Penn AC Gold Coaches
Paul Coomes - Director of Junior Programs & Head Coach, High Performance Juniors
Paul Coomes is one of the most accomplished and respected junior rowing coaches in the United States. Over more than 27 years of coaching, he has built nationally recognized programs, developed championship-caliber athletes, and helped hundreds of rowers achieve success at the scholastic, collegiate, national, and international levels.
Paul's rowing career began in 1992 at the University of Dayton, where he helped establish the university's rowing club. While his greatest impact on the sport would ultimately come from the coach's seat rather than the athlete's seat, the experience sparked a passion for building programs and developing athletes that has defined his career. Following graduation, he volunteered as coach of Dayton's men's team, leading the program through a period of significant growth and competitive improvement.
In 1998, Paul moved to Philadelphia and accepted the challenge of founding Conestoga High School's rowing program. Over the next 18 years, he transformed the team into one of the premier scholastic rowing programs in the country. Under his leadership, Conestoga crews won 21 Stotesbury Cup Championships, 25 Scholastic National Championships, and numerous medals at the USRowing Youth National Championships, establishing the program as a national standard for excellence in junior rowing.
Particularly known for his expertise in sculling, Paul has coached athletes and crews to success at every level of the sport. His contributions have been recognized with honors including Schuylkill Navy Coach of the Year and American Junior Coaching Conference Girls Sculling Coach of the Year. Among his proudest accomplishments was coaching Conestoga's girls quadruple scull to victory in the Schools/Junior 4x at the 2006 Women's Henley Regatta, one of the most notable international achievements by an American scholastic crew.
In addition to his success in junior rowing, Paul has coached athletes at Penn AC, Undine Barge Club, Bachelors Barge Club, and Crescent Boat Club. Crews under his guidance have won major events including the Head of the Charles Regatta, the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, and multiple USRowing National Championships. In 2009, he served as coach of the U.S. Lightweight Men's Single Sculler at the World Rowing Championships, reflecting the breadth of his experience and reputation within the sport.
Today, as Penn AC's Director of Junior Programs and Head Coach of the High Performance Junior Program, Paul is leading an exciting new chapter in Philadelphia rowing. He oversees the development of Penn AC's year-round high-performance junior program, providing aspiring athletes with a pathway to regional, national, and international success. His and Penn AC’s vision is to create a training environment that provides young athletes with the technical foundation, competitive opportunities, and high-performance culture necessary to succeed at the highest levels of the sport.
Throughout his career, Paul's greatest satisfaction has come from helping athletes exceed their own expectations—whether winning national championships, competing internationally, earning collegiate opportunities, or simply discovering what they are capable of accomplishing through commitment and hard work. His coaching philosophy combines technical excellence, disciplined preparation, and a belief that long-term success is built through consistent daily improvement.
Outside of rowing, Paul holds a degree in engineering and has worked in project management, product development, innovation management, and quality management. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Amy Giddings, and their three children, Turner, Noah, and Autumn.
Will Scully - Junior Men’s Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Coach Scully returns to Penn AC Gold for his sixth summer on the coaching staff and his fourth summer leading the men’s squad. In his three years as head coach, the Penn AC Gold men have brought home a lot of hardware but most importantly, he helped the team secure three consecutive team points trophies at the Independence Day Regatta and two consecutive Colgan Cup team points trophies at USRowing "RowFest" National Championship Regatta.
Will began his rowing career in 2008 as a junior at Simsbury High School, in Simsbury, CT. Will continued his rowing career at Trinity College, in Hartford CT, where he won two New England Championships and one ECAC Championship. He helped Trinity secure the New England’s Points Trophy for three consecutive years.
Following his graduation, Will went to Philadelphia to continue rowing for the U23 program at Penn AC, and represented the club at U23 Trials, Club Nationals, and Canadian Henley. In search of more rowing and adventure, Will moved to Sydney, Australia, where he joined Mosman Rowing Club and trained with members of the Australian U23 and senior national teams. He competed at the Sydney International Rowing Regatta, earning a spots in the open 4x and open 2x finals.
Upon returning home, Will took on some brief coaching stints in Connecticut before moving to The Hill School in 2016. Under Will's guidance, the Hill School boys won the 2018 Stotesbury Cup Junior 4+ event and finished 4th in the 2019 Senior 4+.
In 2025, Coach Scully moved to the St. Andrew’s School in Delaware where he serves as the boy's Head Rowing Coach and a physics teacher.
Adam Sanin – Junior Men’s Assistant Coach/Manager of Telemetry/Data
Adam Sanin returns to Penn AC Gold as an assistant coach, bringing a wealth of experience developing elite junior rowers. With a background spanning collegiate, high school, and club-level coaching, he looks forward to continuing Penn AC's tradition of excellence.
Sanin currently serves as the Assistant Coach for Georgetown University Lightweights. In his first season with the squad the Hoyas saw signature wins in the 2V and 3V over top ranked Ivy league opponents during the duel season and capped off the season with an IRA gold in the LWT4+.
His coaching career includes time at Boston University, where he helped guide the varsity heavyweight 4+ to an Eastern Sprints Championship. His junior's coaching experience spans time with Princeton National Rowing Association, Community Rowing Inc, and his alma mater, Gonzaga College High School.
During his time at CRI, he graduated from the Institute of Rowing Leadership and earned a Level 5 coaching accreditation recognized by the United States Center for Coaching Education
Sanin is committed to fostering a high-performance environment at Penn AC Gold and preparing athletes for success at the Independence Day Regatta, USRowing Summer National Championship, and beyond. He aims to help athletes refine their approach, maximize physiological development, and prepare for the next level of their rowing careers.
Margaret Dail - Junior Men's Assistant Coach
Margaret Dail joins Penn AC Gold for a second season. A graduate of the University of Texas, Margaret was a four-time Big 12 Champion, team captain, and NCAA runner-up during her collegiate career.
Following her time as an athlete, Margaret moved into coaching at the Division I level, most recently serving as an Assistant Coach at Rutgers University and before at George Washington University. She also coached with Austin Rowing Club, where she worked with junior women and masters athletes and helped guide crews to success at major regattas including the Head of the Charles and Youth Nationals.
Luis Palomeque – Program Leader
Luis Palomeque is a coxswain at La Salle University, working under the guidance of Ivo Krakic, while pursuing a degree in criminal justice and psychology with a minor in international relations. His rowing journey began at Norwalk River Rowing Association, where he developed a strong technical foundation and a deep appreciation for team culture and performance.
Luis began coaching during his sophomore summer NRRA with master’s learn-to-row and later joined Maritime Rowing Club. As an athlete at both NRRA and MRC, he competed at the highest levels of junior rowing, including the USRowing Youth National Championships in the men’s youth 8+. His experience assisting with sculling crews has sharpened his technical eye, complemented by a strong emphasis on injury prevention and mobility-based training.
Luis is passionate about fostering a competitive, supportive environment where athletes can stand out, challenge themselves, and reach their full potential. Outside of rowing, he enjoys playing tennis, and exploring Philadelphia.
Sierra Williams - Junior Women's Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Sierra Williams returns to Boathouse Row for her third summer with Penn AC Gold.
Sierra began rowing in 2012 at Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center in Seattle, WA. After graduating from high school, Sierra continued rowing at the University of Washington, earning spots on the 2019 Pac-12 and NCAA championship women’s team.
After completing her bachelor’s degree in Geography and Urban Planning, she began coaching for Seattle Preparatory School in the fall of 2022. In her first two years, the program sent 15 boats to the USRowing Youth National Championships, setting a program record in the spring of 2024 by sending nine boats.
Since January of 2025, she has been the girl's Head Coach at Sammamish Rowing Association. During her first spring season with Sammamish, the SRA junior girls claimed the Northwest Regional Women’s Team Points Trophy for the first time since 2018. SRA then took a varsity 4+ and U17 4+ to the Youth National Championships, where they placed 16th and 12th respectively, making it through to the A/B semis, the first SRA girls' boats to do so since 2019.
In the summer of 2025, her second year with Penn AC Gold, she returned as the junior girl's Head Coach. At the Independence Day Regatta, the team claimed the Team Points Trophy for the third consecutive year. At USRowing's RowFest National Championships, Penn AC swept the men’s, women’s, and Overall Team Points Trophies, marking the first time in program history that the women of Penn AC Gold brought home the Women's Team Points title.
When Sierra is not coaching or rowing semi-recreationally, she enjoys skiing in the Pacific Northwest or lounging with her cats Gustav and Petunia.
Mackenna Cameron – Junior Women’s Assistant Coach
Mackenna began rowing for Green Lake Crew, in Seattle, WA. After two successful years with GLC, she was recruited to row for the University of Washington. During her time at UW, she earned seats in the varsity 4+ that won at Head of the Charles, and in the second varsity 8+ that won the PAC-12 and NCAA championships.
Upon graduating with a bachelor’s in sociology, she began coaching juniors for Green Lake Crew. Working alongside some of her former coaches, she focused on building a strong novice program that included Green Lake’s largest novice boy’s class. She was also essential in leading them to medal winning positions every year at Northwest Youth Championships. After three years with the novice program, she took a position within GLC as an experienced boy’s coach.
For the past year she has been working with Sammamish Rowing Association as their U17 boy’s coach. This has been a fun change of pace, but Mackenna is thrilled to get back on the Schuylkill for her second summer with Penn AC Gold as an assistant coach for the junior women’s team!
Alex Natale – Junior Women’s Assistant Coach
No stranger to Boathouse Row, Alex Natale joins the Penn AC Gold coaching staff for her first summer on the Schuylkill. The Philadelphia native began her rowing career at Mount St. Joseph Academy before competing at the Division I level for the University of Tennessee and Drexel University. At Drexel, Alex served as team captain, earned All-Conference honors, and won a CAA Championship and Dad Vail Gold in the Varsity 8+.
Her elite competitive trajectory also included setting all-time school erg records and receiving an invitation to the 2021 U.S. U23 Selection Camp.
Following her collegiate career, Alex moved to the UK to earn a Master of Science in Sport and Exercise Nutrition at Oxford Brookes University while training with their world-renowned rowing program. She was awarded the Polar UK Prize for the most outstanding graduate research in her field.
As a coach, Alex has a proven track record of championship results. She served as girl's crew coach at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in 2023–2024, guiding the program to its first-ever Manny Flick Points Trophy in women’s sculling and first medals at both the Stotesbury Regatta and SRAA Nationals.
In 2025, during her first season coaching at Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School, her crews claimed two golds at the Philadelphia City Championships, a gold and silver at Stotesbury Regatta, and the varsity 4+ title at SRAA Nationals. The season concluded with a trip to the Henley Women’s Regatta to compete for the prestigious Groton School Challenge Cup—marking the strongest season in the young program’s history.
Nora Wilson – Women’s Team Program Leader
Nora Wilson discovered rowing in 2021 at Green Lake Crew in Seattle, Washington, and quickly immersed herself in every aspect of the sport. During her four years as a youth athlete, she raced in the 4-, 2V 8+, and 1V 8+, earning podium finishes at Northwest Regionals each season and competing at the USRowing Youth National Championships in both the women’s 4- and women’s 2V 8+. Her rowing journey also took her across the Atlantic to compete in some of the sport’s most iconic events, including Henley Women’s Regatta, Reading Regatta, and the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta.
Beyond the boat, Nora developed a passion for mentoring young athletes through STEM to Stern’s partnership with Green Lake Crew. For three summers, she designed STEM-focused educational programming and coordinated logistics for middle school rowers, helping introduce the next generation to both rowing and leadership.
After graduating, Nora transitioned directly into coaching while pursuing a degree in engineering at the University of Washington. As a novice girls coach at Green Lake Crew, she helped lead the program’s top boat to a victory at the Brentwood International Regatta and a silver medal finish in the women’s U16 8+ at Northwest Regionals. She also worked extensively with the club’s masters program, coaching and coxing athletes of all experience levels, including the women’s masters 8+ at the Husky Open.
For Nora, coaching has been a rewarding way to give back to the community that shaped her as an athlete. She is excited to spend the summer at Penn AC, supporting a talented group of rowers from across the country while helping create a competitive, collaborative, and fun environment on and off the water.
When the summer wraps up, Nora will return to Seattle to continue working with STEM to Stern and coaching Green Lake Crew, bringing home new experiences, fresh perspectives, and lessons learned from her time at Penn AC.
Coxswain Coach/Assistant Coach
Michael Harris returns to Penn AC as the coxswain and assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s team for the second year. Michael competed as a coxswain with Syracuse University competing in the varsity eight and earned sixth place finishes at the 2024 Eastern Sprints and IRA Regattas.
Following his collegiate career, he joined Penn AC Gold as a program leader for the 2024 season helping the men’s U17 8+ win at the USRowing Summer National Championships ("RowFest").
He then briefly returned to his home program, Winter Park Crew, to briefly serve as the men’s freshman coach before returning to the Schuylkill to help the men’s U17 8+ earn silver at the 2025 RowFest. Following that, he moved to coach at Los Gatos Rowing Club where his U17 4+ broke the course record by five seconds at Head of the Charles.