DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake University rowing head coach Charlie DiSilvestro has announced the hiring of Betsy Bayliss as assistant coach. Bayliss comes to Drake from Seattle University, where she was an assistant coach for three seasons for the Redhawks.
 
"Betsy was the novice coach at Seattle, where she coached the novice 8 to a first-place championship at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association," DiSilvestro said. "Before Seattle, she was at Puget Sound, where she coached many medalists at the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference & WIRA championships. What sold me on Betsy was her balance on academics, competitiveness and team dynamics. She knows how to relate to student-athletes in ways that empower themselves to accomplish things may not have been able to do."
 
Bayliss served as an assistant coach for two seasons at her alma mater, the University of Puget Sound, prior to her time at Seattle. She was a four-year member on the Loggers crew team and was elected as a team captain of the novice team. Bayliss competed at the NCAA national championship twice as a student-athlete and led two boats to the national championship as an assistant coach. Also, an assistant coach, three of her novice boats won NCRC championships.
 
"Drake is an excellent institution that offers its student-athletes meaningful experiences on-and-off the water," Bayliss said. "I'm excited to bring my competitive background to Drake and to help grow the program and I look forward to being part of this close-knit Bulldog family."
 
Bayliss earned a bachelor's degree in English from Puget Sound and a master's degree in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership from the University of Washington. She holds a Level II Coaching Certification from USRowing.
 
Bayliss will be in charge of the Drake novice team, while assisting with the day-to-day operations of the entire program and the recruitment of student-athletes. Bayliss replaces Katie Thurstin, who was named head men's and women's rowing coach at Stetson University in June, 2017.