Canisius College rowing coach Joel Furtek has completed his coaching staff for the Golden Griffins' inaugural season with a pair of hires. Joining the staff will be assistant coach Skip Kielt and graduate assistant coach Stephanie Parrish.

As assistant coach, Kielt will assist the women's varsity team as well as serve as the head coach for the men's club program. A Buffalo native, Kielt rowed for St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute. After a successful scholastic career, he attended Rutgers University where he competed as both a lightweight and a heavyweight. Returning home during the summer time, he rowed at the West Side Rowing Club, home of the Golden Griffins. Recently, Kielt trained at the National High Performance Center in Oklahoma City.

"Skip is exactly the coach we want for our young men's club. He has raced at the very highest level of men's rowing in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges defeating perennial powers like Yale. Along the way, he also represented the United States at the U23 Worlds in 2008. All of that experience and speed, coupled with a deep understanding of rowing in Buffalo, make him an outstanding addition to our staff.  I look forward to helping him bring our men's program back to the winner's podium at the Dad Vail Regatta," said Furtek.

Parrish is familiar to Furtek's coaching style and expectations, rowing for him at the University of Miami (Fla.). She raced at highly regarded regattas, including The Head of the Charles, the San Diego Crew Classic, and the University of Washington's Opening Day Regatta. At Miami, Parrish finished in third place at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championships under the direction of Furtek, the best ACC finish of any Miami crew.

"I couldn't be happier to be reunited with Stephanie. I knew her as an outstanding student and rower at Miami, and I welcome her now as a vital part of our staff. Stephanie has raced in front of hundreds of thousands of fans at the nation's biggest regattas, and has raced straight-up with NCAA crews from Virginia, Washington, USC, Michigan, and more. I'm excited for Stephanie to bring that experience, and her passion for rowing, to our young team," stated Furtek.

Parrish will be pursuing her masters degress in special education at the College.

Rowing is the ninth women's varsity sport offered at Canisius and brings the total number of varsity programs to 17. The team will compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The NCAA has sponsored rowing as an official championship sport since 1997. There are currently 84 schools that compete at the Division I level in 11 different conferences.