LMRC COACHES

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Head Coach:
Alexis Aiello

USRowing Level 2 Certified
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)

LMRC Head Coach
Masters AM Competitive Coach

Email coachalexis@lakemerrittrowingclub.org

Alexis started her rowing career in the summer of 2011 at RowLA. She continued rowing through college. In 2019 she graduated from Sacramento State with a degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis on coaching. 

Alexis brings a well rounded wealth of knowledge from being a part of RowLA, Orange Coast Crew, Southern California Scullers, Sacramento State, Berkeley High Crew and East Bay Rowing Club.  Along with being at LMRC, she is the Novice Women’s coach at Berkeley High Crew. 


Kate Benson

USRowing Level 1 Certified

Masters AM Novice Coach
Masters AM Competetive Assistant Coach

Email kate.benson@lakemerrittrowingclub.org

Coach Kate says she learned how to drive a boat long before learning to drive a car -- and we believe her. She's a US Rowing Level 1 certified coach and longtime LMRC member who's an expert in both sweep and sculling rowing styles. 

She hails from Pacific Northwest, where she began her rowing career while attending a master's program at Portland State University. She would later start and coach a middle school rowing program on Vancouver Lake. 

When she's not coaching, she works with the Boy Scouts of America as a Scout Executive. She lives with her husband and two children in Piedmont. 


Connie Weyhenmeyer

USRowing Level 2 Certified

Masters PM Recreational Coach

Email coachconnie@lakemerrittrowingclub.org

Coach Connie started rowing in 1985 at the University of Freiburg in Germany and continued to row competitively in Canada (Trent University), Switzerland (Rowing Club Bern), and in the USA (San Diego RC, Syracuse RC, and Lake Merritt RC.).    

Connie has been coaching youth and adult teams of all skill levels for over 20 years. She began coaching at Lake Merritt Rowing Club in 2009 and currently coaches the LMRC Recreational Team as well as the LMRC Youth Team. In addition, she teaches Community-Learn-To-Row classes and has been involved in the organization of various team building events.

When she is not at Lake Merritt, you will either find her at the College of Alameda where she teaches Biology and Oceanography, or on one of the many Bay Area trails with her Golden Retriever companion Finn.


Daphne Kuta

Currently earning her Level 1 US rowing coaching certificate

Email coachdaphne@lakemerrittrowingclub.org

Daphne began rowing in 2016, when she walked onto the club team at UC Davis. While there, she helped the novice team medal at ACRA, set the team’s 2k erg record, and made the ACRA West All-Regional Team in 2018. 

Daphne joined LMRC during the pandemic and is currently competing for the competitive masters team.  She has a teaching background in swimming, dance, and soccer and is currently earning her Level 1 US rowing coaching certificate. She is looking forward to teaching the Learn to Row program. 


Selena Cortez & Naomi Rosen, Youth Summer Camp Coaches

Selena Cortez and Naomi Rosen are coaches in our summer youth rowing camps.

Selena is part of Sacramento State's Division 1 rowing team.  She started her rowing career at Berkeley High Crew in 2018. She was stroke seat of the Varsity 8+ that qualified to Scholastic Nationals in 2022.  Selena has taught multiple summer rowing camps at Lake Merritt.

Prior to starting college at UCLA, Naomi was the Captain of the Berkeley High Crew team during her senior season.  She rowed all four years for Berkeley High.  Along with Selena, Naomi is fabulous coach who makes our summer rowing camps a great place to have fun and build stronger rowing skills.