Peter Graves (born October 25, 1984) is an American rower who competed in the men's quadruple sculls event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Personal Information
Born on October 25, 1984 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Graves stands 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) tall and weighs 80 kg (176 lbs).
Collegiate Career
Graves attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. During his time at Trinity, he powered the Bantams' crews to four New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) titles, the program's first-ever Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship, and a No. 10 national ranking among all collegiate divisions. In 2005, he stroked the Trinity varsity eight to a victory at the Henley Royal Regatta. He received the George Sheldon McCook Trophy in 2007 as Trinity's senior male athlete of the year.
Olympic Career and National Team
Graves was a six-time member of the U.S. National Team in the double and quadruple sculls (2006 U-23, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016). At the 2012 London Olympics, he competed in the men's quadruple sculls alongside teammates Alex Osborne, Elliot Hovey, and Wes Piermarini, finishing 13th overall.
He narrowly missed qualifying for both the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2016, he and his brother John Graves, along with Ben Davison and Ben Dann, won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the quadruple sculls but finished 0.7 seconds short of qualifying for the Rio Games at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta. (The Russians who won that regatta were later disqualified for doping.)
Coaching Career
Graves began coaching at Long Beach Junior Crew in California in 2010, eventually serving as head women's rowing coach and program manager. He returned to Trinity College as interim head women's rowing coach in 2021, leading the team to a third-place finish in the NESCAC and a No. 5 ranking in the NCAA Division III national poll. In July 2022, he was formally named head coach of the Trinity women's rowing program. He has also coached for Team USA in the single and double sculls.
Personal
Graves comes from a prominent rowing family. His father, Harry Graves, rowed at Trinity College. His brothers Tom Graves (Trinity '05) and John Graves (Trinity '10) are also elite rowers and national team members. Graves and his brother Tom won the Championship Double Sculls event at the Head of the Charles Regatta in 2009 and 2010. He was inducted into the Trinity College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021. He is also known for his alter ego Patricia Graves.
