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Susie Lueck is entering her seventh season as the head coach of the Clemson rowing team. She joined the Clemson staff as the head coach of the inaugural rowing team for the 1998-99 season. Lueck was named the Tigers' first-ever rowing coach after a successful stint at Gonzaga University.
In 2004, Clemson Rowing made big gains in their Novice program. The Tigers signed thirteen student-athletes to their roster making the class of 2008 the largest recruiting class for Clemson Rowing. The team quickly felt their experience as the Novice conquered nationally ranked Virginia in two out of three races throughout the year. The pinnacle of their season took place in Oak Ridge, TN where they captured the South Region Championship in the I Novice 8+ event, by finishing third overall at the combined Central/South Regional Championship. As sophomores they will bring a plethora of racing experience to the varsity team in the 2004-05 season.
The Tigers continued to succeed both on an off the water during the 2003 season. Clemson finished the season at the Lexus Central/South Region Sprints where they took ninth overall and fourth in the South Region. The Tigers First Varsity 4+ finished first in the South Region. The team earned three ACC Crew of the Week honors and coxswain Emily Kuivila and rower Kate Niebauer were both named to the All-ACC team. Niebauer also earned National Strength and Conditioning Association All- American honors for her dedication both in and out of the weight room. Kuivila was named CRCA First-Team All-Region and sophomore Mary Nell Green received Second-Team All-Region honors. In the classroom the Tigers continued to excel as five rowers were named National Scholar Athletes and the team earned a 3.35 grade point average in the spring semester.
In 2002, Clemson finished the season ranked 22nd. It was the second time in the program's four-year history that the Clemson rowing team finished the season ranked in the top 25. The Tigers' second varsity 8+ had impressive rows throughout the season, including setting an all-time Clemson best at the Clemson Classic on Apr. 28, on Lake Hartwell with a time of 6:43.5. This was the senior year for the inaugural class that included 2001 All-American Lucy Doolitte. Doolittle and Aimee Fox completed their senior year earning All-ACC honors, while senior Megan McGuirt was named Clemson's 2002 Outstanding Woman in the undergraduate category and a 2002 National Strength and Conditioning Association All-American, a program first. Sally Kukla, Emily Kuivila, Doolittle and Fox were all named to the CRCA All-South Region team. Along with success on the water, Clemson continued to excel in the classroom with 33 rowers named to the spring Clemson Honor Roll. Kuivila was also named a 2002 CRCA National-Scholar Athlete.
During the 2001 season, the Tigers earned their first national ranking of 15th on April 11, 2001, and finished the season ranked 21st. Not only did Clemson earn its first national ranking, but it received conference, regional and national accolades as well. Lucy Doolittle was named the Tigers' first rowing All-American, earning first-team honors. The Tigers' first varsity 8+ was named ACC's crew of the year, while the varsity 4+ claimed the ACC title. Clemson had impressive rows at the San Diego Crew Classic finishing fifth and they won the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship. Lauren Henne also was a recipient of the Weaver-James Corrigan Scholarship from the ACC for her accomplishments in the classroom as well as on the water. She was the only student-athlete at Clemson to receive the honor in 2001. At the completion of the season Lueck was named the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association South Region and ACC Coach of the Year.
In 2000, Clemson enjoyed strong performances by all their boats throughout the season. The Tigers finished second in the inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference Rowing Championships held in Charlottesville, VA, with all four boats finishing second in their races. In 1999, Lueck's inaugural season at Clemson, the Tiger rowing program laid a solid foundation on which to build, with strong performances in the varsity events and an undefeated spring season for the first Novice 8+.
During her six years as head coach at Gonzaga, Lueck took the program from 30th on the West Coast to sixth and seventh placed finishes in her last two seasons with the Bulldogs. In the PAC-10, of which Gonzaga Rowing was an affiliate member, Lueck's teams finished sixth and seventh in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference Championship in 1997 and 1998, and Lueck was honored as West Coast Conference Coach of the Year both seasons.
Lueck, a 1992 graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in pre-physical therapy and sports psychology, rowed for the Huskies for four years. She rowed in the first Novice 8+ her freshman season and in the Varsity 8+ the next three seasons. Lueck was highly successful in the Huskies' national powerhouse rowing program, as is evident by her numerous medals won at the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships and the Collegiate National Championships.
On the National Elite Level, Lueck has a plethora of experience. She participated in the U.S. Olympic Festivals in 1989 and 1991, as well as many elite development camps. Lueck represented the United States in the quadruple sculls event in the 1993 World University Games and continued to train for the national sculling team until 1996.
An Indianapolis, IN, native, Lueck began rowing in 1984 prior to starting high school. Although an area high school program did not exist at that time, she rowed at the Indianapolis Rowing Center. Lueck earned a spot on the 1988 Junior National Rowing Team and represented the United States in the four with coxswain at the World Rowing Championships in Milan, Italy.
"Susie Lueck is an outstanding coach who not only knows the sport of rowing, but she is an incredible teacher as well," said Clemson Senior Women's Administrator Linda White. "Lueck started from scratch with a brand new program and in the span of two years led the team to a top 25 finish in the country. That speaks volumes of her character, leadership and work ethic."
