Cristina Morcom joined the Miami rowing program in August 2018, accepting the position of graduate assistant coach.
Morcom has an extensive background as both a rower and rowing coach, competing at both Clemson University and the University of San Diego and coaching at the club level in California.
She comes to Coral Gables after a year as the varsity women’s coach at the Newport Aquatic Center (NAC) in Newport Beach, Calif. Morcom helped Newport Aquatic Club nearly double its team score at the Southwest Regional Championship, increasing from 74 total team points and a 6th place finish in 2017 to 146 total team points and a 4th place finish in her first year with the program.
Morcom also helped Newport Aquatic Center qualify its first women’s varsity quad for the 2018 Youth National Championship and guided 21 of the 24 seniors at the Newport Aquatic Center to college and university rowing programs with 90% receiving athletic aid.
Prior to her time at NAC, Morcom was a varsity women’s coach at the Newport Sea Base Rowing Club from October 2015 to June 2017. Under Morcom’s guidance, her athletes successfully qualified 10 seats for the 2017 USRowing Youth Nationals out of a total roster of 16. She also coached the women’s lightweight 8+ to gold at the San Diego Crew Classic and coached a women’s lightweight 8+ to qualify for nationals in the first year of having a women’s varsity program. She also coached a single sculler to a silver medal at the 2016 Youth National Championship.
Morcom’s path to rowing was a unique one, as she attended Clemson University as a soccer player before walking on to their rowing team. She helped the Tigers place second in the Novice 8+ at the 2012 ACC Championships and second in the second Varsity 8+ at the 2013 ACC Championships.
She transferred to the University of San Diego in August 2013, becoming one of the few full scholarship rowers in program history and was named First Team All-West Coast Conference. Morcom led the women’s rowing team at USD to NCAAs for the first time in school history and the highest national ranking ever as a team at 14th and as a Varsity 8+ as 13th. She helped the Toreros place first in the Varsity 8+ at the WCC Championships in 2014 and second in the Varsity 8+ at the WCC Championships in 2015.
Morcom earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of San Diego in 2015. She is currently pursuing a master’s of education in sport administration at the University of Miami.
