McCallie crew team competing in a race on the Tennessee River

Blue Tornado Rowing

With more than 30 years of rowing history at The McCallie School, the sport is steeped in tradition. McCallie oarsmen learn more than just strokes on the water. Rowers learn much about themselves as athletes and as individuals.

Sean McCourt was named head coach of McCallie Rowing in 2012. Since then, McCallie has won medals at races such as the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championships, the National Schools Championship, the U.S. Rowing Southeast Regional Championship, and the Mid-South Scholastic Championship, as well as other cup and head races.

In the 2024-25 season, the Blue Tornado retained the Raoul Cup in its annual competition with Baylor, and made it a clean sweep against their rivals in every race versus the Red Raiders. At the state championships, the Blue Tornado oarsmen brought home first-place trophies in the Varsity 8, the Second Varsity 8, the Third Varsity 8, the Novice 8, the Second Novice 8 and the Lightweight 4.

The season culminated in a powerful showing at the U.S. Scholastic Nationals in May in New Jersey. The Lightweight 4 boat earned a silver medal for second place against a national field and featured the crew of Parker Crenshaw, Hudson Hazelwood, Thatcher Lehn, Fabian Salzmann, and Noah Smith. The Heavyweight 4 placed fifth overall, and the Junior 4 narrowly missed a spot in the Grand Final race.

In May 2022, the Blue Tornado Junior 8 boat raced to a national title at the SRAA Prep Nationals. In the spring of 2024, the Junior 8, Freshmen 8 and Varsity 8 all qualified for the Scholastic Nationals. The Freshmen 8 boat placed sixth, and the Junior 8 advanced to the semifinals. Seniors Grey Richmond and John Testerman will continue to row at the University of Wisconsin and Syracuse University respectively.

Many of the oarsmen the program has produced have continued to row after McCallie and have attended some of the most prestigious schools in the country. The 2024 class saw Grey Richmond and John Testerman accept scholarships to row at the University of Wisconsin and Syracuse University respectively. Last season's squad produced two collegiate athletes -- Quin Avery who will row at Northeastern University, and Ethan Provost who will compete at the University of San Diego.

Additional McCallie rowing alums have rowed at Boston University, Cambridge, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Hobart, MIT, Oxford, Penn, Princeton, the U.S. Naval Academy, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Yale among others. Rowers have also participated in the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, the Junior World Championships, the Under-23 World Championship, and the Senior World Championship.

GPS | McCallie Rowing Center

Situated along the north bank of the Tennessee River at 971 Heritage Landing Drive this one-of-a-kind 15,000-square-foot facility features a training room that accommodates 48 ergs and other conditioning equipment as well as three large bays for boat storage, a spacious multipurpose room for team meetings and events, separate locker rooms with showers, and office spaces for coaches. Outside the center is dedicated parking and, at the water’s edge, a larger dock to accommodate both teams.

Program Offerings

Upper School Varsity

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Rowing Alumni in College

Many McCallie rowing alumni have attended some of the most prestigious schools in the country. McCallie rowing alums have rowed at Boston University, Cambridge, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Hobart, MIT, Northeastern, Oxford, Penn, Princeton, San Diego, Syracuse, the U.S. Naval Academy, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Yale.