July 5, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - University of Virginia women's head rowing coach Kevin Sauer announced Tuesday (July 5) that Steve Pritzker, a former coxswain at Yale University who has worked with the Virginia rowers the last two years, has joined the program on a full-time basis as an assistant coach.

Pritzker earned his master's degree in business administration from Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business Administration in May. While working toward his graduate degree, he was a volunteer assistant during the 2004 rowing season and served as an interim assistant coach this spring. He worked with UVa's NCAA Champion varsity four crew in 2004 and coached the varsity four to a second consecutive NCAA Championship in 2005. Virginia's varsity four was undefeated in the spring of 2005.

"I am very excited about the addition of Steve Pritzker to our coaching staff," Sauer said. "He has done a great job for us the last two years and I'm pleased he's going to be with us on a full-time basis. With his MBA credentials, he brings management expertise that benefits the program and I believe we will also benefit from his passionate coaching style."

Before entering graduate school, Pritzker was an associate with Kingdon Capital Management in New York City from July of 2001 to April of 2003. He also worked as an associate with Credit Suisse First Boston as an equity sales analyst/associate from July of 1999 to July of 2001.

Pritzker is 27 years old and a native of Alexandria, Va. He earned his bachelor's degree with a major in sociology from Yale in 1999. He was a four-time letterman as a coxswain at Yale and led the heavyweight crew to gold medals at the Royal Henley Regatta (England), the Eastern Sprints and the International Universities Regatta (Beijing, China).

An avid runner, Pritzker ran the New York City Marathon in 2002 and the Marine Corps Marathon in 2004.