Robin Meiggs is one of the most decorated coaches in Humboldt State history, winning two team NCAA Division II National Championships and earning the recognition as Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association "Coach of the Year" three times. Meiggs' teams have finished third in the nation or better on five occasions (2004, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015).
The 2019 racing season marks the 25th intercollegiate season for the team, all with Meiggs at the helm.
The Lumberjacks qualified their Varsity 8 boat for the 2016 NCAA Championships as an at-large team, and competed for a fourth place finish in the Eights Grand Final. This performance followed a remarkable showing at the Dad Vail Regatta, where both the Varsity 4s and Varsity 8s took third.
For the second straight year, senior Mariah Smith was awarded rowing's NCAA Elite 90 Award during the Championship's Student-Athlete Celebration Banquet, the award for the highest GPA amongst championship athletes. Smither, along with fellow senior Samantha Morford were named to the Division II Pocock All-America First and Second Team, respectively.
HSU made it back to the NCAA Championships in 2015 and finished the season as team finalists. Junior Mariah Smither was given rowing's NCAA Elite 89 Award during the Championship's Student-Athlete Celebration Banquet, the award for the highest GPA amongst championship athletes, and a Capitol One Academic All-America DII Third Team selection. Three Jacks were tabbed Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Pocock All-America selections. Rowers
Kayley Weber and
Katrina Rehrer were First Team choices and Margaret Wilhelm was a Second Team pick.
In 2014, HSU won its second NCAA team championship in three seasons, and giving Meiggs her third Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association “Coach of the Year” recognition. The National Champion Humboldt State rowing team picked up three Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Division II Pocock All-Americans as
Kayley Weber and
Jamie Larrabee earned First Team and
Maggie Wilhelm claimed Second Team status. Along with the trio of All-Americans, four Lumberjacks –
Diana Hernandez,
Lizzy Meisman,
Katrina Rehrer and
Mariah Smither – were announced as CRCA 2014 National Scholar-Athletes.
In 2013, Humboldt State' varsity four boat took a commanding lead in its final race, crossing the finish line first with ease to claim the second V4 event championship title in program history. With the team championship coming down to who would win the V8+ event, the Jacks took an early sprint in the last 500 meters of the race to surge past WWU for first place.
Meiggs opened the 2013 season with a selection to serve as a member of the NCAA Division II Women's Rowing Committee. Later that spring, rowers
Gabrielle Wood and
Katie Harris were named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) 2013 Pocock All-America team.
In May of 2012, the Jacks took home their first-ever NCAA team championship, defeating seven-time National Champions Western Washington. Meiggs was also unanimously voted as the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading her squad to an NCRC Championship.
In 2011, Meiggs led the Lumberjacks to a third place finish at the NCAA Rowing Championships after the squad powered its way to an at-large berth and a position in the four-school nationals championships. Meiggs won her first of back-to-back Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association “Coach of the Year” awards.
The 2010 season was one of the program’s best. The team won the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championship. The regatta is an All-Division (I, II & II) Championship and HSU is the first team to win the championship that isn't a Division I program.
Katie Lepley was named to the 2010 Division II Pocock All-America team by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) and ten Humboldt State rowers earned CRCA National Scholar-Athlete recognition.
In 2004 Meiggs led the Women's 4+ to an NCAA National Title. The Jacks finished second overall in the points standing.
In 2003 Meiggs led the women’s 8+ to a third place finish at their first ever visit to the NCAA National Championships.
In 2001 Meiggs led the lightweights to the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships title for the third consecutive year, as well as winning the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships in both the eight and four.
The lightweight novice four, the only other boat to advance to the grand finals at the WIRA Championships finished third.
Meiggs rowed for the HSU club team before it became a varsity sport as well as coaching the club team for three seasons after graduation.
In addition to her coaching responsibilities, Meiggs teaches classes in kinesiology.
Meiggs earned a master’s degree in exercise physiology from HSU in 1991, after earning a bachelor’s in speech communications in 1990.
“My coaching philosophy is that athlete’s education comes first,” Meiggs said. “We train hard, practicing at 5:30 in the morning and again in the afternoon. However, our athletes study harder than they train, which accounts for our high team GPA. We prepare both mentally and physically.”
Meiggs has been coaching “pre-elite” and development I.D. camps for U.S. Rowing at the Olympic training canter since 1991.
In the summer of 2001, Meiggs spent three weeks in Alaska coaching local athletes.
Meiggs has used her coaching and exercise physiology knowledge to be an assistant coach on the National Team as well. She traveled with the team to Finland for the 1995 World Championships.
Meiggs can be located on campus in KA 230.
Click
here to see Meiggs' interview with CBS Sportsnetwork.
