Brandon Wong, Men’s Head Coach
Coach Brandon has been an integral part of the WJ Crew team as the Novice Men’s Coach since 2015. Starting Fall 2024, Brandon returns to the WJ Crew Club as the Men’s Head Coach. Brandon holds a Master’s Degree in Sports Management from Southern New Hampshire University. He is also a Certified Nutrition Coach and National Academy of Sports Medicine – Certified Personal Trainer. As a former WJ high school rower (Class of 2011) and WJ novice coach, he has earned medals at the WMIRA Championships. We are thrilled that Brandon has accepted this position and we look forward to a wonderful year with him guiding our varsity men’s team and assistant men’s coaches.
“One of my primary goals is to create a supportive environment where every athlete feels valued and respected. I believe that embracing diversity enhances our collective success and fosters unity. In a sport such as rowing, where the success of a boat is not determined by individual performance, I believe it’s essential to nurture camaraderie.”
Chris Graves, Women’s Head Coach
Coach Chris has been a dedicated coach for WJ Crew Club for over ten years, beginning his journey with the team in 2013. With a coaching career spanning more than 24 years, starting in 1999, Chris brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for rowing to his role as Women’s Head Coach. Chris began his coaching career as the Head Coach for BCC Crew, where he transformed the team into a competitive and respected program at the regional and national levels. His impressive achievements include seven regional and city team championships, two Stotesbury Cup titles, and numerous medal winning crews at regional competitions and the finals of the Stotesbury Cup and SRAA Nationals. The Washington Post has recognized Chris with numerous All-Met honors, including being named Boys Rowing Coach of the Year in 2001 and Girls Rowing Coach of the Year in 2009. Since joining Walter Johnson Rowing, Chris has guided the team to significant successes, including back to back points trophy wins for the womens’ team, numerous boats qualifying for the MidAtlantic U.S. Rowing Championship, and advancing boats to the USRowing Youth Nationals. Under his leadership, the WJ Crew Club has expanded to participate in more prestigious regattas and developed athletes who have gone on to compete in all levels of college rowing, from Division I to club teams. Beyond rowing, Chris loves soccer and is about spending quality time with his children. Chris is a Towson University graduate and a former varsity rower. He competed for the Puerto Rican National Team in 1998 and has rowed for several clubs, including the Baltimore Rowing Club and the Capital Rowing Club. A certified USRowing Level III coach, he has also coached at the Thompson Boat Center. Chris is also a member of the coaches committee for the Stotesbury Cup and the USRowing MidAtlantic Coaches Board. His enthusiasm for rowing and his dedication to his athletes’ development continue to make him an invaluable leader for WJ Crew Club.
We are pleased to welcome the following assistant coaches to our team:
Coach Ava Edison, Assistant Women’s Coach
Coach Ava returns as the WJ Crew women’s assistant/novice coach. Ava, a former WJ rower (Class of 2019), continued rowing at Creighton University, in Omaha, Nebraska, and graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. In addition to coaching WJ rowers, Ava works at the National Human Genome Research Institute, in Bethesda, Maryland.
Zoe Wolfel, Assistant Women’s Coach
Coach Zoe comes to our team as an assistant coach supporting the Women’s team. She rowed at Mount Holyoke College from 2021 to 2024 and graduated from Mount Holyoke with a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences and a Minor in Studio Art. While at Mount Holyoke, she led a legislation committee focusing on how to use new NCAA legislation to better support her teammates. She was also on the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference team (2022, 2023, 2024).
Sydney Gibbons, Assistant Women’s Coach
Coach Sydney comes to our team as an assistant coach supporting the women’s team. We are doubly fortunate in that she rowed for WJ Rowing (Class of 2020) and went on to row at University of Dayton. She graduated from University of Dayton with a BS in Health Sciences and is a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Robert Karlen, Assistant Men’s Coach
Coach Robert continues to provide support to the team on Saturdays, and we are excited for his ongoing contributions to our rowers. Robert graduated WJ in 2014 after helping to qualify the men’s Varsity 4+ to SRAA Nationals for 3 years in a row and being elected co-captain his senior year. After WJ, he attended the University of Washington, and continued rowing there. At Washington, he was a member of the second varsity eight that went undefeated in 2017-18, including winning PAC12 and National Championship titles. He was also selected as a member of the Washington eight that went to the Henley Royal Regatta in July 2018, held in Henley-on-Thames, England, to race in the Temple Challenge Cup, and won the event in a record setting time of 5 minutes and 58 seconds over the 2,112 meter race course.
Coach Jeremiah Fan, Assistant Men’s Coach
Coach Jeremiah returns as a novice coach supporting the men’s team. During his time on WJ Crew, Jeremiah broke the world record for most meters rowed in 24 hours on a rowing machine in the individual men’s 19 & under lightweight category, achieving 270,464m. He graduated from WJHS in the Class of 2022 and has been a member of the coaching staff since October 2022. He is currently studying aerospace engineering as an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland College Park.
Coach Ryan Kavanaugh, Assistant Men’s Coach
Coach Ryan returns as part of the Saturday WJ coaching team. Ryan began rowing at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, NY. Highlights include multiple medals in lightweight 8 and 4 at the state and local level. He was recruited to and rowed at Columbia on the lightweight team. He was part of the first varsity lightweight 8 at the Head of the Charles Regatta in 2008 and 2009. He graduated from Columbia in 2011 with a BA in Neuroscience. Before joining WJ as an assistant coach in 2023, Ryan was an assistant coach at his former high school and later was an assistant men’s team coach for Row Boston through the Coaches Across America Americorp program.
Coach Cal Labonski, Assistant Men’s Coach
Coach Cal graduated from WJHS in 2019 and is a former WJ crew rower. During his time on the team, he graduated from WJHS in 2019 after qualifying for the grand final at the Stotesbury Cup and SRAA Championships in the varsity 4+. Cal also holds the school 2k erg record along with making the Washington Post’s 2019 All-Met Boys team and was part of the Washington Post’s 2019 All-Met “Boys Best 4+”. After graduating from WJ, Cal attended and rowed at Oregon State University. He raced in the varsity 8+ from 2019 to 2023 and the junior varsity 8+ in 2023 placing a school high 14th place since 2011 at IRA National Championships. In the 2023-2024 season, his boat beat Stanford for a 3rd place medal at the PAC12 Championships in the Varsity 4+. He graduated from Oregon State University in 2024 with a BS in Economics.
“As a coach for WJ Crew, I want to help set higher standards throughout the program to help the rowers reach as much of their potential as possible. This includes erg tests, technique, and preparation for practice. By raising standards in these areas, I hope it translates to improved overall boat speed.”
Coach Ethan Nguyen, Assistant Men’s Coach
Coach Ethan is a Walter Johnson alumni (Class of 2023) and spent his junior and senior years rowing. While at WJ, he earned the “King of Pain” award in his junior year and was recognized as a Washington Post All-Met Honorable Mention in his senior year. Ethan is also a volunteer EMT with the Bethesda Chevy-Chase Rescue Squad and classical pianist who has played at Carnegie Hall. Ethan is currently studying as a sophomore studying Public Health Science at the University of Maryland, College Park. He will be supporting the men’s team as an assistant coach.
Coach Dylan Dembo, Assistant Men’s Coach
Coach Dylan s a former WJ varsity crew captain who returns as an assistant coach for the men’s team. He has been involved with the TIC Summer Camp, a technology and athletics camp, in Bethesda, MD since 2021, developing curricula to be used by counselors across seven computer programming and multimedia technology programs as well as providing education and supervision to counselors in training as the Leadership Training Director for the camp. He is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Policy.
We are pleased to announce that the WJ Crew Club is continuing its middle school program and has hired a coach to lead our middle school rowing program.
Coach Zachary Ryan, Middle School Crew Coach
Coach Zach graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2013 with a Bachelors in Ocean Engineering. Having swam and played water polo in high school, Zach walked onto the USNA Heavyweight Crew team during “plebe summer.” Zach went on to row in the first freshman boat his plebe year and rowed in the first varsity boat his youngster, 2nd class and firstie years, regularly competing in the San Diego Crew Classic, Eastern Sprints, and IRA National Championships. After graduating from the Naval Academy, Zach served as a Field Artillery Officer in the United States Marine Corps before transitioning out of the military in 2020.
“There is no greater feeling than pushing off from a dock with 8 other people and striving to work in near perfect harmony to achieve a shared goal. Rowing teaches grit, perseverance, selflessness, teamwork, and leadership. Lessons that transcend the boathouse and your time on the water and will serve you well no matter where life takes you. I am looking forward to sharing these lessons, this experience, and my love for the sport with the WJ Middle School Team this year and developing the next generation of rowers for WJ Crew.”
