WHITESIDE JOINS MSU ROWING STAFF
East Lansing, Mich. -- - Michigan State rowing coach Matt Weise has announced the addition of Mackenzie Whiteside to the Spartan coaching staff. Whiteside joins Weise, Samantha Sarff, and Liz England for the 2018-19 season. Whiteside will be tasked with working with MSU’s novice rowers.
“I am excited to have Mackenzie join us here at Michigan State,” said Weise. “She will fit in very well with our staff and I look forward to seeing her teach, develop and challenge our novice rowers to become great racers.”
The former rower at Wisconsin and volunteer assistant at both her alma mater and for the Harvard lightweight men brings not only a solid stable of rowing and coaching experience but also experience as a Big Ten student-athlete, which will help her serve as a resource to the rowers in the MSU rowing program.
“I am excited to be joining the Michigan State rowing program and the entire Spartan family,” noted the newest coaching staff addition. “The school spirit and pride at Michigan State provides an incredible environment for student-athletes to find excellence both in the boat and in the classroom. I look forward to working with and learning from Matt, Sam, Liz and all of the athletes and I can’t wait to get started.”
Whiteside comes to East Lansing after serving as the volunteer assistant coach at Harvard in the lightweight men's rowing program. Overall, the Crimson lights were ranked as high as No. 1 in the national poll in 2018,and posted a fourth-place finish in the Jobe Cup (team title) at EARC Eastern Sprints in May. Whiteside coached the fifth varsity eight to a silver-medal finish at Sprints, finishing just under a half-length behind Navy (6:05.792-6:07.716), and open water over Princeton and the Navy 6V. She organized and coached the novice walk-on program in the fall, and coached both the fourth and fifth varsity eights throughout the season.
During her time at Harvard, she was also a coach at Community Rowing in Boston, coaching introductory classes and recreational rowers, teaching high school learn-to-row and summer skills programs while also developing weights classes during the winter months. She also studied at the Institute for Rowing Leadership throughout the year.
Whiteside was a four-year lightweight letter winner and three-time lightweight captain at the University of Wisconsin under head coaches Lisa Schlenker and Dusty Mattison, and also served as a volunteer assistant in the year after her graduation. As an athlete, she helped the Badgers to IRA National Championships in the coxed four in both 2013 and 2016, and a silver medal in 2015. She also earned three Eastern Sprints medals (two gold) and helped Wisconsin to a third-place finish at the 2013 Head of the Charles Regatta. As an undergrad, she served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). As a three-year captain, Whiteside was able to develop and polish her leadership skills, which helped her as the volunteer assistant position at her alma mater for the 2016-17 academic year.
The Littleton, Colorado native is a triathlete who completed the Ironman Wisconsin in 2016, finishing 10th in her age group.
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