4 October 2024
By Göran R Buckhorn
Yale’s Craig W. Johnson ’68 Head Coach of Heavyweight Crew, Mike Gennaro, has announced that Dan Williamson ’23 will return to Yale as the new assistant coach.
For Yale’s website, yalebulldogs.com, Mike Gennaro said, “Dan will be an extraordinary addition to our staff and I am confident that he will make a positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes. I had the pleasure of recruiting Dan to Yale and coaching him during his time here. It has been such a joy watching his rowing career develop over the years and I am so thrilled to welcome Dan back home at Yale.”
As the youngest members of the crew (at 21), Williamson competed at the 2020 (2021) Tokyo Olympics in New Zealand’s winning eight. It was New Zealand’s first gold medal in the eight since 1972.
Williamson is New Zealand National Champion in several boat classes and took a silver medal in the coxless four at the 2017 World Championships.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the Yale coaching staff and rejoining the Yale community,” Williamson told yalebulldogs.com. “Both Coach Gennaro and Coach LaLiberte already make for an exceptional coaching staff; as an athlete at Yale, I benefited immensely from their guidance, and I am incredibly eager to now learn from and work alongside them both in a coaching capacity to help grow our oarsmen. Yale is a unique place; I have never come across a team environment quite like it. It is truly a pleasure to be returning, and I cannot wait to start working with the team.