{"id":71841,"date":"2026-05-27T07:48:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T11:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=71841"},"modified":"2026-05-27T07:48:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T11:48:52","slug":"rowing-kennett","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">A powerful Big Red rower as an undergrad, Todd Kennett \u201991 is the program\u2019s longtime director and men\u2019s heavyweight coach<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Melissa Newcomb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">When <a href=\"https:\/\/cornellbigred.com\/staff-directory\/todd-kennett\/197\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Todd Kennett \u201991<\/a> received a recruiting letter from Big Red rowing before matriculating on the Hill, he tossed it. A baseball and soccer player who had never rowed, he had no interest in the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back then\u2014at a time when there were relatively few rowing opportunities at the high school level\u2014it was common for collegiate programs to recruit students who were tall and athletic, but had little or no rowing experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After Kennett arrived on campus, he and his freshman roommate were standing in a registration line when they were approached by some rowing coaches. The next thing he knew, his roommate was volunteering him as a potential recruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of the 1989 team, including Kennett, in action rowing.\" class=\"wp-image-71836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-1264x843.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-632x421.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-316x211.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A-100x67.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1989-3_Martin-Jackson-Hallstrom-Goddard-Gaiano-Kennett-Davis-Murray-Berkson-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Cornell Athletics<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kennett (fourth from left) with the 1989 varsity crew.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Kennett wound up joining the team. And more than three decades later, he\u2019s still in the boathouse\u2014as the longtime director of rowing and men\u2019s heavyweight coach, leading a program built around commitment and grit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI love the water, I love the team, and I love the challenge of the sport,\u201d says the CALS alum. \u201cIt\u2019s about toughness and how hard you can push yourself. Couple that with the weather when you\u2019re on the water in March and it\u2019s really cold, snowing, or raining\u2014it\u2019s moral-fiber building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">It\u2019s about toughness and how hard you can push yourself. Couple that with the weather when you\u2019re on the water in March and it\u2019s really cold, snowing, or raining\u2014it\u2019s moral-fiber building.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Since joining the rowing staff in 1992, Kennett has coached at every level: women\u2019s novice and varsity, men\u2019s freshman and varsity lightweight, and men\u2019s freshman and varsity heavyweight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He led the lightweight team to three consecutive national championships from 2006\u201308, making Cornell the only men\u2019s program in history to achieve that feat; in 2006 and 2008, the Eastern Association of Rowing Coaches (EARC) named him Lightweight Coach of the Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After assuming the directorship and taking over the heavyweight program in summer 2008, Kennett guided the Big Red to 10 Eastern Sprints medals and three medals at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-1024x575.jpg\" alt=\"Todd Kennett holds a microphone and speaks at an event to celebrate 150 years of Cornell Rowing in 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-71840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-1264x710.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-632x355.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Rowing-150-02411-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Adam Murtland \/ Cornell Athletics<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">At the Cornell Rowing Center during the celebration of the program&#8217;s 150th year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>His varsity boats have also won 20 cup races, including the Madeira Cup against Penn in 12 of the last 14 seasons that the race was held. He again won Coach of the Year honors from the EARC in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Kennett\u2019s impact stretches far beyond race results, with current and former rowers crediting him with shaping their characters and futures on and off the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many athletes have gone on to become coaches themselves, either as assistants on his staff or at programs across the country\u2014including Ivy lightweight head coaches <a href=\"https:\/\/gocrimson.com\/staff-directory\/billy-boyce\/106\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Billy Boyce \u201908<\/a> (Harvard) and <a href=\"https:\/\/pennathletics.com\/sports\/mens-crew\/roster\/coaches\/colin-farrell\/4287\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Colin Farrell \u201905<\/a> (Penn).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px\"><blockquote><p>Since joining the rowing staff in 1992, Kennett has coached at every level: women\u2019s novice and varsity, men\u2019s freshman and varsity lightweight, and men\u2019s freshman and varsity heavyweight.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The program has also produced Olympians, such as 2024 Paris gold medalist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teamusa.com\/profiles\/michael-grady\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike Grady \u201919<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teamusa.com\/profiles\/alex-karwoski-806908\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Karwoski \u201912<\/a>, who came in fourth in Rio in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTodd taught me that how you do anything is how you do everything,\u201d says Karwoski, who coached alongside Kennett after returning from Rio. \u201cIf you\u2019re not taking care of yourself, your schoolwork, or your relationships with the people closest to you, you can\u2019t come down to the boathouse and expect rowing to be the priority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a student athlete, Kennett rowed in the top freshman boat his first year before joining the varsity boat for the next three seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His senior year, the squad finished third at the IRA Regatta and Kennett received the Butler Memorial Trophy, given by his teammates for outstanding leadership and athletic performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A black and white photo of a boat with athletes from the 1991 team, including Kennett, in action rowing.\" class=\"wp-image-71837\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/1991-hvy-1V-Kennett-in-4-seat-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">cornell athletics<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The heavyweight team (with Kennett fourth from the top) during his senior spring.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He competed in U.S. Rowing\u2019s Olympic development and pre-elite camps from 1989\u201391 and finished in the top three at two U.S. Olympic Festivals (events that were formerly held in the years between official Games).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRowing changed me immensely,\u201d Kennett observes. \u201cI was a dorky farm kid, and it matured me and gave me confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An animal science major from Middlebury, CT, Kennett had long planned to follow his father into veterinary practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But when Anita Brenner \u201987, then the women\u2019s rowing coach at Ithaca College, offered him a job as an assistant after graduation, he took it\u2014and got hooked on coaching. That same year, he also served as a volunteer assistant for the Big Red, and has been coaching on the Hill ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Todd taught me that how you do anything is how you do everything.<\/p>\n<cite><strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teamusa.com\/profiles\/alex-karwoski-806908\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Karwoski \u201912<\/a><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p> \u201cYou\u2019re on the water at some crazy hours in crazy conditions\u2014and as a coach, you have to explain to others why we\u2019re doing that and get them to buy in,\u201d Kennett notes, adding: \u201cThere&#8217;s no greater compliment than having guys I\u2019ve coached come back to campus and see me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rowers\u2014and Kennett himself\u2014describe his style as strict but caring, with high expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example: when the Big Red was slated to race at a U.S. Naval Academy course known for choppy water, Kennett had the team train in heavy rain and wind for weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"The Cornell men's heavyweight rowing team rowing down Cayuga Inlet during a competition against Drexel.\" class=\"wp-image-71838\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/BF8I6826-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Darl Zehr<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Big Red on Cayuga Inlet in 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s demanding, but when you have a coach that also follows those expectations himself, it\u2019s easy to take advice from and trust somebody who has devoted their life to the sport,\u201d says current heavyweight captain Constantino Oberto \u201927. \u201cHe really cares about all of the rowers\u2014about what our aspirations are and what we want to do with our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oberto, an ILR student, was among the rowers who trained for the event against Navy. When the team got to Annapolis, the water actually proved to be calm\u2014but the Big Red was so thoroughly prepared, it won all four varsity races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re rowing, you don\u2019t think about all the strokes you still have to take; you think about one at a time,\u201d says Kennett. \u201cI hope my athletes have that same attitude in life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: Kennett during a men&#8217;s heavyweight practice. (Eldon Lindsay \/ Cornell Athletics<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published May 27, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A powerful Big Red rower as an undergrad, Todd Kennett \u201991 is the program\u2019s longtime director and men\u2019s heavyweight coach<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":71839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[71130,35943,50687],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-71841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019 - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A powerful Big Red rower as an undergrad, Todd Kennett \u201991 is the program\u2019s longtime director and men\u2019s heavyweight coach\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019 - Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A powerful Big Red rower as an undergrad, Todd Kennett \u201991 is the program\u2019s longtime director and men\u2019s heavyweight coach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T11:48:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T11:48:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/HERO-092521_MHWR_Static_017-A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T11:48:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-27T11:48:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1074,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/HERO-092521_MHWR_Static_017-A.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Alumni\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019 - Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/HERO-092521_MHWR_Static_017-A.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T11:48:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-27T11:48:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"description\":\"A powerful Big Red rower as an undergrad, Todd Kennett \u201991 is the program\u2019s longtime director and men\u2019s heavyweight coach\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/HERO-092521_MHWR_Static_017-A.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/HERO-092521_MHWR_Static_017-A.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Todd Kennett during a men's heavyweight rowing practice on Cayuga Lake Inlet.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/rowing-kennett\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"description\":\"Cornell&#039;s alumni publication\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\",\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Beth Saulnier\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alumni.cornell.edu\\\/cornellians\\\/author\\\/ess8\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019 - Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"A powerful Big Red rower as an undergrad, Todd Kennett \u201991 is the program\u2019s longtime director and men\u2019s heavyweight coach","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019 - Cornellians | Cornell University","og_description":"A powerful Big Red rower as an undergrad, Todd Kennett \u201991 is the program\u2019s longtime director and men\u2019s heavyweight coach","og_url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/","og_site_name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians","article_published_time":"2026-05-27T11:48:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-27T11:48:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/HERO-092521_MHWR_Static_017-A.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Beth Saulnier","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@WeCornellians","twitter_site":"@WeCornellians","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beth Saulnier","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/"},"author":{"name":"Beth Saulnier","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"headline":"\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019","datePublished":"2026-05-27T11:48:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-27T11:48:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/"},"wordCount":1074,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/HERO-092521_MHWR_Static_017-A.jpg","articleSection":["Alumni"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/","name":"\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019 - Cornellians | Cornell University","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/HERO-092521_MHWR_Static_017-A.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-27T11:48:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-27T11:48:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"description":"A powerful Big Red rower as an undergrad, Todd Kennett \u201991 is the program\u2019s longtime director and men\u2019s heavyweight coach","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/HERO-092521_MHWR_Static_017-A.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/HERO-092521_MHWR_Static_017-A.jpg","width":1600,"height":900,"caption":"Todd Kennett during a men's heavyweight rowing practice on Cayuga Lake Inlet."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/rowing-kennett\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018I Love the Water, I Love the Team, and I Love the Challenge\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/","name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Cornell&#039;s alumni publication","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100","name":"Beth Saulnier","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Beth Saulnier"},"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/author\/ess8\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET","POST","PUT","PATCH","DELETE"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71841"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71983,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71841\/revisions\/71983"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71841"},{"taxonomy":"cornell_year_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cornell_year_post?post=71841"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=71841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}