Matt Smith Named Head Coach of Men's Lightweight Rowing
7/24/2025
Matt Smith, a familiar face and championship-winning coach within the Princeton Rowing community, has been named head coach of the Men’s Lightweight Rowing program, Ford Family Director of Athletics John Mack ‘00 has announced.
Over his 11 seasons coaching heavyweight boats at Princeton, Smith has helped guide the Tigers to 27 medals at Sprints and 13 medals at the IRA national championship regatta. Since 2021, 24 of Smith’s rowers have gone on to earn All-America honors.
“We performed a national search to identify the next head coach of the men’s lightweight rowing program, and at the end it was clear the right candidate was already calling the Shea Rowing Center home in Matt Smith,” said Mack. “He is a world-class developer of elite rowing talent, and his record speaks for itself. His aptitude for building a team culture and preparing his student-athletes for success as collegiate and international rowers stood out and made him the proper choice to lead this team and build upon the tradition of success instilled over the years. I am excited for Matt to develop and grow as a leader and for what the future holds for the men’s lightweight rowing team and all four programs at the boathouse.”
Smith recently finished his 11th season with the Princeton men’s heavyweight team in 2025, a season that saw the Tigers finish fifth in the IRA Ten Eyck Standings, with the 1V finishing fourth in its Grand Final. At Eastern Sprints, the Tigers finished second in the team point standings, with the 2V and 3V winning silver and the 1V and 4V bronze.
In addition to his collegiate success, Smith has helped guide numerous Princeton rowers to international team selections including five Olympians who have gone on to win four medals. In the summer of 2024, Smith helped a Princeton boat win the Ladies Challenge Plate at Henley while another boat finished second in the Temple Challenge Cup.
“Princeton University is a special institution and the Princeton Rowing family is a passionate and supportive place. I am extremely grateful to John Mack and the entire senior administrative team for putting their faith in me to serve as the next head coach of the men’s lightweight rowing team,” Smith said. “Closer to home, I want to thank Greg Hughes for being a mentor and friend to me for the past 11 years. My first ever interaction with Princeton was being coached by legendary Princeton lights coach Joe Murtagh in the summer of 1997, so to be on this side of the megaphone stewarding the Tiger lights into the future leaves me speechless. The foundation that Marty Crotty and Dave Burke have laid is amazing. The Princeton lightweights are a world class team and I can’t wait to get to work with them. I would be remiss to not also say a huge thanks to my biggest supporter and fan, my wife Hilary. As a family we look forward to this new chapter.”
2024 was one of the best seasons in program history as it was the first time ever that Princeton's 1V and 2V each went undefeated during the same season. The success for Smith and the Tigers carried over to the postseason as the Tigers claimed the Rowe Cup at Eastern Sprints in 2024 for the first time since 2016 led by gold medals from the 2V and 3V. Princeton then went on and captured second place in the IRA Ten Eyck Standings which was the highest mark for the team since 2016 and the best score among all East Coast schools. The 2V earned a silver medal, its first medal at IRAs since 2017 and a five-spot jump from 2023. The 3V also collected a silver, its first medal since 2016.
The 2023 season saw the first varsity lose only once in the regular season before collecting its first medal at Eastern Sprints since 2016 with a silver medal. The first varsity earned a bronze medal at the 2023 IRA Championships, the boat’s first IRA medal since 2016. The Tigers also finished fourth in the Ten Eyck standings, a four-spot jump from 2022.
The 2022 season featured the varsity four of Eleanor Bauer, Greg Le Meur, Matthew Wagner, Emmett Infante and Sam Kleiner collecting gold at the IRA Championships. It was the first gold medal for Princeton at IRAs since the third varsity in 2016 and the first medal for the Tigers since the varsity four took bronze in 2019. The Tigers collected five All-America honors following the 2022 campaign.
Princeton produced five All-Americans in 2021 after securing eighth place at the IRA Championships.
Smith coached both the Princeton 3V and 4V during the 2016 season, and he experienced plenty of winning throughout the season. After perfect regular seasons by both boats, both the 3V and 4V went to Sprints and capped those seasons with gold medals. The 3V punctuated the season in style by winning gold at the IRA national championships; it was the first gold medal for a Princeton boat at IRAs since the freshman eight won the 2003 title. Members of the 4V created a varsity four that won silver at IRAs.
His work with the whole program helped Princeton repeat as Rowe Cup champion at Eastern Sprints. Princeton also finished second in the team points race at the IRA Championships, its best finish since 2005.
Before joining the staff at Princeton, Smith served as associate head coach at Cornell from 2008-14 and spent the 2012-14 summers as either an assistant coach or head of the USRowing Under-23 men’s national team. He specifically selected and trained the 2014 men’s eight, which included two returning Princeton heavyweights in James Hamp and Patrick Kontinnen, and led the boat to a bronze medal.
Smith had a highly successful six-year tenure at Cornell, where he guided five crews to medals at the Eastern Sprints. His freshman eight earned a bronze medal at the 2014 Sprints, it was the lone Cornell boat to reach a grand final at the IRA Championships. Over the last three years, his freshman eight has posted a 12-2 record during the regular season and medalled each year at Sprints.
Following his graduation from Wisconsin in 2000, Smith was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army where he continued his elite rowing career in the Army’s World Class Athlete Program.
During his time in the military, Smith was promoted twice, eventually earning the rank of Captain, and was awarded the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medals for exceptional duty in combat and peacetime operations. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School and Airborne School.
A seven-time member of the U.S national rowing team, Smith has won medals at the Pan-American Games, World Championships, and National Championships, while also representing the U.S. in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Smith is married to Hilary Gehman, a six-time member of the U.S. national rowing team and a two-time Olympian. They have two sons, Luke and Carson.
