David Cormier

David Cormier was officially announced as San Diego women's rowing's head coach in September of 2022.

The 11th head coach in program history and the seventh in USD’s West Coast Conference era, Cormier had served as the Toreros’ assistant coach and recruiting coordinator since 2019.

“I’m tremendously excited about the appointment of Dave Cormier as our Head Women’s Rowing Coach,” said Associate Vice President/Executive Director of Athletics Bill McGillis. “During his time as an assistant coach at USD, David has demonstrated that his values, his care for the women in our program, and his passion for servant leadership align with who we are not only as a department, but as an institution. I am confident that his deep knowledge of our team, the WCC, and West Coast rowing in general will elevate our program to the next level.”

A Worcester, Massachusetts native, Cormier entered his ninth year in coaching this fall.

“I am honored and thrilled to be named the head coach of San Diego women's rowing,” Cormier said. “The coaches who came before me laid a great foundation that has attracted and developed some of the best athletes I've ever had the pleasure of working with, and we're all ready to put in the work this year. Our fall season is already off to a great start and there's an atmosphere of excitement at the boathouse every morning. I'd like to thank the search committee, in particular our Athletic Director, Bill McGillis, and our Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Administration, Dan Yourg, for entrusting me with this opportunity."

Cormier’s coaching career began at his alma mater, UMass Lowell (from which he graduated Magna Cum Laude) as the River Hawks’ head coach and boathouse coordinator, a position he held from 2013-2015. While at UMass Lowell he oversaw all boathouse events, expanded the team from 30 to more than 75 athletes, and created and implemented facility-wise safety policies and procedures.

From Lowell, Cormier moved to Westford, Massachusetts to become the head coach and program director at Westford Community Rowing, where he oversaw all operations of the rowing programs, from instructional to competitive. His tenure in Westford (2015-2017) saw the club achieve a national ranking for the first time in club history while doubling its membership in its middle school segment and tripling the size of its adult rowing program.

Cormier’s final stop before joining the Toreros came at nearby San Diego State, where he served as the Aztecs’ assistant coach and recruiting coordinator and coached SDSU’s V4+ and 2V4+ to first-place finishes at WIRA in the 2019-2020 season.

Cormier was a bronze medalist at the 2011 New England Rowing Championships with the UMass Lowell Varsity 4+. He was a member of the Merrimac River Rowing Association from 2012-2015, and has competed with the San Diego Rowing Club’s Masters Competitive Team since 2021.

David currently resides in San Diego with his partner, Mengyu Wu.

CORMIER’S COACHING CAREER - BY THE NUMBERS:

• 1st Place 2022 WIRA - Women’s 2V8+
• 1st Place 2021 WCC Rowing Championships - Women’s 2V8+
• 2nd Place 2021 WCC Rowing Championships - Team Points
• 1st Place 2019 - 2021 San Diego Fall Classic - Women’s Open 8+
• 2nd Place 2021 Pac-12 Invite Saturday - Women’s 2V8+
• 3rd Place 2019 Head of the American - Women’s Collegiate 8+
• 2nd Place 2019 Head of the American - Women’s Collegiate 4+
• 3rd Place 2019 AAC Championships - Women’s 3V4+
• 1st Place 2019 WIRA - Women’s Varsity 4+, Women’s Varsity 2V4+, Women’s 2V8+
• 1st Place 2018 WIRA - Women’s Varsity 4+
• 1st Place 2018 San Diego Crew Classic - Women’s Collegiate Varsity Cal Cup
• 10th Place 2015 USRowing Youth National Championships - Women’s Lightweight 4+
• 2nd Place 2015 USRowing Northeast Youth Championships - Women’s Lightweight 4+