Episode 130 Nancy LaRocque Pederson College Rowing Coach/ US Rowing

On this episode of the RU Strong Podcast, I sit down with one of the most respected minds in collegiate rowing and athlete development, Nancy LaRocque Pederson.

Nancy’s journey is anything but conventional. A former rower at UMass Amherst who didn’t even pick up the sport until college, turned a late start into a lifelong passion that shaped an elite coaching career. From her early days at Vassar College, where she quickly stepped into a head coaching role, to transforming the women’s rowing program at West Virginia University from a club team into a Division I program, Nancy has consistently built and elevated teams at the highest level.

Her coaching journey continued at the University of Wisconsin, where she became one of the top recruiters in the country, developing talent from both elite prospects and walk-on athletes. She later took on the challenge of leading an Ivy League program at Dartmouth College, where success required not only athletic excellence, but also the ability to recruit and develop high-character, academically elite student-athletes.

Now serving with U.S. Rowing as a Development and Athlete Success Associate, Nancy is helping Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls navigate life beyond sport, aligning career opportunities with the demands of elite training.

In this powerful conversation, Nancy shares her insights on leadership, recruiting, resilience, and what it truly takes to build a winning culture. She also reflects on the importance of mentorship, the evolving landscape of college athletics, and the life lessons that sports continue to teach long after competition ends.

This is an episode about growth, grit, and making an impact on and off the water.