Get to know your Athletic Director
Steve Hargis
East Lyme HS
In addition to his role as East Lyme High School’s AD, Coach Hargis is best known as USRowing’s Director of Under-19 High Performance Programs, where he has been responsible for the growth, programmatic changes, coach mentoring and long-term planning for the junior national teams since 2008. From 1999 to 2008, Hargis served as head coach of the junior women’s national team development camp, and from 2004 to 2008, he also served as head coach of the junior women’s national team. He has seen numerous podium finishes, including winning the first-ever gold medal for the U.S. in the women’s eight at the 2008 World Rowing Junior Championships in Linz-Ottensheim, Austria. In 2008 he was recognized by the USOC as the Developmental Coach-of-the-Year. In 2009, Steve was appointed the Head Development Coach for both the Junior men's and Junior men's programs and in 2010 was named U19 National Team Head Coach. In 2018, the U.S. team made history as it came away with two gold medals and seven total medals from the World Rowing Junior Championships. In 2018 Steve was honored as USRowing's Man-of-the-Year.

Since 2010, Steve has also served as the Athletic Director at East Lyme HS in East Lyme CT, a recognized 'Class Act School' by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Association (CAIC). In his role as AD he is responsible for the management of 65 coaches and 1000 athletes in 25 sports on 52 teams each year. In this capacity he also teaches CEU courses to ECC Coaches on behalf of the Connecticut Association of Athletic Directors (CAAD) with Safety and Legal Issues as top priorities. Under his leadership, his teams have won 89 League Divisional Titles, 42 Conference Championships and 11 State Championships since 2010. Steve also serves as the East Lyme Boys Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Head Coach.   Since 2015, his notable indoor team finishes include ECC  Division 1 Indoor title 5 seasons (2015-2019) and was runner up in the CIAC Class M State Meet in 2016 and finished 3rd  in the Class L Meet in 2019.  In 2015 the Boys Outdoor Team won the ECC Class L Regular Season as well the ECC Tournament and finished up as Runner-Up in the CIAC Class MM Championship.

In 1998 Steve started his coaching career at the US Coast Guard Academy as the Head Women's Coach and saw the team earn entry into five out of the first six NCAA DIII Championships, win two NEWMAC championships, and three women become DIII First Boat All-Americans. Hargis was recognized as the NEWMAC Coach-of-the-Year in both 2003 and 2007, as well as the DIII National Coach-of-the-Year in 2003. In 2012 Steve was inducted into his Alma Mater's, the US Coast Guard Academy, Athletic Hall of Fame.

For the East Lyme Vikings School Page: