Galloway, N.J. – Stockton Athletics and the collegiate rowing community lost a luminary with the passing of former Osprey head women's rowing coach John Bancheri on Monday night. Bancheri spent four seasons at Stockton from 2019-22 as the last stop in a distinguished coaching career that spanned nearly four decades.
Bancheri impacted countless lives throughout his coaching career. He was well respected by his student-athletes and fellow coaches for his knowledge of the sport and attention to detail. With his gregarious personality and drive to succeed, Bancheri imparted lessons to his rowers that went far beyond the sport that he was so passionate about.
An Atlantic City native, Bancheri returned home after almost 35 years of coaching in the Midwest when was hired at Stockton in January 2019 as the first full-time coach in Stockton Women's Rowing history. Under Bancheri's direction, the program made tremendous progress and reached its highest levels of success.
Bancheri's impact on Stockton Women's Rowing was nearly immediate. Just a few months into his tenure, the Ospreys finished third at the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Championships, their highest to date, and earned their first varsity eight medal ever at the Dad Vail Regatta with bronze. The Stockton V8 climbed from 33rd to 20th in the cMax NCAA Division III rankings.
In 2021, Bancheri led the Ospreys to the program's first-ever gold medal in the varsity eight at the Dad Vail Regatta and their best finish ever at the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Championships, second place. Stockton finished the 2021 season ranked 14th in the Pocock/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association national poll
Prior to his arrival at Stockton, Bancheri was the head coach of the men's and women's club teams at Grand Valley State University (Mich.) from 2005-18, winning six consecutive American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) team points championships from 2008-13 and receiving four ACRA Women's National Coach of the Year awards (2009, 12-14).
Bancheri led GVSU to the women's team points title at the Dad Vail Regatta in 2013. His crews won the Women's Collegiate Eights at Dad Vails twice (2010, 13) and his men's teams finished in top three of the Collegiate Eights at Dad Vails five times.
Bancheri served as the director of rowing and head men's coach at Marietta College (Ohio) from 1994-2005, where he led Marietta to five Dad Vail gold medals overall as well as the men's points championship in 2002, for which he was named Dad Vail Men's Coach of Year.
Bancheri was the head men's and women's club team coach at Wichita State University (Kan.) from 1987-94 and the women's varsity coach at the University of Charleston (W.V.), his alma mater, from 1984-87. He was inducted into the Golden Eagle Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 for his success as a coach at Charleston.