Coaches

Costel Mutescu
Rowing Director

Costel, a native of Romania, directs the rowing programs at the Saugatuck Rowing Club. He is a 12 time member of the Romanian National Rowing Team and an Olympian. Costel won medals in the Junior World Championships, the U23 World Championships, World Cups, and Senior World Championships. Retiring from competitive racing after the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, he took a job coaching the U23 National Team. Before joining SRC, Costel built the Greenwich Rowing Club Masters program and supervised the junior program. He is a certified U.S. Rowing level III coach and instructs all levels at the club. Costel has a degree in Exercise and Sport Science with concentrations in rowing and soccer from the University of Bacau in Romania.

Sharon Kriz
Junior Rowing Director

She oversees all aspects of the junior rowing program and is the Head Coach of the Competitive Junior Boys Team. She also gives private sculling lessons to all skill levels. Sharon began rowing at Rutgers University in 1994. She went on to row in the varsity 8+ for 3 years, graduating in 1998 with a B.S. in Exercise Science and as the team MVP. In 1997 and 1998 Sharon was named to the USA 4- for the Under-23 World Championships, where she finished 5th and 2nd respectfully. After taking some time off, Sharon returned to competition in 2005 and was named to the Women’s 8+ for the World Rowing Championships in Gifu, Japan, where her boat finished 4th. In her rowing career Sharon has won numerous medals at the Canadian Henley, US Elite Nationals and Head of the Charles. Sharon began coaching at SRC in the fall of 2000. She has been a head coach for the Masters Women’s Program, Junior Girls Program and in the winter of 2006 she took her current position as Junior Rowing Program Director and has led her crews to victories at the Northeast/Mid Atlantic Regional Championships, Youth National Championships and US Rowing Club National Championships. Sharon is a Level III US Rowing Certified Coach and has been helping lead the Saugatuck Rowers since the opening on the club.

Nicoleta Donea

A native of Romania, Nicky was a member of the Olympic National Team from 1996 to 2000. In 1992 she was selected for Romania’s Junior National Rowing Team. From 1993 through 2000, Nicoleta won numerous gold, silver, and bronze medals at Romanian’s National Championship. She placed 2nd in the women’s 8+ in the 1994 World Championships in Munich, Germany. Nicoleta started her coaching career with the Romanian Junior National Team in 1998. Nicoleta began coaching at Saugatuck in 2002. She currently coaches the masters men and women, and is known for her ability to analyze strokes and help rowers overcome ingrained “bad habits". Nicoleta has also personally rowed at many regattas throughout the USA including winning the 2006 Head of the Charles, Masters National Championships, and Diamond States.

Elena Radu

Native of Bucharest Romania, Elena started rowing at the age of 13. She trained in Romania as a member of the National Team serving as a coxswain. Elena participated in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow bringing home a bronze medal. She also participated in two World Championships and numerous international regattas. In 2005 she was recognized as a "Distinguished Coach" by the Romanian Rowing federation for having trained athletes in preparation for the Romanian National and Olympic teams. She started coaching at SRC in 2002 and she has been instrumental in the Club’s success in winning the National Championship Title five times since she started coaching.

Florian Tudor

Randy Wilhelm

Has been the Competitive Junior Boys Novice Coach since the fall of 2007. His novice boy’s crews have won medals at many regional regattas including Riverfront Recapture, Head of the Housatonic, Head of the Fish, Mercer Lake Sprints and Cooper Cup. Randy started rowing sweep at Chaminade High school and learned to scull at Sagamore Rowing Club on Long Island. He rowed four years at Fairfield University, graduating in 2007, where he stroked the varsity boat and served as team captain for 3 years. While coaching at Saugatuck, Randy also coaches the Fairfield University Rowing Team as the Men’s Freshman Coach leading his crews to numerous wins in their regular season as well as medals at the Dad Vail.