Caitlin McClain

Caitlin McClain enters her third season at the helm of the Seattle Pacific women's rowing program, entering the 2022-23 campaign.

She directed the Falcons to an NCAA Division II Championships berth in 2022. They finished sixth at the national regatta at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida.

SPU's four-oared entry advanced to the NCAA grand final race and placed fourth. The varsity eight was the petite final runner-up, clinching a sixth-place overall result.

The Falcons finished second in the team standings at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships, featuring a remarkable rally in the varsity eight race en route to a second-place finish. The SPU varsity four also notched a second-place result.

That NCAA qualification came a year after the disappointment of a snub by the national committee in 2021. The NCAA Championships field was reduced to four teams due to the pandemic and the Falcons were not invited to participate despite a No. 2 national ranking in the coaches poll.

SPU had a stellar 2021 campaign in McClain's inaugural season. The team twice battle eventual national champion Central Oklahoma in the Falcon Regatta on March 27 on the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The Falcons four won the first matchup, becoming the only Division II boat to beat UCO in that category. The Bronchos won the rematch. Both teams outraced Western Washington.

In the varsity eight event, the Falcons finished within one second of Central Oklahoma in both races and best WWU twice.

SPU registered runner-up results across the board at the initial GNAC Championships, placing second in the team, varsity eight and varsity four categories.

A former Loyola Marymount standout rower, McClain served 15 years at the helm of the Holy Names Academy program. She was hired as the women's rowing coach at Seattle Pacific University on August 6, 2020.

McClain, 39, remains in Seattle where she has resided since 2005 while working at her alma mater, Holy Names, from where she graduated in 2001. She brings a wealth of rowing experience to SPU, including competitive stints at HNA and Loyola Marymount along with national coaching duties with USRowing.

She served as the women's lead coach for the 2021 Under-19 National Team, which competed in August at the 2021 World Rowing Junior Championships in Bulgaria. She previously served as an assistant coach for the Under-19 women's national team in 2014 and then was promoted to CanAmMex coach in 2016 and the junior world championships coach in 2019.

“I could not be more excited to welcome Coach McClain to the Seattle Pacific Falcon community. Throughout this interview process Caitlin was able to articulate a deep passion for the sport of rowing, for the Seattle rowing community, and most importantly for the development of the young women in her program," SPU athletic director Jackson Stava said at the time of her hiring.

"I am convinced that her missional alignment with our institutional and department values, coupled with her proven track record of success on the water, will lead to great results and success for Seattle Pacific Rowing.”

A 2005 Loyola Marymount graduate with bachelor’s degrees in political science and urban studies, McClain continued her education at Seattle University to complete a master's of education in student development administration in 2010. She served as a graduate assistant for student-athlete support at Seattle University during the 2008-09 academic year.

McClain is a USRowing Level 2 coach and is currently undergoing the next round of prestigious Level 3 Coaching Certification that will be completed in December. The program, sponsored by USRowing, is designed to enhance the capabilities of already experienced head and pre-elite coaches.

While coaching at Holy Names, she also served from 2005-11 as the business and events manager for the Lake Union Crew.

"I am thrilled and honored to be joining the Falcon family as the head women's rowing coach," exclaimed McClain in 2020. "Coaching high school in the Northwest for over 15 years, I’ve always been aware of Seattle Pacific University's high reputation. The recent growth of the crew program has only strengthened that impression. The more I've learned about SPU, the more strongly I've felt that my personal and professional philosophy align with the mission of the university.

"I’ve always attended and worked in faith-based institutions and I think the values that guide a community really strengthen the work being done in each part of it. Certainly, in rowing, the idea that one is a part of something greater than themselves is complementary to the teamwork necessitated by the sport. I see myself as a facilitator of athlete's goals and can't wait to get started on the next chapter. Go Falcons!"

McClain built a regional high school rowing power and made Holy Names a major player at the national level. Her Cougars crews accumulated 10 medals and won national championships in 2015 and 2017 at the junior club regatta. They finished atop the team points standings on three occasions at the Northwest regionals.

Holy Names qualified for the USRowing youth national championship event every year since 2007, medaling 10 times.

McClain developed 70 athletes that went on to compete for NCAA rowing programs.

"I am profoundly grateful for the Holy Names Academy community that has supported and shaped me over the years," she said. "I would not be the person or coach I am without the people I've had the privilege to work with, especially the student-athletes."

As a competitor, McClain earned three varsity letters at Holy Names and captained the team her final two years, in 2000 and 2001. She helped the Cougars' varsity four crew to a silver medal at the nationals her senior season.

Her rowing career continued at Loyola Marymount where she occupied the stroke seat of the varsity eight for every race as a freshman. The Lions thrived during her four seasons, reaping titles at the West Coast Conference, WIRA and San Diego Crew Classic regattas.

Individually, she garnered numerous All-WCC honors along with awards to recognize her academic achievements from CoSIDA and the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.

At Seattle Pacific, McClain replaced Andrew Derrick, who served four seasons from 2017 through 2020 before accepting the head coaching position at Gonzaga.