Team USA excelled at the World University Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, becoming World University Champions and Gold Medalist. Head coach Kemp Savage and incoming senior Lily Wilhelm were credited with leading the team to victory.
“Athletes who are motivated and want to achieve something big in their careers can definitely do it here,” Savage said.
The 2024-25 season will mark Savage’s 11th season as the Eagles’ head coach after six seasons as an assistant coach.
Under Savage’s leadership, the Eagles enjoyed remarkable success, including fourth-place finishes three times and third-place finishes three times in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships. Savage made his mark in the record books by earning third-place finishes in the CAA Championships in the 2016, 2018 and 2022 seasons, the best finishes in EMU program history.
Savage last coached the U.S. team at the 2018 World University Championships in Shanghai, China, where under his guidance the U.S. V8+ team won a bronze medal, the V4+ team placed 5th, and the lightweight double sculls placed 11th overall.
“It was really awesome for Lily to get that experience and get that feeling of a big win that she hasn’t had at Eastern yet,” Savage said.
In June, Wilhelm earned the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) National Outstanding Athlete title, marking Wilhelm’s second time receiving the award.
For more information on Eastern Michigan rowing, visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media.
