A three-time Olympic medalist and accomplished head coach, Michiel Bartman was named director of rowing and head coach of the men’s rowing program in September of 2025.
Bringing two decades of coaching experience to the Hawks, Bartman served as head coach of Jefferson’s women’s rowing program for the past three years. In his first season with the Rams, Bartman led Jefferson to the number one ranking in the East Region and a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Championships. Recognized as the CRCA East Region Coach of the Year, Bartman also guided the Rams to multiple medals at the 2023 Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta, marking a first for the program. The following two seasons, Jefferson duplicated their national success, finishing sixth again, while Cecily Fritz was named a 2024-25 CRCA All-America Second Team honoree.
Bartman began his coaching career at Vesper Boat Club before moving to Harvard, where he led the lightweight men and women to strong performances at the Eastern Sprints and IRA Championships. He later developed Port Rowing’s junior program, guiding athletes to USR Youth Nationals, then served as an assistant coach at Temple, where he led the Owls to continued success at the American Conference Championships.
A longtime member of the Dutch National Team, Bartman helped the Netherlands to Olympic Gold in the men’s eight at the 1996 Atlanta Games, and captured silver in the men’s quadruple sculls at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and silver in the men’s eight at the 2004 Athens Games. Additionally, Bartman captured medals at three separate World Championships and served as the chairman for the Dutch National Olympic Athletes Committee from 2002-04. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
