PCRA Announces New Girls Head Coach
PCRA is excited to announce that Sarah Dierksen will be joining our community as Women’s Head Coach. Sarah will work closely with coach Chris Ives this fall as they build on the successes of recent years and help realize PCRA’s mission of making rowing accessible to everyone. Sarah’s first day with PCRA will be Monday, September 12th.
Sarah started her rowing career in 2011 as a recruited walk-on to the Division 1 UCLA women’s team. During her 4 years as a Bruin, Sarah raced as a member of the Varsity 4+ and Junior Varsity 8+. As a junior, Sarah attended the NCAA Championships and won a silver medal at the PAC-12 Championships. After graduating from UCLA in 2015, Sarah began her coaching career at Drake University as the Assistant Women’s Rowing Coach. In her 4 years at Drake, she helped novice rowers learn how to row and led the Varsity and Junior Varsity 4+ to high finishes at the MAAC Championship. In addition to running the novice program, Sarah was Drake’s main coxswain coach, assisted in the recruiting process of student athletes, and coordinated many of the logistics involved in running a collegiate rowing program. While at Drake, Sarah received her Masters in Education.
From 2019-2021, Sarah taught high school science at Lincoln College Prep Academy in Kansas City, MO. During her time teaching, Sarah continued to row recreationally with the Kansas City Rowing Club. While she enjoyed her time teaching, Sarah is excited to return to the sport she loves and make an impact at PCRA.
Director of Youth Rowing Reid Johnson commented, “I am thrilled that Sarah Dierksen will be our Women’s Head Coach. Throughout the search process, we held a high standard for this position and Sarah more than met our expectations. With a combined 8 years of experience as both a Division 1 athlete and coach, in addition to being a high school teacher, Sarah brings a level of knowledge and enthusiasm that will elevate the experience of the young women on our team. Many of her former colleagues praised Sarah’s integrity and ability to be a great team player. I cannot wait for her to get started and watch her lead the team to many future successes. Go PCRA!”.