Temple University Athletics
Women's Rowing Head Coach Rebecca Smith Grzybowski
Rebecca Smith Grzybowski Promoted to Head Women’s Rowing Coach
8.23.12 | Women's Rowing
PHILADELPHIA— After serving just one year as the women's rowing assistant coach at Temple University, where she helped guide the 2011-12 squad to some of its most impressive accomplishments in recent years, Rebecca Smith Grzybowski (pronounced GREH-bow-ski) has been promoted as the team's newest head coach, as announced by Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw on Wednesday. Grzybowski replaces Jason “J.R.” Read, '03, who resigned to pursue other professional opportunities.
“This past year has been wonderful, Read said. "A number of critical academic and athletic performance metrics were met in a short period of time. I look forward to continuing to help my alma mater and working with both the men's and women's teams as they ascend into a very competitive Big East Conference. Rebecca is a fantastic coach and someone the team can look to for natural leadership.”
“Rebecca is the perfect person to continue the upward momentum of the women's rowing program,” Bradshaw said. “She was impactful in her first season as an assistant coach and demonstrated the leadership and technical skills needed to be a head coach.”
"I am beyond thrilled to be trusted with this responsibility and to continue contributing to the Temple community in a new role,” Grzybowski said. “Having spent the past year working with our student-athletes I can say with confidence that there is incredible potential that will be recognized as we strive for academic and athletic excellence. We have a great group of talented and energetic student-athletes who are motivated to take Temple Women's Rowing to the next level and I can't wait to get started."
With her assistance last season, the Owls made great strides at returning the program to the prominence it has been known for during the majority of its history. Following a silver medal at the 30th Memorial Murphy Cup, the Lightweight 8, became the first Owl boat to garner a national ranking by USRowing, as it placed 10th in the poll on March 29. As the season continued, Grzybowski also helped oversee a squad that claimed the gold medal at the San Diego Classic, placed third in the Atlantic 10 Championship and advanced three boats to the semifinals of the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta.
Before arriving to Temple last fall, Grzybowski served as the assistant coach at Bucknell, where she worked with the varsity fours for the 2009-2010 season and was designated as the head coach for the 2010-2011 Bison Lightweight squad. In 2010 she led Bucknell to its first ever medal at the EAWRC Regatta as well as a bronze medal at the 2010 IRA Lightweight National Championship. The 2011 campaign was highlighted by a gold medal in the Lightweight 8 at the Dad Vail Regatta.
Grzybowski has significant ties to the Philadelphia rowing community as both an athlete and a coach. Following her collegiate career she trained out of Boathouse Row as an elite athlete from 2004-2009. She spent that last two summers working for the Penn AC Rowing Association. In 2010, she was named the assistant coach for the Penn AC Intermediate Women's Program before being promoted in 2011 to head coach of the inaugural Penn AC Gold Junior Women's program, which she also served during the 2012 summer season.
Grzybowski is a 2002 graduate of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. The two-time team captain was a First Team All-New England selection in 2002, helped the Crusaders to three consecutive Patriot League Challenge titles, led the Varsity eight to a gold medal at the 2002 Avaya Collegiate Rowing Championship and to a bronze medal at the New England Championships the same year.
Upon graduation Grzybowski spent two years as Holy Cross's assistant women's rowing coach and program administrator. In 2004, she left the position at Holy Cross to focus on her own rowing career. In 2008, Grzybowski finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the Lightweight double, won the National Selection Regatta in the Lightweight single event, earned gold medals at the Head of the Charles and Head of the Schuylkill, won gold in the Lightweight quad and bronze in the open double at the U.S. Elite National Championships, helped the U.S. Women's Lightweight quad to a bronze medal at the World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria and earned the Vesper Boat Club Athlete of the Year Award.
Earlier in her career, Grzybowski finished second in the championship double at the 2006 Head of the Charles, won the 2005 Canadian Henley in the senior Lightweight quad and earned a gold medal at the 2002 U.S. National Championships in the Lightweight pair.
Grzybowski lives in Philadelphia with her husband Andrew.
FOR TRANSACTIONS: Temple names Rebecca Smith Grzybowski head women's rowing coach.
“This past year has been wonderful, Read said. "A number of critical academic and athletic performance metrics were met in a short period of time. I look forward to continuing to help my alma mater and working with both the men's and women's teams as they ascend into a very competitive Big East Conference. Rebecca is a fantastic coach and someone the team can look to for natural leadership.”
“Rebecca is the perfect person to continue the upward momentum of the women's rowing program,” Bradshaw said. “She was impactful in her first season as an assistant coach and demonstrated the leadership and technical skills needed to be a head coach.”
"I am beyond thrilled to be trusted with this responsibility and to continue contributing to the Temple community in a new role,” Grzybowski said. “Having spent the past year working with our student-athletes I can say with confidence that there is incredible potential that will be recognized as we strive for academic and athletic excellence. We have a great group of talented and energetic student-athletes who are motivated to take Temple Women's Rowing to the next level and I can't wait to get started."
With her assistance last season, the Owls made great strides at returning the program to the prominence it has been known for during the majority of its history. Following a silver medal at the 30th Memorial Murphy Cup, the Lightweight 8, became the first Owl boat to garner a national ranking by USRowing, as it placed 10th in the poll on March 29. As the season continued, Grzybowski also helped oversee a squad that claimed the gold medal at the San Diego Classic, placed third in the Atlantic 10 Championship and advanced three boats to the semifinals of the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta.
Before arriving to Temple last fall, Grzybowski served as the assistant coach at Bucknell, where she worked with the varsity fours for the 2009-2010 season and was designated as the head coach for the 2010-2011 Bison Lightweight squad. In 2010 she led Bucknell to its first ever medal at the EAWRC Regatta as well as a bronze medal at the 2010 IRA Lightweight National Championship. The 2011 campaign was highlighted by a gold medal in the Lightweight 8 at the Dad Vail Regatta.
Grzybowski has significant ties to the Philadelphia rowing community as both an athlete and a coach. Following her collegiate career she trained out of Boathouse Row as an elite athlete from 2004-2009. She spent that last two summers working for the Penn AC Rowing Association. In 2010, she was named the assistant coach for the Penn AC Intermediate Women's Program before being promoted in 2011 to head coach of the inaugural Penn AC Gold Junior Women's program, which she also served during the 2012 summer season.
Grzybowski is a 2002 graduate of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. The two-time team captain was a First Team All-New England selection in 2002, helped the Crusaders to three consecutive Patriot League Challenge titles, led the Varsity eight to a gold medal at the 2002 Avaya Collegiate Rowing Championship and to a bronze medal at the New England Championships the same year.
Upon graduation Grzybowski spent two years as Holy Cross's assistant women's rowing coach and program administrator. In 2004, she left the position at Holy Cross to focus on her own rowing career. In 2008, Grzybowski finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the Lightweight double, won the National Selection Regatta in the Lightweight single event, earned gold medals at the Head of the Charles and Head of the Schuylkill, won gold in the Lightweight quad and bronze in the open double at the U.S. Elite National Championships, helped the U.S. Women's Lightweight quad to a bronze medal at the World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria and earned the Vesper Boat Club Athlete of the Year Award.
Earlier in her career, Grzybowski finished second in the championship double at the 2006 Head of the Charles, won the 2005 Canadian Henley in the senior Lightweight quad and earned a gold medal at the 2002 U.S. National Championships in the Lightweight pair.
Grzybowski lives in Philadelphia with her husband Andrew.
FOR TRANSACTIONS: Temple names Rebecca Smith Grzybowski head women's rowing coach.
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