Villanova University

Dec. 2, 2010

USRowing Official Release

PRINCETON, N.J.--Villanova head rowing coach Jack St. Clair will receive one of this year's prestigious awards from USRowing when the organization meets in Tampa for its annual awards reception. St. Clair has been named this year's winner of the Clayton W. Chapman Award, which is one of seven major awards given out in addition to the USRowing Athletes of the Year.

Each year the Clayton W. Chapman Award is presented to an individual who best emulates the 30-year stewardship of Clayton Chapman to the Eastern Sprints and IRA Championships Regattas and who has consistently served in a behind-the-scenes administrative role that has previously gone unrecognized.

There could be no person better suited to receive such an award than St. Clair, who is currently in his 22nd season as the Villanova head coach. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, St. Clair has also organized the Knecht Cup for more than 10 years and coordinated the Main Line Slide Philadelphia Indoor Rowing Championships.

As a head coach, St. Clair has directed the Wildcats to continued success. This past summer the team traveled to England for the famed Henley Women's Regatta and also competed in the Reading Regatta during its trip. Villanova won a championship in the intermediate level three fours competition at the Reading Regatta and went on to achieve successful results at the Henley Regatta.

The success over the summer capped off a successful spring season for the Wildcats, whose Novice Four boat won a BIG EAST Championship earlier in the year. Over the years Villanova has won numerous titles at the prestigious meets held around the country, including the local Dad Vail Regatta, the San Diego Crew Classic and the National Collegiate Championships just to name a few.

In just his fourth season as head coach, St. Clair led the Wildcats to its first-ever national championship in 1998, when the team finished first in the Lightweight Eight at the IRA National Lightweight Championships with a boat that was ranked No. 1 in the country entering the competition.

Villanova rowers have gone on to be successful in the sport following their collegiate careers as well. Back in 2009, former Wildcats Meghan Sarbanis and Megan Walsh each represented the United States at the World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland after winning national titles at the USRowing National Championships. Walsh participated that summer in the World Cup III event in Switzerland and won a silver medal in the women's quad at the world championships.

St. Clair's presence in the sport of rowing has gone far beyond his coaching responsibilities, however. Most recently, St. Clair hosted and was the tournament director of the 2009 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships held on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J. He oversaw the planning and production of the event from start to finish and the championships were a great success for the more than 30 teams nationwide that competed over the course of three days.

The annual Knecht Cup Regatta hosted by St. Clair attracts more than 50 collegiate teams from throughout the United States and has emerged as one of the largest collegiate events in the country. In addition, his Main Line Slide event provides junior, collegiate, masters and veteran athletes with a land-training incentive and the opportunity to qualify for the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints.

St. Clair is a two-time U.S. National Team member and won a silver medal at the 1975 Pan American Games while also competing in 1975 and 1977 at the World Rowing Championships. He is a past president of the Vesper Boat Club and has served on the board of directors at Vesper for many years. St. Clair has also served as vice commodore of Philadelphia's Schuylkill Navy.

USRowing is a nonprofit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States.