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Walters Added to Men's Rowing Staff, Sears Earns Promotion
8/24/2022 1:04:00 PM | Men's Rowing
Connor Walters joins the Syracuse men's rowing program as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2022-23 season and volunteer assistant coach Forrest Sears '19 has been elevated to full-time assistant coach.
"Connor has spent the last 7 years coaching at a very successful high school program and that gives him some valuable insight into the recruiting process and athlete development," Syracuse Head Coach Dave Reischman said. "As a high school head coach, he built his program through creating a positive team culture that really valued the student-athlete experience. He brings a reputation as an excellent communicator and a very respected leader of young men."
Walters began his coaching tenure at his alma mater Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, as an assistant rowing coach in 2014. In 2019, Walters was promoted to head coach, a position he held until joining the Orange.
"I am very excited to join the Syracuse men's rowing program," Walters said. "The opportunity to work with and contribute to one of the nation's best teams, especially one with a lot of momentum, is pretty special. Getting to know and work alongside Dave convinced me that this is a really excellent team to coach. I'm well aware that the Orange have a deep history in men's rowing, and I'm honored to work toward adding to that tradition."
At Saint Ignatius Walters was tasked with leading a competitive boys scholastic rowing team. He led all aspects of the Saint Ignatius program including overseeing team practices and training with the coaching staff for over 80 athletes.
This past spring, he guided Saint Ignatius to program-best finishes at the Midwest and National Championships and raised over 250,000 dollars from 2019-22 for the program's capital needs.
"The warm welcome I have received so far is indicative of what an excellent place this is to be," Walters added. "I'm really looking forward to working with prospective athletes and families to show them what wearing the Orange is all about. We are eager to find the right guys who will keep the team's momentum going."
Off the water, Walters served as the assistant director of communications for Saint Ignatius since 2014. His responsibilities included overseeing the editorial calendar and all phases of production for the quarterly alumni magazine, maintaining the school's website, assisting the communications team with social media content creation, and serving as the senior writer and copy editor for stories, profiles, and features.
Walters was a contributing writer for ROWING Magazine from 2013-2021 where he reported and published race reports, news updates, profiles, and features on the rowing community.
A 2013 graduate of Marietta College, Walters was a four-year member of the men's rowing team and served as team captain as a senior. He was a member of the Pioneers lightweight eight that competed in the 2011 IRA National Championship and earned silver in the men's JV 8+ at the 2010 Dad Vail Regatta.
Walters earned his bachelor's degree in journalism with minors in English and Spanish and a teacher leadership certificate from Marietta in 2013 and completed his master's in journalism with a concentration in magazine writing and editing from Northwestern in 2014.
In his new role with the Orange, Sears will be responsible for assisting Reischman in the day-to-day operations of the program with increased coaching, recruiting and administrative responsibilities. Â
"Forrest did a great job as our part-time coach last year and earned his way into a full-time position," Reischman said. "He draws a lot on his experience as an athlete and former team captain to get the best out of the athletes he coaches. Our athletes really respond to his coaching and they trust his leadership."
Sears returned home to Syracuse prior to the 2021-22 season and helped guide the Orange to one of their most successful spring seasons in the last two decades. The Orange ranked as high as No. 6 in the country with the varsity eight earning a fifth-place finish at the IRA Championship Regatta.
"I am beyond excited to play a larger part in our program's recruiting, coaching and operations," Sears said. "It has been a privilege to coach at my alma mater and I am thrilled to expand my responsibilities in a full-time role this year."
Sears, a former team captain, transferred to Syracuse before his junior year and helped lead the varsity eight to a pair of top-10 finishes at the IRA National Championship finishing eighth in 2018 and ninth in 2019.
"Since arriving on campus as an athlete to now becoming an assistant coach at Syracuse, the goal has always been the same - make the program faster," Sears added. "I believe in our athletes, coaching staff and university support and I kow we are capable of achieving great things this season."
"Connor and Forrest are both very passionate about the sport of rowing and its ability to impact the lives of our student-athletes," Reischman added. "I feel very fortunate to have them both joining our coaching staff."
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"Connor has spent the last 7 years coaching at a very successful high school program and that gives him some valuable insight into the recruiting process and athlete development," Syracuse Head Coach Dave Reischman said. "As a high school head coach, he built his program through creating a positive team culture that really valued the student-athlete experience. He brings a reputation as an excellent communicator and a very respected leader of young men."
Walters began his coaching tenure at his alma mater Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, as an assistant rowing coach in 2014. In 2019, Walters was promoted to head coach, a position he held until joining the Orange.
"I am very excited to join the Syracuse men's rowing program," Walters said. "The opportunity to work with and contribute to one of the nation's best teams, especially one with a lot of momentum, is pretty special. Getting to know and work alongside Dave convinced me that this is a really excellent team to coach. I'm well aware that the Orange have a deep history in men's rowing, and I'm honored to work toward adding to that tradition."
At Saint Ignatius Walters was tasked with leading a competitive boys scholastic rowing team. He led all aspects of the Saint Ignatius program including overseeing team practices and training with the coaching staff for over 80 athletes.
This past spring, he guided Saint Ignatius to program-best finishes at the Midwest and National Championships and raised over 250,000 dollars from 2019-22 for the program's capital needs.
"The warm welcome I have received so far is indicative of what an excellent place this is to be," Walters added. "I'm really looking forward to working with prospective athletes and families to show them what wearing the Orange is all about. We are eager to find the right guys who will keep the team's momentum going."
Off the water, Walters served as the assistant director of communications for Saint Ignatius since 2014. His responsibilities included overseeing the editorial calendar and all phases of production for the quarterly alumni magazine, maintaining the school's website, assisting the communications team with social media content creation, and serving as the senior writer and copy editor for stories, profiles, and features.
Walters was a contributing writer for ROWING Magazine from 2013-2021 where he reported and published race reports, news updates, profiles, and features on the rowing community.
A 2013 graduate of Marietta College, Walters was a four-year member of the men's rowing team and served as team captain as a senior. He was a member of the Pioneers lightweight eight that competed in the 2011 IRA National Championship and earned silver in the men's JV 8+ at the 2010 Dad Vail Regatta.
Walters earned his bachelor's degree in journalism with minors in English and Spanish and a teacher leadership certificate from Marietta in 2013 and completed his master's in journalism with a concentration in magazine writing and editing from Northwestern in 2014.
In his new role with the Orange, Sears will be responsible for assisting Reischman in the day-to-day operations of the program with increased coaching, recruiting and administrative responsibilities. Â
"Forrest did a great job as our part-time coach last year and earned his way into a full-time position," Reischman said. "He draws a lot on his experience as an athlete and former team captain to get the best out of the athletes he coaches. Our athletes really respond to his coaching and they trust his leadership."
Sears returned home to Syracuse prior to the 2021-22 season and helped guide the Orange to one of their most successful spring seasons in the last two decades. The Orange ranked as high as No. 6 in the country with the varsity eight earning a fifth-place finish at the IRA Championship Regatta.
"I am beyond excited to play a larger part in our program's recruiting, coaching and operations," Sears said. "It has been a privilege to coach at my alma mater and I am thrilled to expand my responsibilities in a full-time role this year."
Sears, a former team captain, transferred to Syracuse before his junior year and helped lead the varsity eight to a pair of top-10 finishes at the IRA National Championship finishing eighth in 2018 and ninth in 2019.
"Since arriving on campus as an athlete to now becoming an assistant coach at Syracuse, the goal has always been the same - make the program faster," Sears added. "I believe in our athletes, coaching staff and university support and I kow we are capable of achieving great things this season."
"Connor and Forrest are both very passionate about the sport of rowing and its ability to impact the lives of our student-athletes," Reischman added. "I feel very fortunate to have them both joining our coaching staff."
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