Coaches and Staff

Kate Mendoza has been involved in rowing for more than 12 years as an athlete, coach, and leader. She represented the Ukrainian National Team at the U19 and U23 levels, competing at the European and World Championships. In 2019, she was a member of an NCAA National Championship team and earned First Team All-American honors.

Kate holds a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Sports Management and a Master's degree in Higher Education and Talent Development. She has served as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the NCAA Division I level and brings additional experience in budgeting, project management, and leadership. She continues to compete in Masters and Open rowing while helping develop the next generation of athletes.

Originally from Wales in the United Kingdom, Gareth relocated to the United States with his family in 2015. Three years ago, his son began rowing with the Wilmington Youth Rowing Association and has been consistently impressed by the sport's positive impact on him and his teammates. The discipline, teamwork, and personal growth observed in these young athletes inspired greater involvement with WYRA, including efforts to introduce new participants to the sport and support the next generation of rowers.

Professionally, Gareth trained as an engineer in the UK’s defense industry, spending the first decade of his career in that field. Later, he transitioned to a role as a Technical Sales Area Manager before moving to the United States. Gareth's diverse professional background and skill set provides a unique perspective, which is now applied to his work with WYRA to foster youth development through rowing.

Coach Tristan began his rowing career at WYRA as a high school coxswain, where he discovered his passion for the sport. After four years with WYRA, he continued coxing at the University of Delaware.

In 2014, Tristan returned to WYRA as the novice men’s coach, leading his crews to numerous medals, including gold at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals with the novice men’s 8+. As the varsity men’s coach, Tristan elevated each boat's performance, establishing WYRA as a competitive regional team. During his tenure, he sent four boats to nationals, achieving WYRA men’s best finishes in over a decade.

Tristan now works with the varsity girls, bringing his expertise and dedication to help the team achieve even greater success. He is committed to building on past accomplishments and continuing to strengthen the program for the future.

Christophe Mills first started coxing in 1998 but officially joined WYRA in the spring of 2004. He left WYRA upon entering high school and from 2005-2009 he competed as a lightweight rower for St Augustine Prep. He also rowed in college for Rutgers University until 2012. 

In 2022 he joined WYRA as the men’s assistant coach and is also the sculling coach.