Coaches
Frank Biller, M.Sc., MBA | Head Coach & Director of Rowing
Frank has been at the helm of Virginia Rowing since Fall 2009. Under his guidance the Wahoo crews have won multiple ACRA National Championships, Dad Vail Golds as well as six Head of the Charles titles. Internationally, Frank has taken UVA crews to Henley Royal in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2023. Several of his UVA rowers have represented the US internationally, including at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Frank has over 30 years of experience at every level of the sport, coaching and mentoring athletes from the junior to the Olympic levels, both in Europe and in the United States. These athletes have won medals at the world championships, as well as at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Growing up in Switzerland and traveling the rowing world, Frank has studied the different systems, styles, and cultures of today’s most successful rowing powers.
Prior to professional coaching, Frank also has enjoyed successful careers in finance and the military. In 2004 he earned an MBA and MS from Drexel University’s LeBow Business School. Frank is also adjunct faculty at the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) in Charlottesville where he lectures in cultural development and mindfulness.
He lives in Charlottesville with his wife and son.
Ronnie Cantrell | Head Novice Coach
Ronnie joined the coaching staff of Virginia Men’s Rowing at the start of the Fall 2024 season after coming from Saratoga, New York. Ronnie most recently served as the head coach for the U17 girls at the Saratoga Rowing Association Junior Competitive Program.
At UVA, Ronnie is responsible for all the Novice Coaching, recruiting, and preparing the novice class for our varsity team, as they move up in subsequent years.
Ronnie first started rowing in high school at Skyline Crew in 2013, where he rowed all four years. Ronnie spent the summer of 2016 as an athlete for the U.S. Junior High Performance Team. After graduating in 2017, he attended Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom, where he continued his rowing career.
Ronnie has a variety of coaching experience ranging from juniors to collegiate. He has coached at the junior level for Skyline Crew, Pioneer Crew, Saratoga Juniors, and the Washtenaw Rowing Center. He has coached at the collegiate level for Michigan State Women’s Rowing, and University of Michigan Men. He has also coached for Craftsbury Sculling Center in the summer, alongside the U.S. U19 Women’s Olympic Development Program, and the U.S. U23 Women’s Selection Development Camp. Ronnie is currently a U.S. Rowing Level 2 certified coach.
Matt Connor, DPT, Team Physical Therapist
Matt obtained his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2009 from Rutgers University in NJ where he grew up and started his PT career. His interest in sports medicine goes back to being a student athletic trainer as an undergraduate student majoring in Health and Exercise Science.
Matt is a former collegiate soccer player and athlete at heart. His interest in working with rowers began at his first outpatient job in Princeton, NJ. Matt and his family moved to Charlottesville in 2018. They enjoy hiking, biking, and anything outdoors.
Assistant and Boat’s Coaches
Danielle “Ellie” Coles (Col ’17) | Assistant Coach
Ellie began coxing in her first year at University of Virginia and coxed for the team for four years. In her third year Ellie was a member of the Lightweight 4+ that participated in the Head of the Charles and went on to win the Dad Vail Regatta. In her final season on the team she was a member of the Varsity Eight that earned bronze at the Head of the Charles and the ACRA national championship. Ellie graduated from UVA in 2017 with bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and Archaeology.
After graduating Ellie moved to the Philadelphia area for work. During her time in Philadelphia she volunteered as an assistant coach for a local high school rowing team. Ellie returned to Charlottesville in 2020 to continue advancing her career in environmental chemistry, while helping coach the varsity squad.
Sam Herder (Col ’12) | Assistant Coach
Bio to follow.
Cailly O’Toole | Assistant Coach (Varsity)
Cailly joined the coaching staff of Virginia Men’s Rowing at the start of the Fall 2024 season. Cailly moved to Charlottesville from Columbus, OH where she was both an athlete and coach for The Ohio State University Women’s Rowing team. Cailly was a student-athlete from 2017-2019 during which she helped the Buckeyes to a clean sweep at the Big Ten Conference Championship in 2018. Upon medically retiring from the sport, she quickly found her stride as she joined the coaching staff working primarily with the Walk-On group. Upon graduating from OSU, Cailly continued her education and received her Master’s Degree in Coaching while serving as the Graduate Assistant Coach from 2021-2023. In the 2022 season, Cailly coached the 2N8 to a silver medal finish at the conference championship and helped the Buckeyes win their 10th Big Ten Championship. In the 2023-2024 season, Cailly served as the Head Novice Coach for Ohio State. Along with Cailly came the newest boathouse dog – Dutton – who is a three year old golden retriever. Dutton enjoys riding the launch as well as accepting treats from both the Men’s and Women’s team.
Francis “Frank” Vasquez (Engr ’18) | Assistant Coach
Frank came to UVA from Gonzaga College High School in Washington D.C., where he was a member of the Varsity Eight that finished 4th at the Head of the Charles in 2013, won the Stotesbury Cup in 2013 and 2014, and won the SRAA National Championship in 2014. He rowed for Virginia for four years, graduating in 2018 with a degree in biomedical engineering. After not being able to race his first year due to injury, he earned a bronze in the Collegiate Four at Head of the Charles in 2015 and a silver in the Second Varsity Eight at the ACRA national championship. In his third and fourth year, Frank was a member of a Varsity Eight that earned bronze (2016) and gold (2017) at the Head of the Charles, and two bronze medals at the ACRA national championship. He has served as an assistant coach since 2018. At his day job, Frank is a biomedical engineer for the MITRE Corporation working in the UVA Hospital.