Washington College Men's Rowing

Alex Kincaid assumed the full-time head coach position of men’s rowing at Washington College on July 1, 2025, after serving as the acting head coach since January 2025.  In his first season guiding the team, the Shoremen’s Varsity Eight took first in the Petite Final at the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (MARC) Championships and had two rowers earn all-conference honors. The team also captured the silver medal in the Varsity Four at the Dad Vail Regatta in May to conclude the season.  The second season under Kincaid saw the Shoremen Varsity Eight finish third amongst Division III programs at the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (MARC) Championships and won the singles race at the championships. At the Dad Vail Regatta, the Freshmen Varsity Eight earn a silver medal in the season finale. In October's Head of the Schuylkill, the team earned four medals, gold, silver and bronze in the Freshman Four races and the Freshmen/Novice 8 picked up silver in its race. The team consisted of 15 freshmen, four juniors, one sophomore and one senior. Kincaid served as a coxswain for four years with the heavyweight men’s team at Washington College before beginning his coaching career. After graduating he coached rowing and taught at DeMatha Catholic High School before transitioning to coaching the men’s rowing team at Catholic University. His most recent coaching role was at The Naval Academy as an assistant for the Heavyweight men.    At DeMatha Kincaid coached the varsity men’s team, implementing a strategic coaching rotation that maximized the strengths of the staff while enhancing the athletes' skills. He also structured year-round training plans for both the varsity and novice programs, in addition to forming development and competitive summer rowing programs. While at DeMatha the team recorded their highest place finishes at regattas like the Head of The Hooch and The Royal Canadian Henley.     At Catholic University, Kincaid briefly supported both the men’s and women’s teams before taking over as head coach and recruiting coordinator of the men’s team in January 2020. During his time at the helm of Catholic, Kincaid navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and helped elevate the program to new heights while more than doubling the roster size. Under his leadership, the team made their first appearance at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in 2021, placed third at the 2022 Knecht Cup, and recorded their highest ever finishes in the first and second varsity 8+ at the MARC conference championships. Kincaid also guided the varsity four to the program’s first-ever berth at the IRA National Championships in 2022, where athlete Declan Waters earned a spot on the IRCA All-American Second Team.    In the Fall of 2022, Kincaid joined the United States Naval Academy coaching staff as an assistant for the heavyweight men’s team. Working primarily with the lower boats and assisting with recruiting, he contributed to the team’s depth with his boats notching wins against Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, Syracuse, and Penn as well as a first place victory at the Eastern Sprints for the 6th varsity 8+. He also coached the 4+ to a fifth-place finish at the 2023 IRA National Championships—Navy’s highest finish at the IRA since 2012.    As a collegiate competitor, Kincaid was a two-year team captain at Washington College and earned All-Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (MARC) honors in 2019. He was also a two-time team MVP, a three-time Academic All-MARC selection, and the recipient of the 2018 Elizabeth "Bo" Blanchard Memorial Sportsmanship Award.    Kincaid began his rowing career at DeMatha Catholic High School, where he was a two-year varsity team captain and earned All-Met honorable mention honors.    He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Washington College (2019) and a M.S. in Leadership and Management from The Catholic University of America (2022). In addition to his coaching duties, Kincaid currently serves as an Academic Advisor at Washington College and lives in Chestertown with his wife, Karis, a 2019 WC graduate and four-year member of the Shorewomen Rowing squad. 

Rene Szynal was named assistant men's rowing coach at Washington College in January 2022. In that season, the team was the Division III Champion of the MARC (Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference) and attended the IRA National Championship Regatta in New Jersey.  In 2023, the Shoremen Varsity Eight won the Petite Final at the MARC Championships. 2024 saw the squad capture the Varsity Four Petite Final at the conference championships. The 2025 season saw the Shoremen take their second Varsity Eight Petite Final crown at the MARC Championships in three seasons. The 2026 team saw the Shoremen Varsity Eight finish third amongst Division III programs at the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (MARC) Championships and won the singles race at the championships.  Rene completed US Rowing Level 2 Coaching Certification in 2023. A life-long rower, he began rowing at Phillips Exeter Academy and competed as collegiate at Cornell University. Coach Szynal graduated cum laude from the University of Delaware in 1994 with a BS in Business Management.    He is also the parent of a member of the Washington College Women’s Rowing alumna, Alexandra Szynal ’24, who was a part of two teams that won the MARC crown and qualified for the NCAA Championship. His professional career has included executive leadership in the printing industry, and federal service at the Library of Congress. He and his family live in Annapolis, Md.