Adam Thorstad is the Head Men’s Rowing Coach at Florida Tech, a position he assumed in July 2023. A long-standing member of the Panthers’ rowing program, Thorstad previously served as the head coach of the Florida Tech women’s rowing team for 16 seasons.
During his tenure leading the women’s program, Thorstad built one of the most successful eras in team history. He earned Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year honors six times and guided his athletes to five Boat of the Year awards, 56 All-SSC selections, 16 All-Americans, and five Academic All-Americans. His crews made six NCAA Championship appearances, highlighted by a national runner-up finish in 2019.
Thorstad’s women’s teams consistently competed at a high level on both the conference and national stages. In 2010, he led the varsity eight and varsity four boats to Florida Tech’s second NCAA Division II Women’s Rowing Championship appearance, finishing fourth overall in team points. From 2017 to 2019, he guided the program through one of its strongest three-year stretches, including back-to-back-to-back conference titles and NCAA appearances. The 2019 season marked a historic peak, as Florida Tech finished as NCAA national runner-up and swept conference honors, producing multiple CRCA/Pocock All-Americans.
In his first season leading the men’s program, Thorstad helped guide the Panthers to a 15th-place finish at the IRA National Championship in 2025. The freshman 4+ also captured the Lindy Cup at the Dad Vail Regatta, continuing the program’s tradition of competitive success at major national events.
Before becoming a head coach at Florida Tech, Thorstad gained additional coaching experience at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami, where he led varsity, junior varsity, and novice programs while also teaching precalculus and geometry. He also served as a graduate assistant at Marietta College from 2003 to 2005, where he contributed to recruiting, coaching freshmen crews, and overseeing student work programs. Earlier in his career, he returned to Florida Tech as an assistant men’s rowing coach from 2001 to 2003, helping guide multiple crews to strong finishes at the Dad Vail Regatta.
A Florida Tech alumnus, Thorstad served as captain of the men’s rowing team during the 2000–01 season and competed in multiple successful Dad Vail Regatta campaigns as a student-athlete. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Florida Tech in 2001 and later completed a master’s degree in education from Marietta College in 2005.
Thorstad holds a USRowing Level III Coaching Certification and resides in Indialantic, Florida, with his wife, Patricia, and their two daughters, Mia and Julia.
