Temple University Athletics
Women's Rowing
O'Donnell, Alyssa
Alyssa O'Donnell
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
- alyssa.odonnell@temple.edu
- Phone:
- 215-204-1918
Alyssa O'Donnell was named an assistant coach for Temple women's rowing in August 2014 and was promoted to associate head coach in July 2018. O'Donnell came to Temple after spending two years with the Grand Valley State University Rowing Club where she served as the varsity assistant coach while also completing her master's degree.
During O’Donnell’s first season with the Owls, she lead the women’s Novice 8 to school history, by winning the Freshmen 8 at the 2015 Dad Vail Regatta, the first ever gold in the event for the university. O’Donnell had similar success at the 2015 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship where she coached the 3V8 to a gold medal.
In 2016 O’Donnell took the lead on coaching the 4’s group. She coached the 3V4, combined of all true novices, to a gold medal finish at the AAC Championship. Also at the AAC, she coached the NCAA V4 and 2V4 to 4th place finishes.
In 2017 O’Donnell returned to coaching the novices, where the Novice 8, of primarily walk-on’s, took a bronze medal finish at Temple’s home race, The Murphy Cup, silver medal at the competitive Knecht Cup and a 4th place finished as the 3V8 at the AAC Championship.
Since 2014, O’Donnell has laid the framework for both, recruitment and the novice, walk-on team at Temple. She has cast a much larger web of recruitment, each year bringing faster, more competitive women to Owls. O’Donnell created Temple’s annual Open House for prospective student-athletes, as well as a walk-on website for those interested in joining rowing in college.
O’Donnell has worked alongside Head Coach, Rebecca S. Grzybowski, to instill a culture of female empowerment and to enhance student-athletes experiences while at Temple University as a member of the women’s rowing team.
O'Donnell is a 2011 CRCA All-American First Team member and a US Rowing Level II Coach. Prior to being hired at Temple, she was already familiarizing herself with the Schuylkill River by coaching with the highly competitive Vesper Boat Club summer program in 2014.
At GVSU, O'Donnell played a pivotal role in continuing the long-standing success of the Laker Navy. In the 2013-14 season, she assisted in coaching the Grand Valley women to a gold medal at the Head of the Charles in the Collegiate Eight event, bronze medals in the 1st and 2nd Varsity Eights at the Dad Vail Regatta, and a sweep of every varsity event entered at the ACRA National Championships.
The 2012-13 season saw similar successes with a 2013 Dad Vail gold medal for Varsity Eight and a Women's Points trophy. Other highlights of the 2013 spring included a trip to Henley-on-the-Thames where Grand Valley raced all the way to the Grand Final of the Women's Henley Regatta, finishing second only to Oxford University. While coaching at GVSU, O'Donnell earned her master's degree in communication.
O'Donnell started her coaching career with Saratoga Rowing Association and has also coached at Pine Crest High School and University School, both in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Most recently, she spent time coaching on Philadelphia's Boathouse Row as head coach of the Vesper Boat Club Junior Women's summer program. O'Donnell brought the program to new levels of competitive success, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the Junior Women's 1x at the 2014 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.
O'Donnell, an upstate New York native, began rowing at Saratoga Rowing Association. Her collegiate career took her south to Fort Lauderdale where she competed for the Sharks of Nova Southeastern University while earning a bachelors degree in exercise and sports science and an associates degree in psychology. At NSU, O'Donnell was named to the Sunshine State All-Conference Team in 2010 and 2011, nominated for Female Athlete of the Year in 2011 and won the Sunshine State Conference title in 2011 and 2012. In 2011 she stroked the Sharks to a fourth place finish at the NCAA National Championships.
O'Donnell resides in Philadelphia.
During O’Donnell’s first season with the Owls, she lead the women’s Novice 8 to school history, by winning the Freshmen 8 at the 2015 Dad Vail Regatta, the first ever gold in the event for the university. O’Donnell had similar success at the 2015 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship where she coached the 3V8 to a gold medal.
In 2016 O’Donnell took the lead on coaching the 4’s group. She coached the 3V4, combined of all true novices, to a gold medal finish at the AAC Championship. Also at the AAC, she coached the NCAA V4 and 2V4 to 4th place finishes.
In 2017 O’Donnell returned to coaching the novices, where the Novice 8, of primarily walk-on’s, took a bronze medal finish at Temple’s home race, The Murphy Cup, silver medal at the competitive Knecht Cup and a 4th place finished as the 3V8 at the AAC Championship.
Since 2014, O’Donnell has laid the framework for both, recruitment and the novice, walk-on team at Temple. She has cast a much larger web of recruitment, each year bringing faster, more competitive women to Owls. O’Donnell created Temple’s annual Open House for prospective student-athletes, as well as a walk-on website for those interested in joining rowing in college.
O’Donnell has worked alongside Head Coach, Rebecca S. Grzybowski, to instill a culture of female empowerment and to enhance student-athletes experiences while at Temple University as a member of the women’s rowing team.
O'Donnell is a 2011 CRCA All-American First Team member and a US Rowing Level II Coach. Prior to being hired at Temple, she was already familiarizing herself with the Schuylkill River by coaching with the highly competitive Vesper Boat Club summer program in 2014.
At GVSU, O'Donnell played a pivotal role in continuing the long-standing success of the Laker Navy. In the 2013-14 season, she assisted in coaching the Grand Valley women to a gold medal at the Head of the Charles in the Collegiate Eight event, bronze medals in the 1st and 2nd Varsity Eights at the Dad Vail Regatta, and a sweep of every varsity event entered at the ACRA National Championships.
The 2012-13 season saw similar successes with a 2013 Dad Vail gold medal for Varsity Eight and a Women's Points trophy. Other highlights of the 2013 spring included a trip to Henley-on-the-Thames where Grand Valley raced all the way to the Grand Final of the Women's Henley Regatta, finishing second only to Oxford University. While coaching at GVSU, O'Donnell earned her master's degree in communication.
O'Donnell started her coaching career with Saratoga Rowing Association and has also coached at Pine Crest High School and University School, both in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Most recently, she spent time coaching on Philadelphia's Boathouse Row as head coach of the Vesper Boat Club Junior Women's summer program. O'Donnell brought the program to new levels of competitive success, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the Junior Women's 1x at the 2014 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.
O'Donnell, an upstate New York native, began rowing at Saratoga Rowing Association. Her collegiate career took her south to Fort Lauderdale where she competed for the Sharks of Nova Southeastern University while earning a bachelors degree in exercise and sports science and an associates degree in psychology. At NSU, O'Donnell was named to the Sunshine State All-Conference Team in 2010 and 2011, nominated for Female Athlete of the Year in 2011 and won the Sunshine State Conference title in 2011 and 2012. In 2011 she stroked the Sharks to a fourth place finish at the NCAA National Championships.
O'Donnell resides in Philadelphia.
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