Noel Wanner was named Director of Rowing at Tufts University in January 2015, after seven years leading the rowing program at Middlebury College. He is also the head coach of the Tufts women's rowing team. Both the men's and women's programs have made great strides in recent years under Coach Wanner, who is now in his ninth season at Tufts.

Last spring Coach Wanner guided the women's program to its first team berth into the NCAA Championships since 2005. Finishing as the NESCAC runner-up earlier in the spring, the Jumbos then raced their first and second varsity boats at NCAA’s and took sixth place nationally. Their third varsity also won a bronze medal at the New England Championships (NERC).

The Jumbo men's program continued to propel itself into national championship contention last spring. Competing at the first-ever IRA Division III Championship at historic Mercer Lake, the Jumbos powered past NESCAC rival Trinity College down the stretch to finish as the national runner-up for 2022.

In 2019, the women's second varsity eight finished as the runner-up at the National Invitation Rowing Championships (NIRC), trailing only eventual national champion Bates College in the grand final. Tufts narrowly missed qualifying for NCAAs and finished with a #11 national ranking in the U.S. Rowing / College Rowing Coaches Association poll. The Tufts men placed fifth in the grand final at the NERC that year for their highest finish at the event since 1992. 

After the 2020 spring season was canceled due to COVID-19, the teams returned in 2021 for a NESCAC season. Tufts' women would earn a #7 national ranking after taking second place in the NESCAC East Division.  The men won the NESCAC East Division to advance to the conference championship round where they finished third.

The rowers recruited to Tufts by Coach Wanner and his staff also excel in the classroom. For the 2021-22 spring season, a total of 37 Tufts men's and women's rowers earned Academic All-NESCAC honors for carrying grade point averages of 3.50 or better.

Wanner learned to row at Wesleyan University and went on to compete for the U.S. National Team in 1992 and 1993.  As a rower and sculler, Wanner has won multiple national championships at the senior, elite and masters level.  During the summer, he serves as the associate director of the renowned Craftsbury Sculling Center in northern Vermont.