Todd P. Kennett
Encyclopedia
Todd Kennett is a coach of the Division I Collegiate heavyweight rowing program at Cornell University
. In 2006 and 2008, his varsity boat captured both the Eastern Sprints Regatta and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships ("IRA")
.
. His father, Paul Kennett, is a veterinarian. Linda Kennett, his mother, is an architect. He has a younger brother, Glenn Kennett. Growing up, Todd often worked on farms where he learned hard work at a young age.
In 1987, at age 18, he entered as a freshman at Cornell University
, an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, NY. A 1991 graduate of the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
, Kennett received his bachelor of science degree in animal sciences
. In his time at Cornell, Kennett was a standout on the Heavyweight crew
. He competed in the first freshman
eight his first year and went on to row in the varsity
eight for three consecutive seasons, including the 1991 campaign in which the varsity finished third at the IRA regatta and competed at the Henley Royal Regatta
. He received the Butler Award for outstanding leadership and athletic performance as a senior. Also in his junior and senior years at Cornell, Kennett rowed in the U.S. Rowing Olympic Development and Pre-Elite camps. He also competed in the 1989 and 1990 Olympic Festivals
, winning a bronze and silver, respectively.
Todd's mother, Linda Kennett, followed in her son's path and became an accomplished rower, including winning the Head of the Charles Regatta
, a three-mile course in the women's Grand Masters singles division, for four consecutive years, 1998-2001.
women's novice
rowing program from 1992-1993. He led the squad to a 22-2 record, two New York State Small School titles and two Murphy Cups. His Bomber crews also earned silver and bronze medals at the Dad Vail Regatta
.
Following his success at Ithaca College
, Kennett was hired in 1994 by Cornell University
to take over the position of freshman lightweight crew coach. In his second year of coaching lightweights, Kennett lead his freshman to a silver medal finish at the eastern sprints on June 17, 1995. His success continued with his first freshman eight earning bronze at the 1998 Eastern Sprints, while the second freshman boat taking silver. A tribute to Kennett's all inclusive coaching style, Cornell's second freshman eight was undefeated during both the 1996 and 1997 regular seasons. Kennett's success continued beyond coaching freshman lightweights. Under Kennett, the four-with-coxswain heavyweights finished third at the IRA
Championship Regatta in 1994.
In 2005, Kennett's varsity boat won a bronze at the Eastern Sprints followed with a Silver at the IRA Regatta. After losing many seniors, in what was considered to be an off year for the Big Red, Kennett lead his team to the most successful season for Cornell lightweights since the 1960s. Both his first and second varsity boats captured Gold at the 2006 Eastern Sprints regatta. His team also narrowly missed winning the Jope Cup points trophy, which went to Navy
. His varsity followed up its Eastern Sprints victory with a narrow win over Harvard at the IRAs to win the National Championship. In 2007, Kennett again led the lightweights to a win at the IRA. In 2008, Kennett's varsity lightweight crew won the Eastern Sprints title, the Jope Cup for lightweight supremacy, and the IRA title for a record third straight year. No other lightweight crew has won three straight IRA titles.
In 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 the varsity boat went to the Henley Royal Regatta
and raced in the Temple Challenge Cup
, placing second in 2006 and 2007 to Oxford Brookes University
and the University of California-Berkeley freshmen. In 2008, they lost to the Stanford freshman heavyweight crew.
In June 2007, Kennett was promoted to the "Spirit of '57 Director of Rowing/Head Coach of Heavyweight Rowing" at Cornell University
.
In 2010, Kennett was named the 2009-10 Eastern Association of Rowing College's (EARC)
Coach of the Year, as voted on by the leagues’ coaches.
Kennett and his wife, Jessica, reside in Groton, NY with their two daughters, Emma and Sophie.
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. In 2006 and 2008, his varsity boat captured both the Eastern Sprints Regatta and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships ("IRA")
Intercollegiate Rowing Association
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
.
Early life
Todd Kennett was born in 1970 in Middlebury, ConnecticutMiddlebury, Connecticut
Middlebury is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,451 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
. His father, Paul Kennett, is a veterinarian. Linda Kennett, his mother, is an architect. He has a younger brother, Glenn Kennett. Growing up, Todd often worked on farms where he learned hard work at a young age.
In 1987, at age 18, he entered as a freshman at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, NY. A 1991 graduate of the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is a statutory college at Cornell University, a private university located in Ithaca, New York...
, Kennett received his bachelor of science degree in animal sciences
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
. In his time at Cornell, Kennett was a standout on the Heavyweight crew
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
. He competed in the first freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
eight his first year and went on to row in the varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
eight for three consecutive seasons, including the 1991 campaign in which the varsity finished third at the IRA regatta and competed at the Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
. He received the Butler Award for outstanding leadership and athletic performance as a senior. Also in his junior and senior years at Cornell, Kennett rowed in the U.S. Rowing Olympic Development and Pre-Elite camps. He also competed in the 1989 and 1990 Olympic Festivals
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, winning a bronze and silver, respectively.
Todd's mother, Linda Kennett, followed in her son's path and became an accomplished rower, including winning the Head of the Charles Regatta
Head of the Charles Regatta
The Head of the Charles Regatta, also known as HOCR or HOTC, is a rowing race held on the penultimate complete weekend of October each year on the Charles River, which separates Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The race is named the "Head" of the Charles because it is a head race...
, a three-mile course in the women's Grand Masters singles division, for four consecutive years, 1998-2001.
Coaching career - the early days
After Graduating from Cornell in June 1991, Kennett served as coach of the Ithaca CollegeIthaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
women's novice
Novice
A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...
rowing program from 1992-1993. He led the squad to a 22-2 record, two New York State Small School titles and two Murphy Cups. His Bomber crews also earned silver and bronze medals at the Dad Vail Regatta
Dad Vail Regatta
The Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta is the largest regular intercollegiate rowing event in the USA, drawing over a hundred colleges and universities from North America. The event has been held annually on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1953. Briefly in late 2009, it was planned...
.
Following his success at Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
, Kennett was hired in 1994 by Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
to take over the position of freshman lightweight crew coach. In his second year of coaching lightweights, Kennett lead his freshman to a silver medal finish at the eastern sprints on June 17, 1995. His success continued with his first freshman eight earning bronze at the 1998 Eastern Sprints, while the second freshman boat taking silver. A tribute to Kennett's all inclusive coaching style, Cornell's second freshman eight was undefeated during both the 1996 and 1997 regular seasons. Kennett's success continued beyond coaching freshman lightweights. Under Kennett, the four-with-coxswain heavyweights finished third at the IRA
Intercollegiate Rowing Association
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
Championship Regatta in 1994.
Coaching career - head coach
Todd Kennett was named the Robert B. Tallman Class of 1941 Men's Lightweight Rowing Head Coach in 1998. In 2001, all three of his crews made it to the grand final of the Eastern Sprints Regatta. Kennett has always enjoyed success in the small boats at the IRA Championship Regatta. In 2001, his varsity pair earned a silver medal. In 2004, 2005, and 2008 his pair won gold at the IRA Championship Regatta. And at the 2006 IRA, his pair placed a close third. This is an open weight race, and his lightweight boats had to overcome a weight disadvantage.In 2005, Kennett's varsity boat won a bronze at the Eastern Sprints followed with a Silver at the IRA Regatta. After losing many seniors, in what was considered to be an off year for the Big Red, Kennett lead his team to the most successful season for Cornell lightweights since the 1960s. Both his first and second varsity boats captured Gold at the 2006 Eastern Sprints regatta. His team also narrowly missed winning the Jope Cup points trophy, which went to Navy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
. His varsity followed up its Eastern Sprints victory with a narrow win over Harvard at the IRAs to win the National Championship. In 2007, Kennett again led the lightweights to a win at the IRA. In 2008, Kennett's varsity lightweight crew won the Eastern Sprints title, the Jope Cup for lightweight supremacy, and the IRA title for a record third straight year. No other lightweight crew has won three straight IRA titles.
In 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 the varsity boat went to the Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
and raced in the Temple Challenge Cup
Temple Challenge Cup
The Temple Challenge Cup is one of the eights races at Henley Royal Regatta at Henley-on-Thames on the River Thames in England. It is open to male crews from universities, colleges or schools. Combined entries from two colleges of the same university, or from different schools, are allowed...
, placing second in 2006 and 2007 to Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...
and the University of California-Berkeley freshmen. In 2008, they lost to the Stanford freshman heavyweight crew.
In June 2007, Kennett was promoted to the "Spirit of '57 Director of Rowing/Head Coach of Heavyweight Rowing" at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
.
In 2010, Kennett was named the 2009-10 Eastern Association of Rowing College's (EARC)
Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges
The Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges is a college athletic conference of eighteen men's college rowing crews. It is an affiliate of the Eastern College Athletic Conference .-Members:...
Coach of the Year, as voted on by the leagues’ coaches.
Kennett and his wife, Jessica, reside in Groton, NY with their two daughters, Emma and Sophie.