UNC announced Wednesday that it has hired former Tar Heel All-American Erin Neppel to be its new head rowing coach.

Neppel was a Second Team All-American in 2001 when she competed for UNC, and earned both All-ACC and All-Region honors in 2000 and 2001. She is one of just three Tar Heel rowers to ever earn All-American status.

“This is completely surreal,” Neppel said. “I’m unbelievably grateful as this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Coming back to Carolina Rowing as the head coach is the most exciting challenge in my career so far. It really feels like I am coming home, and I can’t wait to get going.”

While an assistant coach at Virginia in recent years, Neppel helped guide the Cavaliers to ACC titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021 — a run of three straight with no championship taking place in 2020 due to the pandemic. In addition, Virginia finished in fifth place at both the 2018 and 2021 NCAA Championships and took home 10th in the 2019 event.

Neppel was also heavily involved with recruiting while at Virginia.

Prior to her four years with the Cavaliers, she was at Canisius University in Buffalo, New York. After earning Region 2 Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2016, she became the school’s interim head coach during the 2016-17 campaign.

“It’s truly exciting when a head coaching candidate is someone who cherishes her experience as a Tar Heel student-athlete, has gone on to success in the coaching ranks in both the ACC and NCAA Championships, and has tremendous passion to come back and raise the level of our program,” UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham said. “And Erin Neppel checks all of those boxes.

“Erin was an All-America in the earliest days of our program and has played a key role in team successes and individual development at Virginia and Canisius,” he added. “She shares our belief that Carolina Rowing has the potential to become a great program and artfully detailed her plan and enthusiasm to tap into that potential.”

 

 

 

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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