About Us

History of Dallas United Crew

Dallas United Crew was created in the spring of 2002 by several students from Highland Park High School led by Genevieve Collins. Jonathan Stevens, who was coaching SMU Men's Crew time at the time, agreed to become their head coach. The team became incorporated under the name HP Crew and that following year experienced immediate success with two boats qualifying and racing at the US Rowing Junior Nationals placing 5th and 10th in the nation. Since then, the team has continued to race competitively in its region and regularly qualifies to compete at Youth Nationals.

Within two years, the team opened its doors to other area high schools, and the team became a composite program. The team currently represents 25 Dallas area schools with its middle school and high school rowing programs.

Dallas United Crew welcomes rowers from all Dallas metroplex High Schools. Below is a list of schools that have been represented:

Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy
Bishop Lynch High School
Cambridge School of Dallas
Dallas Learning Center
Episcopal School of Dallas
Greenhill School
Hebron High School
Highland Park High School
The Hockaday School
Home Schooled
J.J. Pearce High School
Lovejoy High School
North Hills Preparatory School
Parish Episcopal School
Plano East Senior High School
Plano West Senior High School
Pottsboro High School
Prestonwood Christian Academy
Shelton School
Ursuline Academy of Dallas
W.T. White High School
Woodrow Wilson High School

Jonathan Stevens
Program Director

Jonathan Stevens hails from Pennsylvania and learned to row at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. After playing more conventional sports like football and ice hockey in high school, he joined St. John’s Crew in his freshman year. Over his four-year college career, Jonathan rowed in eights, fours, pairs, doubles and singles.

After graduation from St. John’s College, Jonathan moved to Dallas to attend graduate school and began coaching as assistant and then head coach for SMU Men’s Crew. While head coach with the club program, he agreed to help start a new juniors program with students from Highland Park High School. Jonathan soon committed to coaching only the high school program and within the second year qualified and raced two boats at Junior Nationals. Since 2002, the team has grown under his leadership to the largest coed rowing team in Texas and draws students from many area high schools. Jonathan, his wife Sharifa and their son Judah currently live in North Oak Cliff.

Celia Hughes
Juniors Rowing Coach

Celia Hughes grew up in the Chicago area where she was very active in many sports including swimming, soccer, basketball, and water polo.

She moved to Dallas to attend SMU where she soon began her rowing career. She was a coxswain for both the men’s and women’s teams and also rowed in a single and various lightweight boats. Celia spent the summer of 2001 in Philadelphia working as a coxswain and coaches’ assistant for both Penn AC and Vesper Boat Club on Boathouse Row. In 2002 and 2003, she won the women’s novice single and placed 2nd in the mixed double at the Head of the Hooch. In 2004, Celia was invited to participate in the US Rowing Development Camp out of Nereid Boat Club in East Rutherford, NJ. She stroked both the women’s lightweight four and quad to a second place finish at US Nationals.

Celia coached with Dallas United Crew from 2002-2008 and rejoined the coaching staff in 2010. She and her husband John were married in 2009 and they currently reside in northwest Dallas. In her free time, Celia enjoys wakeboarding, flag football, and playing the violin.

Paige Love
Juniors Rowing Coach

Paige Love was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She was very involved in club soccer and while at Plano West Senior High School she won three state championships and were ranked number one in the nation twice. She received her bachelor's degree in Journalism: Strategic Communications from The University of Kansas.

While at KU, Paige rowed for the Division I rowing program from 2002-2006. Paige rowed stroke seat in the second Varsity Eight that took fourth in the Open Eight at the Head of the Hooch and posted first-place finishes in the Sunflower Showdown as well as second-place finishes at the Grand Finals of the Knecht Cup and at the Big 12 Invitational. While rowing for KU she raced in eights, fours, doubles and singles. Paige was named to the KU and Big 12 Conference academic honor rolls. Her senior year she was was recognized by the senior class with the "Essence of a Jayhawk" award, as the person who best represents Kansas rowing. She was also instrumental in raising funds for the new KU rowing boathouse which opened in 2009.

Paige has been coaching for the Dallas United Crew program since 2008. She married her husband Drew in 2008 and currently lives in Lakewood with their dog, Ranger.

Kenny McMahon
Juniors Rowing Coach

Kenny McMahon joins Dallas United Crew this Fall, as our new Varsity Boy’s Coach. Kenny was inspired to row while watching the US Olympic Men’s 8+ win a gold medal in Athens. He joined the University of Wisconsin’s Crew as a freshman; one out of 200 athletes trying out for 35 spots. Throughout his college career, he rowed in boats of all sizes, with medals in each of them, 8’s 4’s and pairs. Kenny rowed with the lightweight US National team since the winter of 2009. In that time, he won gold in the Light men’s single at the spring speed order in 2010, and a silver in the USA Men’s light 8 at the world Championships in Poznan Poland in 2009. Most recently he was in the USA Light 8 which won the gold at the Head of the Charles in 2011. He retired in April 2012.When he’s not rowing or coaching, Kenny likes to bike around the lake, and get dinner with his girlfriend.

Peter Field
Juniors Rowing Coach

Peter Field is the Dallas United Crew’s boys Novice Coach. He was born and raised in Maine, and is currently getting a Master of Science in Finance at Southern Methodist University. Recently was an Assistant Rowing Coach at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA. Peter coached two gold medal boats at the Lower Boat Regatta in Connecticut, and the gold medal Men's 4+ at the Youth National Rowing Champions at Oak Ridge, TN in 2012. Peter rowed for four years at Trinity College, Hartford, CT, and senior year captained the team. In addition, Peter rowed three undefeated duel seasons and won an East Coast Athletic Conference National Championship, two New England Championships, a silver medal in the Collegiate 8+ at the Head of the Charles, two silver medals at the New England rowing Championships, and several overall points trophies at both the ECAC National Championships and New England Championships. Peter began rowing in high school, with several years in the first 4+, at the Brooks School in North Andover, MA. Peter also rowed for the Boston Rowing Club and Durham Boat Club, NH.

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support of Dallas United Crew.

CAPITAL DONORS LOU-ANN & JEFF BODE PATTY & JOE HUNT COACH LEVEL CRAIG & CYNTHIA LITZ PAULA WASHINGTON & MICHAEL CLARK VARSITY LEVEL MR. & MRS. JIM ADAMS DR. NELL HOFFMEN LEAH WILLIAMS NOVICE LEVEL ADAMS FAMILY DEEANN ANIGIAN ALAN & BARBARA BANNIN KEVIN BARRY ALLYN & MERRI BENGSTON JODY CHIMBEL-BERG & CHUCK BERG BODE FAMILY TERRI BOLTON BRUCK FAMILY CALLAHAN FAMILY ANDREW & HEATHER CAMBELL CHIAO FAMILY BOB CHIMBEL LAURIE CLARK & ERIC OLSON WALKER CLARK & FAMILY GEORGE & JAN CLAYTON THE COLLETT FAMILY COLLINS FAMILY CRAWFORD FAMILY TOM & GINA CULPEPPER BARBARA DANIEL MR. & MRS. MIKE DEVAULT PETER & MARILYN DIERICKX KRISTIN & DAVE EMERSON ENGRAM FAMILY JESSE FERRER & FAMILY DOLORES & BOYD FOSTER GEISLER FAMILY VERN & DONA GLOVER HAGENBUCH FAMILY PAT & JANIE HAMNER HANSON FAMILY PAUL HARRIS AUSTIN HIMES THE HIMES FAMILY MARK & SHARLA HODGES

NOVICE CONT'D PAT HOYT DENNY & LORI HUNT DR. MARSHALL ISAACS JENNIFER JUNKER DON & LINDA KALESCKY SAM & MELVA KNOX BLAIR & KIRK LECHTENBERGER LITZ FAMILY MASON FAMILY MAXWELL FAMILY MILLS FAMILY JOE K. MOORE CONNIE & BILL O'CONNOR TOM & RENE O'CONNOR YOUSEF OMAR MRS. & MRS. STEVE PHILLEY JACKIE POIROT RHODES FAMILY ROSE FAMILY ANGELA & BILL RICE JACKIE RIECK RIGGINS FAMILY SARFATIS FAMILY MIKE SCOTT THEO SHIPLEY & FAMILY SMITH FAMILY ELLEN & ROBERT SMITH LISA & KURT SMITH SOCKWELL FAMILY NANCY & DON SPAFFORD ANNIE STAFFARONI T.J. STEIN STEURER FAMILY SULLIVAN FAMILY LOUIS SUTTON SUTTON FAMILY SWANSON FAMILY THE TRUELOVE FAMILY GRANDMOTHER WAKEFIELD LYNNE & JEFF WALTERS NICOLE & CRAIG WHEELER WINKEL FAMILY MR. & MRS. DAVE WORK MR. & MRS. WORK

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Future Site of Boathouse

Closest address is 417 E. Lawther, Between White Rock Sailing Club and Corinthian Boat Club. Enter E. Lawther from Mockingbird Lane.

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9850 Walnut Hill Lane, #405, Dallas, Texas