Aug. 26, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina rowing coach Sarah Haney has announced the hiring of two new assistant coaches, Stephen Arthur-Wong and Briana Blood. Arthur-Wong will direct the UNC novice rowing program and Blood will assist Haney with the varsity squad.

"I'm very excited to have Stephen and Briana join our program," said Haney, who is in her fourth year as the Tar Heel head coach. "Stephen brings an impressive rowing resume that includes collegiate and international rowing experience, as well as multiple years of successful novice coaching. Briana has an extensive background of competitive collegiate rowing and has also proven to be a successful coach on the college level. Both bring a high level of enthusiasm and a love of rowing, and I expect them to have an immediate impact on our program."

Arthur-Wong is a former member of the U.S. Senior National Rowing Team and has competed successfully in some of the sport's most prestigious events. As a member of the U.S. men's lightweight quad, he finished fourth at the 2004 World Championships after taking sixth in the same event in 2003.

A 1996 graduate of Rollins College, he rowed collegiately for four years, competing at such events as the Henley Royal Regatta and the San Diego Crew Classic. He has coached Rollins' novice rowing team for the past seven years, leading the squad to third-place finishes at the NCAA Division II Championships in 2002 and 2003 and to a first-place finish at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships in 2005.

Blood rowed at the University of Connecticut for four years, serving as team captain as a senior. After graduating in 2004, she was an assistant coach on the Huskies' staff during the 2004-05 season. The last two summers, she has coached sculling and sweep classes for Riverfront Recapture, a club in Hartford, Conn., that offers beginner and experienced rowing classes for all ages.