Hobart and William Smith Director of Rowing and William Smith Head Rowing Coach
Paul Bugenhagen was recently featured on "At the Thousand Podcast."
In the podcast released on August 25, Bugenhagen talks about the Herons' 2025-26 season and their podium finish at the NCAA championships. He also dove into his approach to help build the team's culture and the pursuit of athletes who want to be developed versus getting recruited.
The Herons finished the year third in the final CRCA Division III poll after finishing third in the team standings at the NCAA Rowing Championships. The Herons' varsity eight finished third and the 2V8 was fourth at the national championships. It matched the program's best finish at the national championship regatta. The 2025-26 season also saw William Smith capture its 10th Liberty League Championship, securing three gold medals during the regatta. The Herons also won a silver medal in the collegiate four at the Head of the Charles Regatta.
In his six seasons in charge of the Herons, Bugenhagen has mentored one Liberty League Crew of the Year, 17 All-Liberty League selections and six CRCA All-Americans. In the classroom, the Herons have earned 72 Liberty League All-Academic selections and 30 CRCA Scholar-Athlete awards.
The "At the Thousand Podcast" is a performance podcast centered around rowing. It features the best college rowing coaches, NCAA and Olympic Champions, elite athletes, performance experts and many other influential voices in rowing.
Hosted by Kevin Leslie, a former Division I coach, conversations include training, college recruiting, coaching leadership, and more, to help athletes become a student of the sport, evolve their training, and position themselves for long-term success.
