High Point University Athletic Director Dan Hauser announced the hiring of Jessica Deitrick as the first women's rowing head coach to lead the Panthers' 17th NCAA Division I athletic program on May 24, 2023. High Point becomes the 92nd NCAA Division I women's rowing program in the country and just the third program in North Carolina, along with Duke and UNC.
"We are very excited to secure a current Division 1 women's rowing head coach to launch our new High Point University program," HPU Vice President and Athletic Director Dan Hauser said. "Jessica Deitrick is an outstanding leader who has built both conference and national success at Colgate and Navy. Jessica's passion for HPU and the program vision she shared will position our women's rowing team to move from a development stage to championship success. We are thrilled to welcome Jessica and her husband Bill to the HPU family!"
Deitrick, who was once a familiar face at High Point, is returning to her roots after making coaching stops at the United States Naval Academy and Colgate University. She began her coaching journey at High Point, becoming one of the founders of the university's club rowing team in December of 2014, where she served as the head coach for two years.
"I am grateful that HPU and Dan Hauser have entrusted me with the opportunity to establish the women's rowing program," Deitrick stated. "Turning HPU Rowing into a nationally recognized name and returning to the High Point community is a dream come true!"
As the head coach of club rowing, she oversaw all varsity and novice men's and women's club rowing programs, consisting of 50 team members. She played a major role in the recruitment of both current and prospective student-athletes. She organized 12 practices per week and 10 race itineraries for the season, while implementing all water, lifting and cardio programs for all teams. During her two years leading the program, both the men's and women's teams prospered in races at the Knecht Cup, Dad Vails, SIRAs and the American Collegiate Rowing Association national championship. Deitrick's women's novice eight crew was ranked first in the ACRA poll for four consecutive weeks during the 2016 spring season. In 2015, the High Point men's pair won an ACRA national title and finished second at Dad Vails.
Along with her role as the head coach, Deitrick was the Director of Club Sports at HPU from 2014-2016, overseeing all 21 club sports programs. As the director, she managed the budget, maintained operations, and advised various sports on travel, liability, practice, and competition.
After spending two years at HPU, Deitrick was hired as the women's rowing assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in August of 2016. She spent three years with the Naval Academy under the guidance of head coach Joe Schlosberg. At the Henley Royal Regatta, Deitrick's Navy crew competed in the King's Cup for the first time since 1919. Eight different countries represented by their military competed against one another. U.S. Armed Forces won the event, beating Germany in the final. At Women's Henley, the women's straight four (4-) knocked off local teams Oxford University and Leander Club to advance to the semifinals. They lost in the semis to eventual champions Edinburgh University. In addition to the streak of five consecutive Patriot League championships, the Mids finished 20th, 17th, and 17th nationally in Deitrick's three seasons with the program. The Navy coaches were named the 2018 and 2019 CRCA Region Staff of the Year. Navy swept to the 2019 conference crown with victories in all three races. The Mids then went on to a No. 17 final finish at the NCAA Championships, matching the best result in program history.
Most recently, Deitrick spent the past four seasons at Colgate (2019-2023), where she was named the women's rowing head coach in the summer of 2019. She led the Raiders to back-to-back seventh place finishes at the Patriot League Championships in 2022 and 2023 and the program's best finish in 10 years during the 2020-21 season with a fourth-place finish. Over her four seasons at Colgate, Deitrick helped increase the strength, power, and endurance of athletes through a strategic training plan. She established and implemented a home regatta, consisting of six programs competing. Annually, she recruited 15-20 athletes through a competitive and comprehensive recruitment plan without the assistance of any form of scholarship. Academically her team's finished each semester with a 3.5 GPA average and an APR rate of 1000.
Deitrick served as a member of the PERA DEI Committee at Colgate, where she helped to create the Athletic Department DEI Plan and create learning and engagement opportunities for the entire athletic department. She also currently serves as the Vice President of the New York State Collegiate Rowing Association, where she helps create new bylaws for the organization and reestablish a statewide collegiate regatta.
A native of Rhinebeck, New York, in the Lower Hudson River Valley, Deitrick rowed collegiately at William Smith College. She competed with the Herons for four varsity seasons and was a team captain during her junior and senior campaigns.
Deitrick graduated William Smith College in May 2008 with a B.A. in psychology before attaining a master's degree in special education from Elon University in August 2011.
Deitrick will be relocating to High Point with her husband William Deitrick of Baltimore.
The Buzz About Deitrick:
"Jessica Deitrick has an extensive knowledge of building programs and taking them to levels they haven't been to before. She has shown that at Colgate, the US Naval Academy and with High Point's club team. She brings great passion, a strong work ethic and a desire for success not just for the program but for the athletes in the program. The athletes of High Point are extremely lucky to have Jessica Deitrick as the new Women's Rowing Head Coach!"
-Joe Schlosberg, United States Naval Academy Women's Rowing Head Coach
"Coach Deitrick is an excellent choice for head coach as High Point continues its path to varsity competition in women's rowing. At Colgate she inherited a program that was in need of revitalization, our roster had diminished, and the program's infrastructure had deteriorated. From day 1, Jess had a plan and vision for our program, and under her decisive and relentless leadership, the program has grown and developed over the past four years. The roster has grown to comprise nearly 40 women who have made significant strides as competitors, and who are leaders on our campus and serious students in the classroom. Jess has actively engaged our alumni through outreach and events and will be a great ambassador at High Point as the program launches and grows in the coming years."
-Yariv Amir, Interim Vice President and Director of Athletics
"Coach Deitrick is a fantastic hire, and someone who I am confident will build a program at High Point that will deliver an excellent student-athlete experience while also vying for championships. As a first-time DI head coach at Colgate, Jess transformed the rowing program, more than doubling the number of enthusiastic, committed student-athletes, raising funds to overhaul the program's equipment, and rebuilding relationships with alumni. Jess is an educator at heart and possesses the rare combination of being both highly competitive and a good colleague and team member. I am thrilled for Jess and her family for this career advancement, and I look forward to watching what she will do and the positive impact she will make!"
-Nicki Moore, Ph.D., Cornell University Director of Athletics and Physical Education/Former Vice President & Athletic Director at Colgate University
"High Point has made an outstanding hire in Jessica Dietrick. She has many stellar attributes but her leadership throughlines are competitiveness and compassion--two characteristics that form a rare X-factor combination. As her former collegiate coach and now colleague, I have watched her lead her teams (athletic and professional) to exceed expectations because she accepts nothing less than excellence and guides her players and colleagues there with incredible patience, support and compassion. Jess will take this inaugural helm and set the bar professionally and ethically. She will arrive ready to work hard, to put the time in and more importantly, to learn from her new colleagues at High Point. She will navigate her new waters with strategic care and build the rowing legacy High Point deserves. Experienced and smart, Jess is good at every aspect of coaching--the perfect person to take on this inaugural role."
-Sandra Chu, Deitrick's Coach at William Smith College
