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Cooke Carcagno Announces End of Coaching Tenure with Duke Rowing
5/3/2024 2:00:00 PM | Rowing
DURHAM, N.C. – Following nine years as Duke's rowing head coach, Megan Cooke Carcagno will depart the program at the conclusion of this season to dedicate more time to her family.
Remaining events on Duke's schedule include the ACC Championships on May 17-18 in Raleigh, N.C., and NCAA Championships scheduled for May 31-June 2 in Bethel, Ohio.
"I would like to thank all of the amazing students, parents and coaching staff who have been so instrumental to the program's success and have made my time at Duke so special," said Cooke Carcagno. "We have a great group of students this year who have really worked hard to get to where they are now, and I'm excited to see how they finish out the season."
Cooke Carcagno was named Duke's second head rowing coach on July 28, 2015, arriving in Durham after spending seven years as a member of the coaching staff at the University of Wisconsin. In her first season with the Blue Devils, Cooke Carcagno led Duke to the program's first NCAA Championships berth and garnered multiple accolades, including CRCA National Staff of the Year, CRCA Region 3 Staff of the Year, CRCA Region 3 Coach of the Year and ACC Coach of the Year.
"We thank Coach Cooke Carcagno for her commitment to Duke over the past nine years, as she has lifted our rowing program to unprecedented success on the water," said Duke Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King. "We wish her all the best in her future endeavors."
In Cooke Carcagno's first eight years at the helm of program, Duke qualified for five NCAA Championships, including a current streak of in four straight appearances. The Blue Devils have remained ranked in the weekly CRCA Top 20 poll since March of 2019 and finished among the top three at the ACC Championships six times, including second-place showings in 2016, 2019 and 2021. Cooke Carcagno, who received ACC Coach of the Year honors in 2019 in addition to her 2016 award, has coached 10 CRCA/Pocock All-America rowers at Duke, including three-time selection Megan Lee.
Last season, Cooke Carcagno guided Duke to the program's best finish at the NCAA Championships, placing 14th with 56 team points in the event. In their four prior appearances, the Blue Devils finished 17th in 2016, and 16th in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
A native of Los Gatos, Calif., Cooke Carcagno is a former All-America rower at Cal and member of the U.S. National Team from 2004-07. She and her husband, Simon Carcagno, have three sons.
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