Sanford Gets the Call

UTICA, N.Y. – Syracuse University women's rowing coach Kris Sanford was named to the Children's Museum International Hall of Fame: Bicycling, Rowing, Canoeing, Kayaking & Hot Wheels Hall on Sat., Oct. 10. Joining Sanford in the hall of fame's seventh class were Mike Duggan (Kayaking), Augusto Perez (canoeing) and Glenn Swan (bicycling). Former Orange men's rowing coach and 2003 inductee, Bill Sanford introduced his daughter at the ceremony.

One of the best rowers in the history of the Pac-10 Conference, Kris Sanford has used her expertise to transform Syracuse into one of the elite programs on the East Coast. Sanford has led the Orange to five NCAA appearances and three BIG EAST Challenge titles since taking over the program in 1996. In addition, she has recruited some of the most successful and talented rowers in school history, including 2008 Olympic gold medalist Anna Goodale. Among Syracuse's recent achievements under Sanford was a record-setting overall performance at the 2006-07 Eastern Sprints, as the team placed sixth, the highest overall program finish at the prestigious event in school history. The Orange has also placed second at the BIG EAST Championship in two out of the last three seasons.

If anyone can inspire a group of individuals to compete at such a high level, it's Sanford. Her rowers have consistently overachieved, whether it be erg scores, championship regattas, performing in the classroom or volunteering for community service. Sanford's strong values and coaching philosophies make a definitive impact on the student-athletes she mentors.

“All of our athletes give maximum effort regardless of which boat or seat they're in,” Sanford said. “We rely on our athletes to push one another in order to reach our goals.” Sanford believes it is important to recruit “character kids,” student-athletes who regard their schoolwork as a top priority, and have a strong commitment to the team. The same work ethic the team demonstrates on the water extends to the classroom. The academic expectations of the team far exceed those of the average Division I student-athlete.

BUILDING A WINNER: Sanford was promoted to head coach in the fall of 1996 after spending two seasons as Syracuse's novice coach and recruiting coordinator. She wasted little time in her new leadership role. By the time the NCAA was ready to hold its first championship for women's rowing in the spring of 1997, Syracuse was a part of it. In addition to leading the team to a spot in the inaugural NCAA Rowing Championship in her debut season, Sanford also guided the varsity eight to a fifth-place finish at the Eastern Sprints (the team's best individual boat finish to that point). During the next three years, Sanford and her staff maintained Syracuse's position among the top teams in the nation by bringing in top recruits like Libby Graves, Kate Modolo, Rachael Kirchhoff and Jillian Kott. These athletes helped take the Orange further and faster than they had ever been.

Sanford's 2000 varsity eight earned an NCAA at-large bid and finished ninth at the national championship. That performance began a string of three consecutive NCAA bids for the Orange. Sanford's 2001 season proved one for the record books. Syracuse won the inaugural BIG EAST Rowing Challenge. The varsity eight was experienced, technically sound and fast. The boat won its first eight races and finished third at the Eastern Sprints and sixth at the NCAA Championship. Both were program-best finishes.

It was the first time in Syracuse history that any boat made the NCAA grand final. Sanford was recognized for getting her team there by being named the BIG EAST, Mid-Atlantic Region and Eastern Sprints Coach of the Year.

The success continued in 2002 when she led the Orange to another milestone. Syracuse received its first team bid to the NCAA Championship. The berth signified that Syracuse had become a team with enough depth to succeed in every racing category. From top to bottom, Sanford successfully developed a team mentality that emphasized the importance of all athletes equally. Her varsity eight had support as members of the second varsity eight and varsity four were all involved in the team bid for a national championship.

The 2002 and 2003 seasons marked the second and third consecutive BIG EAST Rowing Challenge titles for Syracuse, and Sanford was the conference's coach of the year both seasons. It was Sanford's ability to inspire the individuals on the team that led to their success.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION: In 2000, the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) began an All-America program to recognize women who dedicate so much of their time and talent to the sport. Since the inception of that program, Sanford has placed five individuals on the list, including three-time All-Americans Jillian Kott and Anna Goodale, two-time honoree Kate Modolo, as well as Kelly McGrorey. Ally Doodeman is SU's most recent All-American, earning second-team honors in 2008.

In addition, 18 SU rowers have been named to the CRCA Mid-Atlantic Region All-America Team a total of 30 times. Sanford has also mentored three Olympians in Goodale, Helen Tanger and Froujke Wegman. Goodale has been a consistent member of the U.S. National Team and she won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a member of the U.S. women's eight. Tanger competed in the same event and helped lead the Netherlands to the silver medal in Beijing. For Tanger, it was her second Olympic medal. In 2004, she teamed with Wegman to help row the Netherlands to the bronze.

RETURNING TO HER ROOTS: A Syracuse native, Sanford returned home in 1994 after spending four years as the Executive Director of the Indianapolis Rowing Center and one year as the Midwest Regional Technical Director for USRowing. As executive director of the Indianapolis Rowing Center, Sanford was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the center, developing and coaching rowing programs of all levels, supervising fundraising and publishing a quarterly newsletter. Sanford served as the co-race director for the 1994 World Rowing Championship in Indianapolis. In 1996, she served as a statistician for NBC at the rowing venue at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

An accomplished rower herself, Sanford's competitive career included a two-year stint on the U.S. Junior National Team (1983-84) and four years with the University of Washington women's rowing team. At Washington, she was the stroke of the 1987 and 1988 National Collegiate Championship varsity eight. Her teams won four straight Pac-10 titles.

In 1996, Sanford was named to the University of Washington and Pac-10 All-Decade crew teams. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Washington in 1988.

Sanford continues to exemplify the team ideal, serving not only Syracuse University student-athletes, but rowing student-athletes across the nation. She was a member of the NCAA Women's Rowing Committee, a group that oversees rules, regulations and policies pertaining to the sport, from 1998-2000.

In 2004-05, she was elected by her peers to serve as president of the BIG EAST Coaches Association and served on the executive committee of the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (EAWRC) until 2006. She is currently the vice president of the BIG EAST Coaches Association and serves on the board of the CRCA.

The Sanford family has a long coaching tradition. Kris' father, Bill Sanford, retired in 2002 after coaching the men's crew at Syracuse for 37 years. Her sister, Jennifer, is the head women's rowing coach at the University of Connecticut and her cousin, Tom Sanford, is the director of rowing at Marist College.

THE SANFORD FILE

Rowing Career

1983-84 U.S. Junior National Team

1985-88 University of Washington

Honors and Awards

1985-88 Pac-10 Champion

1987-88 Stroke, Collegiate National Champions

1996 Pac-10 All-Decade Team

2001 BIG EAST Coach of the Year

Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year

Eastern Sprints Coach of the Year

2002 BIG EAST Coach of the Year