Chavers Adds Four to Rowing Coaching Staff

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State rowing head coach Kim Chavers has announced the addition of four new coaches to the MSU rowing staff. Assistant coaches Austin Work, Kaitlin Ulbert and Maddie Shellgren join student assistant coach Hannah Hentgen.

"We have brought together a really diverse group of coaches both in their coaching background and competitive experience," said rowing head coach Kim Chavers. "I believe they each bring unique strengths to the staff that will help drive our team forward."

Assistant Coach Austin Work

Work comes to Michigan State after a one-year stint as the Head Coach of Recovery on Water in Chicago, Ill. While serving as head coach, Work provided direct oversight of athlete development and helped mentor more than 100 patients and survivors of breast cancer. Work was instrumental in the development of their new program "Pathways", which aimed to better support the competitive and recreational interests of all survivors in the club.

Prior to Recovery on Water, Work spent two years (2017-2019) as the Director of Rowing for Vero Beach Rowing in Vero Beach, Fla. While there, Work played a huge role in helping navigate the junior transition from Scholastic to Club and contributed to a 20-percent increase in masters members, while assisting in the design of the organization's $2.4 million boathouse. Prior to that, he spent three years as the Head Junior Coach at the Austin Rowing Club, where he later became the director of rowing. Work was integral in the success of the ARC, helping athletes finish consistently in the top-20 of the USRowing Youth National Championships.

Work spent five seasons (2009-14) coaching the novice women at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass. Work played a key role in the success of the program, aiding 'The Blue' to five consecutive trips to the NCAA Championships. Along with helping develop 12 first-team All-Americans, Work guided his crews to a gold medal finish at the 2012 ECAC Championship, and five-straight Seven Sisters and NEWMAC Conference Championship wins.

Work attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon where he served as Varsity Captain on the rowing team while studying film and theater. Work then moved to Chicago, where he studied at The Second City, and coached with the Chicago Rowing Foundation from 2005 to 2009.

Assistant Coach Kaitlin Ulbert

Ulbert comes to Michigan State after spending the last year as rowing coach at Lincoln Park Boat Club in Chicago, Ill. While there, Ulbert coached group and team classes of all ages and assisted high school athletes in preparation for the jump to college athletics. She assisted in training plans and programming strategies for the club and helped educate members on rowing techniques, boat safety and equipment.

Ulbert competed collegiately on the rowing team at the University of Louisville from 2014-18 under Derek Copeland and raced in NCAA qualifying boats during all four seasons as a Cardinal. During her senior season, Ulbert helped lead the Cardinals to a fifth-place finish at the ACC Rowing Championship while guiding the second varsity four to a second-place finish. An ACC Scholar-Athlete and three-time member of the Academic Honor Roll, Ulbert's varsity four finished second at the ACC Rowing Championship and earned double dual victories over both Indiana and Iowa.

Ulbert graduated Cum Laude in May 2018 with a bachelor's degree in sport administration/management from the University of Louisville.

Assistant Coach Maddie Shellgren

Shellgren is no stranger to the Michigan State rowing program, serving as a volunteer assistant coach for the Spartans from 2011-17. Prior to joining the Rowing staff, Shellgren served as Program Director for the Michigan State Graduate School, where she designed and lead programs meant to onboard educators to teaching at MSU. She also worked for the College of Arts and Letters' Citizen Scholars Program, an undergraduate program designed to prepare future change-oriented leaders, engaged citizens, and globally-aware scholars.

Before the Graduate School and the College of Arts and Letters, Shellgren taught a variety of undergraduate courses for six years both at MSU and Davenport University. She brings with her a history of working in educator professional development and a dedication to building new and effective models of professional development, serving as a program lead for two large international conferences (OLC Innovate and OLC Accelerate), a lead designer for a cross-institutional project, and an lead team member for an innovative collaboration within MSU (known as "The #iteachmsu Digital Commons," which aims to build meaningful connections across educator roles within the University and develop pathways for educators (coaches included) to grow in their practice).

Shellgren currently co-coordinates the Leadership Institute at Michigan State University, where she trains and advises graduate-student led, change-oriented work. In addition to her educator background, she leverages her knowledge of Michigan State University policies related to teaching and learning and expertise in community building and diversity, equity, and inclusion, in order to support Spartans both in the classroom, at practice, and in life.

Shellgren rowed at the University of Vermont and was a team captain from 2006-10. She received her bachelor's degree with a double major in Spanish and an individually designed major in Linguistics and minors in Latin American Studies and Communication Sciences in 2010. She went on to earn her master's degree in Linguistics from the University of Toronto in 2011 and is currently working towards a doctoral degree in writing and rhetoric (with a research focus on institutional change within higher ed) from Michigan State.

Student Assistant Coach Hannah Hentgen

A native of Shelby Township, Mich., Hentgen joins the coaching staff as a student assistant after competing for the Spartans over the last four seasons. During her time at MSU, Hentgen competed in the first varsity four, second varsity eight and second varsity four boats. During her sophomore season, Hentgen helped the second varsity four to a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and raced to a sixth-place finish during her junior campaign.

Hentgen is the second of three sisters to row at Michigan State. She was preceded by her older sister Taylor, and her younger sister, Madison, is currently a freshman.

Players Mentioned

Hannah Hentgen

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