SMU rowing head coach Chase Graham announced the 2023-24 rowing staff on Monday. Dan Schenk was named Assistant Coach, Tom Dougherty was also named Assistant Coach and Peyton Matthews and Vanja Obradovic will be Graduate Assistants for 2023-24.
DAN SCHENK
Schenk comes to SMU from Embry-Riddle where he was the head rowing coach since October of 2021.
As head coach at Embry-Riddle in Florida, Schenk was named South Region Coach of the Year during his previous season that saw Embry-Riddle finish fifth in the nation at the 2023 National Championship. The Eagles won their second consecutive conference title and earned the conference Boat of the Year honors. In his first season at the helm of Embry-Riddle (2021-22), the Eagles won a conference title to qualify for the NCAA Championship. At the NCAAs, the team finished in third place.
Before being named head coach, Schenk was Assistant Coach at Embry-Riddle and helped the Eagles to a fourth-place national finish in his first half season on the staff.
Prior to his time at Embry-Riddle, Schenk worked as Executive Director at Baltimore Community Rowing. He managed a staff of 15 coaches responsible for instructing multiple groups, including juniors and masters to learn to row. He maintained a fleet of 38 rowing shells and organized club-wide money raising events.
From January 2018 to May 2019, Schenk was Assistant Crew Coach at Calvert College High School in Baltimore. He worked with the newly created program to mentor and advance the athletes' physical and technical skills.
Schenk spent five years as the Co-Owner and COO/CFO of Finish Line Rowing in Baltimore. He headed day-to-day operations and fiscal management of the business in rowing shell repair. Schenk managed staff in growing the Finish Line business.
Previously, Schenk was the Head Crew Coach at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. The team won the 2015 SRAA Boys' Varsity Four National Championship and finished eighth in the Girls Varsity Four Regatta.
As head of the Women's program, Schenk helped the Varsity Eight and Junior Eight qualify for the SRAA National Championship in 2012 and 2011 respectively.
Schenk spent time at the collegiate level, serving as the Head Men's Novice Crew Coach at American University in Washington, D.C. from August 2010-May 2011. At the club level, he was the Head Coach of the Capital Adaptive Rowing Program with the Capital Rowing Club in Washington, D.C. from April 2011-September 2011. While on staff, Schenk coached 12 physically and mentally disabled service members, veterans, and civilians at on-water practice and competitive regattas.
Schenk earned his Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Education Policy Studies from Penn State in 2007 and completed a Masters of Business Administration from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland in 2013.
TOM DOUGHERTY
Dougherty joins the SMU staff after a stint as the Head Masters Coach and Assistant Junior Coach at the Nashville Rowing Club since March of 2022.
At Nashville Rowing, he oversaw many aspects of the program including designing training, deciding which regattas to travel, heading the adult competitive, development and learn-to-row programs, and assisting with all aspects of the junior program.
Dougherty's previous rowing work included serving as the Head Coach of the Rowing program at Oklahoma City University. Dougherty led the men's and women's program during his time in Oklahoma City. The Stars excelled during his stint and were represented by student-athletes at the Under 23 World Championship. He coached the team to a gold medal at the Dad Vail Regatta in 2018.
Prior to Oklahoma City, Dougherty was head women's coach of the New York Athletic Club where he was responsible for a array of aspects of the program from recruitment to travel to developing training plans. He coached three Olympic and National team members while heading the program including two members of the USA Women's 8+ in 2020 Olympics. He also coached a member of the 2017 and 2018 USA Under 23 Lightweight Men's 4x and 1x.
Dougherty was the Assistant Coach at Iona's men's and women's program before New York. His primary duties came with the women's program. He handled recruitment and administrative tasks such as compliance, medical clearance, and roster management.
Doughtery made stops as Master's Rowing Coach at Pelham Community Rowing Association, Junior Rowing Coach at West Side Rowing Club and Assistant Rowing Coach at Jacksonville University. At Jacksonville, the program took home a conference championship during his time there and won a Dad Vail Gold medal.
Dougherty got his B.A. from Marietta College in Ohio, majoring in broadcasting and minoring in journalism. He was coxswain for three years at Marietta and captained the team.
PEYTON MATTHEWS
Peyton Matthews joins the SMU staff after a standout All-American career at SMU.
Matthews competed from 2018-2022 with Mustang rowing earning several all-conference honors. In her senior season, Matthews led the Mustangs to a conference title and a an 11th place finish at the NCAA Championship. Matthews competed with the first varsity eight as they claimed a third straight conference title for that boat. She was selected as a Pocock CRCA All-American Honorable Mention for her performance in 2021-22.
In 2020-21, Matthews also was named CRCA/Pocock All-American Honorable Mention. She competed with the first varsity eight boat that finished 13th overall at the NCAA Championship. Her boat was named AAC Boat of the Year after winning another conference title as the whole Mustang squad won the AAC crown for the first time.
Her sophomore season was cut short due to COVID after just one meet.
In her first year on the Hilltop, Matthews was named AAC All-Academic along with competing in a successful first varsity eight boat. The 1v8 was named Boat of the Year by the AAC after they finished in first at the AAC Championship.
VANJA OBRADOVIC
Vanja Obradovic joined the Mustangs as a graduate assistant in fall 2022 from Princeton University.
Obradovic finished fifth in the third varsity eight at Eastern Sprints and eighth at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships in 2022. In 2019 he was a mainstay in the second varsity eight, earning wins over Georgetown, Navy, Columbia and Penn. He earned a bronze medal Eastern Sprints, going on to finish sixth at the IRA Championships.
Competing for Serbia, he placed fifth in the coxless four at the 2017 World Rowing U23 Championships. In the coxed four, he finished fourth at the 2016 World Rowing Junior Championships and earned silver at the 2016 European Junior Championships. He won a national title in the coxless four and quad in 2016, and another in the U17 pair in 2014.
A native of Novi Sad, Serbia, he earned his undergraduate degree in sociology from Princeton in 2022. He is pursuing his master of science in sport management at SMU
