Ted Benford returns to MIT for his sixth year guiding the lighweight Engineers. His crews have seen continuous improvement including the closest racing the program has experienced in years and top-10 national seeding in 2008 and 2009.

Benford brings over 20 years of coaching experience to Cambridge. Before arriving at the Institute, He was the men’s head coach at Boston College and Tufts University and an assistant coach at Northeastern University. Benford has coached at numerous rowing centers in the east and has served as a guest coach at several of the nation’s top club and camp programs.

During the summers, Benford is a coach with the Riverside Boat Club High Performance Group. For the past two years, his athletes have won Gold medals at the Canadian Henley Regatta and finished in the semifinals at the Royal Henley Regatta (Prince of Wales Cup). In 2008 and 2009, he coached the men’s lightweight pair for the U.S. National Team from Riverside Boat Club and Pierce Boathouse.