“Marten has had a huge impact on this team and its success. I’m so grateful that he agreed to make the move to Orlando two years ago. He is so deserving of this title, and I could not be prouder of what we’ve built here.”
Mara AllenSince arriving at UCF, Martensson has played a key role in the program’s competitive success and recruiting efforts. In his first season, he coached the First 4+ and Second 4+ boats while leading the recruitment of 15 newcomers for the fall 2024 class.
In his second year, Martensson guided the First 4+ to a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Championship, the highest placement for a UCF boat in program history. He also contributed to the team’s historic victory at the Big 12 Championship, helping secure UCF’s first conference title.
Prior to joining the Knights, Martensson served as an assistant coach and international recruiter at the University of Virginia during the 2022–23 season. The Cavaliers finished the year ranked No. 10 in the Pocock Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Poll and earned their fifth consecutive top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships. Virginia also claimed its 13th-straight Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title.
During his time in Charlottesville, Martensson was part of a staff that coached two Pocock Racing Shells All-Americans and nine athletes who competed at the U19 and U23 World Rowing Championships. Eight rowers earned CRCA Scholar-Athlete honors, and 29 were named to the All-ACC Academic Team under Martensson’s leadership.
Martensson’s career also includes five years with Yale’s men’s heavyweight crew. After two seasons as a volunteer assistant, he joined the full-time staff in 2019, contributing to Yale’s success at the 2018 and 2019 Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships. He also coached the fifth and sixth varsity crews during his tenure.
Martensson is a 2017 graduate of Marist College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and was a four-year member of the varsity crew. While still a student-athlete, he gained early coaching experience at the Norwalk River Rowing Association.
