Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh names Liz Meltzer Head Rowing Coach
8/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Rowing, Women's Rowing
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“I know I am inheriting a stable program that enjoys the support of the Lehigh University Athletic Department and is full of stellar student athletes. I plan to build on our successful spring season by promoting a team culture that is deliberate in our acquisition of boat speed and relentless in our pursuit of excellence in all endeavors, be it on the water or in the classroom.”
Also on Friday, Meltzer appointed Jason Moorehead as the program’s Head Men’s Varsity Coach. Moorehead has been an assistant at Lehigh for the past seven years. “It is my pleasure to appoint Jason Moorehead as Head Coach of the men's team,” Meltzer explained. “He has demonstrated his commitment to Lehigh and the well being of the student-athletes in every role he has played during the past seven years. During his time with the Lehigh Crew, Jason has been very successful on the freshman level and I am confident that he will be able to produce fast varsity crews consistently.”
She added, “I'm excited to see him capitalize on the varsity heavyweight eights petite final win in addition to the junior varsity heavyweight eights second place finish at the Dad Vail this past spring. I know that graduate assistant David Highhill will be an incredible freshman men's coach and assist Jason quite capably with the varsity crews and recruiting as well.”
During her time at Lehigh, Meltzer has been responsible for a number of duties, including the planning, organization and oversight of the rowing program’s recruitment effort. Through her efforts, the program secured commitments from 28 rowers this past June, making up the first-ever Lehigh rowing recruiting class. On the water, the Washington, D.C. native led the Lehigh freshmen women’s crew to a second place finish at the 2006 Navy Day Regatta, as well as first and second place finishes at the 2006 Frostbite Regatta and a top-ten finish at the 2007 Dad Vail Regatta.
“Of all the candidates with whom I spoke, and there were quite a few, none presented anything close to the vision and organizational plan that was presented by Liz Meltzer,” Lehigh Goodman Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett explained. “Her understanding of Lehigh, her strong belief in what is in place and in what can be developed here and her ability to organize and articulate these thoughts was quite impressive. Our staff and our other head coaches who participated in the interviews of finalists were unanimous in their endorsement of Liz.”
“Liz has done a great job during her two years at Lehigh as an assistant and she is highly respected by both the women and the men within the program,” Savell said on Thursday. “I knew we were lucky to get Liz when she came to Lehigh and she has been nothing short of outstanding.” He added, “She did a great job recruiting this past year and through her tireless work, Lehigh has a very strong freshmen class coming in to go with a strong returning crew. The program will have a lot of success under Liz’s leadership.”
Prior to coming to Lehigh, Meltzer served as the head coach of the
“Liz is an extremely bright, extremely hard working and dedicated young lady who I have the highest regard for,” explained Dr. Robert Karch, the Chair of the Department of Health and Fitness at
Meltzer earned her bachelors degree from The Johns Hopkins University in 2002 where she served as captain of the crew. She later went onto earn her masters degree from
Sterrett added, “This search was a very educational one for me, and as a result of the time invested and the conclusions we have reached, I am quite confident and excited about the current state and the future of our rowing program.”
