ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Steve Gladstone, the Tom and Candy Knudson Navy Heavyweight Rowing Head Coach, is pleased to announce on Tuesday that U.S. Olympian Nick Peterson has joined the heavyweight program as an assistant coach.

"Nick's expertise in the physiology and biomechanics required in rowing is at a high level," remarked Gladstone. "He has also taught rowing that has produced exceptional results. He's a great addition to the Navy program."

"I'm thrilled to join Navy Heavyweight Crew," commented Peterson. "The Academy is a uniquely supportive and dynamic place, and the student athletes are positive and driven. Steve, Matt [Associate Head Coach Matt Fluhr], and I will pull out all the stops on maximizing the guys' potential on and off the water."

Peterson started rowing in the ninth grade for Alexandria City High School (then known as TC Williams High School) in Northern Virginia, and continued as a member of the Harvard heavyweight program under the legendary Harry Parker from 1992 to 1995. Highlights from his collegiate career include a second-place finish at the 1994 National Collegiate Rowing Championship and a fourth-place result at the 1995 IRA National Championship. Following his time rowing on the Charles River, Peterson competed on the U.S. National and Olympic Teams from 1998 through 2000, aided in his efforts by Guennadi Bratichko of Capital Rowing Club in Washington, D.C. Peterson's career culminated in a seventh-place finish in the men's quadruple sculls in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, coached by the great Igor Grinko.

After hanging up his oars, Peterson stayed active in the community as a member of the Athletes' Advisory Council to the USOC (2001–09). In this capacity, he served on the USRowing Board of Directors and its High Performance Committee (2001–05) and Governance Task Force (2004–06 and later, in 2014–17). He also served on the USOC Board of Directors (2001–04) and its Ethics Oversight Committee (2001–03). Peterson has worked with rowers of all ages since 2015, and has coached at Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont. Most recently, he served as Head Rowing Coach and Director of Operations at Y Quad Cities Rowing in Moline, Illinois during the summer of 2024.

Away from rowing, Peterson was an urban planner focused on community-led public space planning and design, CrossFit instructor, personal habits coach and entrepreneur. He comes to the Naval Academy from Missoula, Montana, where his wife, Charlotte Kaiser, and son Linus live with their two dogs, Freya and Boris.