-six finishes in both the Eastern Sprints and IRA Championship Regatta. Prior to his coaching career, Gehn was a standout rower at Wisconsin until he graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology. While a member of the Badger rowing squad, Gehn helped guide his teams to four straight top-three finishes at the IRA Championship Regatta, including a freshman championship in 1985. The Badgers 1986 varsity 8+ also claimed a national title at the Cincinnati Regatta and during the 1986, `87 and `88 seasons Wisconsin won the Ten-Eyck Trophy representing the overall team champion at the IRA's. Gehn finished his four years of rowing at Wisconsin with his squads never finishing lower than eighth at a national event with 10 finishes in the top three or higher. Gehn was able to parlay his rowing success in college to a spot on the U.S. National Rowing Team in 1987. That team won a Silver Medal at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis, Ind. A true promoter of crew, Gehn has worked during the summer with several United States Rowing Association Developmental Camps. In 1999 and 2000 Gehn worked with the USRA Men's Development Camp in Madison, Wisc., and coached his squad to several top three finishes at the Canadian Henley Regatta, including a first place finish for the Intermediate 8+. In 1993 Gehn coached at the United States Olympic Festival working with athletes from the North and West squads. In 2002 Gehn married Katie Scanlon, a former member of the United States Women's National Team and collegiate rowing coach. The Gehn's have two daughters, Lucy and Grace and a son Angus. |
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