NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Mike Gennaro, Craig W. Johnson '68 Head Coach of Heavyweight Crew has announced the hiring of Kevin Hinkle as an assistant coach for the Yale heavyweight crew program.

Hinkle arrives in New Haven after spending the last two years at Syracuse University, where he helped the Orange earn the 2025 Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association (IRCA) Division I Coaching Staff of the Year award. The honor recognizes the collective efforts of assistant coaches, volunteer coaches, boatmen and support staff in service to their program and head coach.

"I am excited to welcome Kevin to Yale and our program," said Gennaro. "Kevin's knowledge of the sport, his recruiting ambitions and his experiences as a coach, most recently under the guidance of Dave Reischman at Syracuse, make him an outstanding addition to our staff. His energy, enthusiasm and versatility will benefit our student-athletes and make a strong impact on our program. I am looking forward to working alongside him."

At Syracuse, Hinkle coached the third and fourth varsity crews while serving as the program's lead recruiter for international prospects and assisting with team logistics.

Before joining Syracuse, Hinkle spent two seasons as an assistant coach at San Diego. During his tenure, the Toreros recorded two top three finishes at the Head of the Charles Regatta and captured the Team Efficiency Trophy at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships. His recruiting efforts helped restore the program to full roster capacity with recruiting classes of 15 and 14 student-athletes in consecutive years. He also coordinated all team travel logistics.

"I'm very grateful for the opportunity to join the program here at Yale," said Hinkle. "I'm looking forward to working with Coach Gennaro, Coach Williamson and the student-athletes to continue building on the tradition established by those who came before us. It's an honor to join this program, and I'm eager to get to work."

Hinkle began his coaching career at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, before serving as an athlete and coach with the Saratoga Rowing Association, where he coached middle and high school boys' rowing while supporting boathouse operations.

As a student-athlete at Michigan, Hinkle was a two-time ACRA First Team All-American and helped lead the Wolverines to three ACRA National Championships. He also represented the United States in the men's eight at the 2018 World University Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China. During his senior year, he served as the team's treasurer, overseeing the club's $300,000 operating budget.

Following graduation, Hinkle attended Newcastle University in England, where he earned a master's degree with distinction in synthetic biology while serving as vice captain of the men's rowing team. He helped Newcastle reach the semifinals of the Prince Albert Challenge Cup at the 2022 Henley Royal Regatta.

Hinkle earned his bachelor's degree in cellular and molecular biology from Michigan in 2019 and his master's degree in synthetic biology with distinction from Newcastle University in 2022.