Chris Tolsdorf
Program Director and Head Girls Coach – 9th Season
Chris started as Boy’s Head Coach in the fall of 2015 and took over as the director of the Unionville program during the summer of 2016. Although he started with the Varsity Boys, Chris has coached every team at some point, and continues to help out wherever he is needed. He is a USRowing Level 2 Certified Coach.
In 2023 his Girl’s 2nd 4 won Silver at Stotesbury, his JV8 and V4 won Silver at PSRA City Championships, and his V4 made the final and finished 6th at the SRAA National Championship. His crews have won medals at The PSRA City Championships, Head of the Occoquan, and USRowing Mid-Atlantics, and he has raced crews at The Head of the Charles and USRowing Youth Nationals.
Chris rowed at Yale University, stroking the Varsity 8 for three years. He also rowed at the US Olympic Festival and spent a brief and uneventful time rowing with the US National Team. He lives in West Chester with his wife (also a Yale rower) dogs and chickens. His three children stop by to visit from time to time.
In addition to high school rowing, Chris has coached at the collegiate level at UMass, Georgetown, UVA, and Drexel. His collegiate crews also won multiple medals and championships including Gold at Dad Vails and a Bronze medal the IRA Championships. He still rows every fall at the Head of the Charles with an increasingly aging Masters 8.
Maegan Hailey
Novice Girl’s Coach – 7th Season
Maegan has led the Novice Girls for many years and prides herself on creating a positive team culture. This has led to huge growth in the girls team, as well as multiple medals and a trip to Nationals with the Freshmen 8 in 2019. In the spring of 2021 her Novice 8 was the fastest in the league.
Maegan graduated from Unionville High School in 2017 and graduated from West Chester University majoring in psychology and minoring in American Sign Language. She also works as a pre-school teacher at Fairville Friends School.
She spent all four years of high school on Unionville Crew. She started her novice year rowing and after three seasons switched to coxing. She couldn’t be more stoked to come back to the team to coach. She is a USRowing Level 2 Certified Coach.
Michael o’dwyer
Varsity Boy’s Coach – 3rd Season
This is Michael’s third season with Unionville, and he is returning as the Varsity Boys Coach.
Originally from Delaware, Michael spent roughly 18 years living in both Ireland and England. He started rowing at the age of 13, at Royal Chester Rowing Club, located in Chester, England. He graduated from University in 2017 with a degree in Sports Science and Injury Rehabilitation. He then pursued a career in coaching that same year and has never looked back; working at St. Peter’s School, York, while also working towards a Post Graduate Degree in Education.
With a dad, two brothers, and a sister who are deeply rooted in the sport, Michael felt that continuing to immerse himself in rowing was only right. However, he now occasionally runs in his free time, so that he has something else to talk about other than rowing. He was looking for a reason to move back to the US for some time, with Unionville and the sport of rowing affording him that opportunity. He couldn’t be more grateful and pumped about the season ahead.
Steve koczur
Novice Boys Coach – 1st Season
Steve started rowing at Villanova University in 1989 and in his first Fall was promoted to varsity. During his time at Villanova, and during the Summers, he rowed everything from single shells to an 8 person sculling shells but primarily competed in heavyweight 4s and 8s. He was appointed captain in his Senior year. Although Villanova Crew was a club sport he was gifted to train under 3 world class coaches and train with future national team rowers.
After college Steve continued to compete in various Philadelphia clubs. He has competed in the Head of the Charles, Dad Vails and various other races including the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.
He brings experience coaching novice crew and more recently has coached/helped coach various baseball, basketball, soccer and flag football teams in and out of the Unionville Recreation Association. While has been away from the rowing community for several years, he has never forgotten the athletic and life lessons he learned from this sport and his coaches.
Steve is a nearly 20 year resident of Pocopson. He and his wife are the parents of 2 teenage boys who attend Unionville and Patton. He hasn’t convinced them to row – yet.
