Northeastern University Women's Rowing

----- Eastern Sprints Finalist: 11 (2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) NCAA Championship appearances: 10 (1999, 2000, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) CAA Championships: 11 (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) Beanpot Championships (since 2007): 1 (2010) Orange Cups: 7 (1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2015) Woodbury Cups*: 12 (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022) -----   Joe Wilhelm enters his 28th season at the helm of the Northeastern women’s rowing program in 2025-26.  Wilhelm has guided the Huskies to unprecedented success in the last several seasons, capturing 11 consecutive CAA Championships and NCAA Regatta appearances. He also holds a conference-best 11 CAA Coach of the Year honors, coming most recently in 2025, and earned his third-straight CRCA Regional Coach of the Year honor in 2025. During the 2024-25 season, Wilhelm led NU to Council Cup title for the second-straight year. In the 2022 season, Wilhelm was also able to capture the Huskies' 12th all-time Woodbury Cup and first since 2017, all while leading his program to a 10th NCAA Championship appearance.  Wilhelm, the program’s career-wins leader, was named head coach in 1998 and enjoyed immediate success. In his first season (1999), Northeastern captured the Orange Cup (Syracuse and Penn), the Woodbury Cup (Columbia) and appeared in the NCAA Championship. That level of success has continued throughout his tenure. In 2012, 2016 and 2017, the Northeastern varsity eight finished second in the grand final of the Eastern Sprints. The Huskies have been finalists at the Sprints eleven times, in 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Additionally, Wilhelm’s squads have captured 13 Woodbury Cups, seven Orange Cups and 11 Colonial Athletic Association championships, including the conference's inaugural championship in 2009. Northeastern has won the last eight CAA championships. Wilhelm has earned Regional Coach of the year three times, and CAA coach of the year nine times.   In 2017 Northeastern celebrated the 40th anniversary of Women’s rowing, and it was one of it’s finest season’s in history. The Huskies took medals in three events at the Eastern Sprints; the varsity and second varsity eight took the silver, while the varsity four took bronze. The team built momentum by sweeping the CAA Championship on their way to the NCAA’s where the varsity finished 17th, the 2V, 16th and the Varsity 4, 17th, for a team finish of 17th overall. To cap this magical year, the Huskies made their first trip across the pond to compete in the Women’s Henley Regatta. Both the varsity and 2nd varsity eight advanced to the semifinals, bowing out to the British National Team, and Molesey BC.   Wilhelm’s association with Henderson Boathouse extends beyond his tenure as head coach, as he joined the women’s program after serving seven years as the men’s freshman coach. His freshman boats were consistently among the best in the East, earning silver and bronze medals in both the IRA Regatta and Eastern Sprints.   All told, Wilhelm brings more than 35 years of coaching to the job. Before joining the Northeastern staff in 1992, he had an impressive run as head coach at Columbia University, overseeing both the men’s and women’s rowing programs.   Wilhelm initially started at Columbia in 1983. He founded the Columbia women’s rowing program and coached it for its first season. In his first four years, Wilhelm served as assistant coach to both the men’s lightweight and heavyweight programs and was named Director of Rowing after the 1987 season. He oversaw the men’s and women’s programs for the next four years, before coming to Northeastern.   Before his stint at Columbia, Wilhelm coached for a year at his alma mater, West Park Secondary School, where he rowed from 1974 to 1978. He also was a member of the St. Catharines Rowing Club from 1977 to 1983.   Wilhelm also has played a significant role in the rowing community as part of the commitment to elevate the sport in the United States. At the Boston Rowing Center in 1994 and 1995, he was in charge of women’s sculling. In 1988, he coached at the US Heavyweight Men’s Development camp, in Lake Placid, and in 1997 and 1998 he ran the men’s U.S. Lightweight Development Camp, in Boston. He has directed four Women’s Development Camps out the Henderson Boathouse in 2006, 2008, 2018 and 2019.   Many athletes under Wilhelm’s tutelage have represented their respective countries at the World Championships and Olympics. Most recently, Madison Mailey ’18, won gold at the Tokyo Olympics with Canada, sitting in the six seat. She won consecutive U23 World Championships in 2017 and 2018, representing Canada. She was in the eight which set the standing World U23 record in 2017. She went on to earn a silver medal in the Senior Women’s eight at the 2018 World Rowing Championships. She accomplished all of this as an undergrad. Another Northeastern alumna, Kady Glessner, ’08, stroked the U.S. women’s eight to two consecutive World Championships in 2009 and 2010. Prior to that, while at Northeastern, Glessner won the Under-23 World Championships in 2006 and 2007.   Wilhelm is a 1982 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he rowed for four years and captained the 1982 Penn crew. A native of St. Catharines, Ontario, and an oarsman of international reputation, he was a three-time member of the Canadian National Team.   Wilhelm and his wife Carol reside in Westwood, Mass., and have two daughters, Allison, and Anna who are proud Northeastern graduates. Anna is a past captain and coach of the university’s cheer squad.

Andrew Wieler enters his 17th season on the Northeastern coaching staff, and tenth as associate head coach in 2022. He joined the Northeastern women's rowing staff as an assistant coach in 2009 before being promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2016 season.   Wieler has helped guide the Huskies to unprecedented success in the last several seasons, capturing 11 consecutive CAA Championships and reaching the NCAA Championship in each of the last 11 seasons. He as also helped them grab two more Woodbury Cups in 2017 and 2022 and become finalists in three more Eastern Sprints in 2017, 2018, and 2019.  In 2016, the varsity eight finished second at the Eastern Sprints for the first time since 2012 before enjoying its highest finish at the national championships in more than a decade. At NCAAs, where all three NU boats were seeded 18th, the 1V reached the ‘C’ final and finished 17th in the nation, its best finish since 2000. That year, the 2V also finished above its seed, taking 17th.   The 2015 campaign was another successful one for Wilhelm’s Huskies, who went 5-2 during the regular season before all four boats reached the grand finals at the Eastern Sprints, including a fourth place finish from the 1V and a silver medal winning performance from the 2V. The Huskies would sweep all races at the CAA Championships to earn the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Championships, where the 1V took 19th. For his efforts, Wieler, along with assistant Sarah Ivey, were named the CRCA Regional Staff of the Year.   The 2014 season was one for the record books for the Huskies as Northeastern reached the finals of the Eastern Sprints for the third straight season, with all four NU crews medaling on the day in the program's best team performance in 34 appearances in the championship regatta. Northeastern’s varsity 8+ took the bronze while the Second Varsity 8+ (second), varsity 4+ (third) and third varsity 4+ (first), all had strong performances.   NU continued to build momentum two weeks later at the conference championships, storming to its fourth CAA title in impressive fashion. The Huskies swept all three races, led by dominating performances from the varsity and second varsity crews before the varsity four staged a come from behind victory to erase an open-water deficit to win by two seconds to propel the Huskies into the NCAA championships for the first time since 2000.    From 2004-09, Wieler coached the women's freshmen and second varsity boats at UB. He led the freshmen eight to second and third-place finishes at the Knecht Cup and a first-place finish at the Harvey Cup. He also coached the varsity four to a first-place in the Metro championship and the second varsity to a first-place finish at the Dad Vail regatta.   Wieler was a successful Northeastern oarsman before coaching at Buffalo. He stroked freshmen boat his first year and rowed fourth seat in the varsity as a sophomore. Wieler stroked the varsity in 2000 and was honored with the team's prestigious Outstanding Varsity Oarsman award. He was named crew captain for the 2000-01 season and won the Charlie Smith Award for Dedication to Rowing in '01. He continued rowing after Northeastern, winning a gold at the Canadian Henley in the Ridley Grad senior eight.   From 2006-08, Wieler also coached at the Westside RC. In 2008, he was the head coach of the US Rowing Development Camp at Westside RC.   As a Northeastern student, Wieler studied Art and Architecture. He is a native of St. Catharines, Ontario.

Head coach Joe Wilhelm announced on September 9, 2019 that Ariel Handler had joined the program as an assistant coach and has now completed six seasons with the Huskies. Since Ariel's time at Northeastern, she has assisted the women's rowing program in winning a Woodbury Cup in 2022, six CAA Championships, and making six NCAA Championship appearances.    "Ariel's coaching and coxing experience will make her a valuable resource for both our rowers and coxswains," Wilhelm said. "She has developed strong, committed young women at the junior level, and we are excited to see her use those skills to help us continue to do so at Northeastern. Her knowledge of the U.S. Junior Development System and the relationships she has developed with high school coaches will aid in our identification and recruitment of some of the top athletes in the United States."   Handler arrives at Northeastern after spending the previous four years as an assistant coach for Community Rowing, Inc. While at CRI, she helped qualify crews for the Youth National Championships in 2017 and 2019, and helped lead the women's high performance team to gold medals in the U19 eight and U19 quad.   During the 2018-19 season, Handler was also a volunteer assistant coach for the lightweights at Radcliffe.   As a student-athlete, Handler captained a UCLA team which finished seventh at the NCAA Championships and coxswained the varsity eight to a six place finish nationally, the highest finish for a UCLA crew and team at the NCAA Championships.    After graduation, Ariel served as an assistant coach at UCLA, before working with the US Junior Development System, where she continued to coach and run development camps through the summer of 2019. She also served as an assistant coach of the United States team at the 2013 Jr World Championships.