Washington College

Caren Saunders has served as the novice women’s rowing coach at Washington College since the 2001-02 season. During her more than two decades with the rowing program, Saunders has introduced countless walk-on student-athletes to the sport of rowing and helped them become part of the team.

In addition to her coaching responsibilities at Washington College, Saunders is an ESOL teacher at Kent County High School. She earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Bowie State University in May 2025. Saunders previously earned a B.A. in History and Russian and an M.T. in Secondary Social Studies from the University of Virginia in 1997, where she rowed for four years. At Virginia, she sat stroke for the novice eight (1992-93), varsity eight (1993-94), and lightweight eight (1994-96), and served as co-captain during her senior season.

Saunders remains active in the local rowing community, teaching the “Learn to Row” class at Chester River Rowing Club and rowing recreationally when time allows. A graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, Virginia, she previously served as a “Learn to Row” coach for Rivanna Rowing Club in Charlottesville during the summers of 1994 and 1995 and ran a summer rowing camp for girls in Chestertown from 2004-2014. Saunders continues to live in Chestertown, just one block from Washington College, and remains committed to encouraging students to discover rowing.