While many know Rowan Pugh as the cheerful teacher that they see in the hallway or as their English teacher who also sponsors various clubs, what many may not know is that she has had an incredibly long track record of swim coaching.
“I had a really rewarding time in sports, and as a coach, I want to give these swimmers the same type of experiences that I had,” Pugh said.
Over this past summer, Pugh was able to travel to Austin, Texas, to learn and work with coaches from the University of Texas Swim Team to use in her high school coaching.
“It was a really nice time being able to work alongside Olympic-level coaches,” Pugh said. “I would start the day off having breakfast with the team at 7 a.m. and do drills and coaching till room checks at 11 p.m.”
One of the many people she was able to meet with was Bob Bowman, someone who helped coach Micheal Phelps during his preparation for the Olympics. Experiences like these, Pugh says, allow her to grow as a coach and provide her swimmers at North with the same type of high-caliber guidance that she’s gained throughout her career.
Outside of the college and high school scene, Pugh is involved with her local YMCA as a coach for swimmers at the middle school level.
“Connecting with students on a personal level is helpful because when you have that connection you can motivate them more and tailor your coaching to each individually,” Pugh said.
Some students at Francis Howell North have been able to continue a sports career in college with the help of Pugh’s coaching. Olivia Van Horn, who was coached by Pugh for four years in girls varsity lacrosse, committed last month to play Division 2 Women’s Lacrosse in North Carolina.
“She’s incredibly passionate about what she does and it’s contagious to the point where it really makes you want to try your absolute best,” Van Horn said.
Some more of her coaching feats include coaching Francis Howell students Riley Jensen and Katie Faulker to become the top 30 swimmers in the state of Missouri and she has helped North produce four college athletes in 2024 alone.
“The best piece of advice that I could probably give would be to listen to all the previous coaches no matter how different or separate they might be from you or your sports, they all have some sort of input that can be really valuable,” Pugh said.
Pugh has had coaching experience that ranges from middle school club teams to NCAA Division 1 college prospects, and yet she still has many more years here to produce even more successful athletes from the area.
“I like being able to help people achieve their fullest potential, and that’s part of the reason why I became a teacher,” Pugh said.