Temple University Athletics
Alyssa O'Donnell Promoted to Associate Head Coach for Women's Rowing
6.11.18 | Women's Rowing
PHILADELPHIA -- After serving as an assistant rowing coach for four seasons at Temple, Alyssa O'Donnell has been promoted to Associate Head Coach, announced by head coach Rebecca Smith Grzybowski.
"Alyssa has been instrumental in the growth and development of Temple Women's Rowing over the past four years - coaching the novices to our first Dad Vail gold medal in almost 20 years, making significant advances in recruiting, and contributing to record-setting performances and historic team results," noted Grzybowski. "She continues to play a major role during a transformational time in our program."
"Alyssa's energy and passion for coaching is unwavering and contagious," continued Grzybowski. "She has grown tremendously during the past four years and this promotion is well-earned and well-deserved. I'm grateful for her dedication, her leadership, her loyalty and her friendship, and I'm excited about what the future holds as we continue to work together to make Temple Women's Rowing into a national force."
O'Donnell has had a tremendous impact on the development and recruitment of top student-athletes since arriving on campus in 2014. As of June 2018, she has inked 43 talented women to sign NLIs and taught 67 true-novices how to row.
"I'm greatly appreciative of this promotion from Rebecca and our Athletics Administration," said O'Donnell. "It's always been a privilege to work at Temple, coach the inspiring women on the team and to collaborate with such a dynamic staff. I'm thankful for the recognition and look forward to continuing the success of the program."
O'Donnell's career with the Owls started with the novice program for the 2014-15 season, where her novice eight boat won the Dad Vail Regatta, earning the Owls their first win in the category in program history. Her novice eight boat then continued its success at the 2015 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championships, where they won gold in the third varsity eight event.
In 2016, O'Donnell took over coaching the fours group, including guiding Temple's third varsity four to a gold medal at the AAC Championships. That boat, made up of all true novices, highlighted a fantastic championship for the Owls' fours, as the varsity four and second varsity four both tallied fourth place finishes.
Moving back to the novice rowers in 2016-17, O'Donnell led the mostly walk-on novice eight to a plethora of top finishes. That crew won silver in a deep field at the Knecht Cup, nabbed bronze medal finish at Temple's home race, The Murphy Cup, and finished fourth as the third varsity eight at the AAC Championships.
The 2017-18 season was history making for O'Donnell, who coached the varsity fours group. Temple came away with its first ever Eastern Sprints medal, as the second varsity four nabbed silver. At the deep Knecht Cup, the second varsity four won gold and the varsity four added a bronze, marking Temple's only medals at the event. Wrapping up the season at the AAC Championships, both of O'Donnell's boats took home bronze medals to help Temple to tie its best-ever team finish of third.
As the team's recruiting coordinator 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.
A US Rowing Level II Coach, 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. In two seasons at GVSU, she helped the program to immense success, including the Dad Vail women's points trophy in 2013 and varsity eight gold at both the Head of the Charles and Dad Vail Regattas. O'Donnell also helped the program to the grand final of the Women's Henley Regatta, finishing second only to Oxford University.
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.
An upstate New York native, O'Donnell began rowing at Saratoga Rowing Association. She competed collegiately at Nova Southeastern University, where she was named a 2011 First Team All-American by the CRCA. At NSU, O'Donnell was also 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 holds a master's degree in Communications from Grand Valley State. She also owns a bachelors degree in exercise and sports science and an associates degree in psychology.
"Alyssa has been instrumental in the growth and development of Temple Women's Rowing over the past four years - coaching the novices to our first Dad Vail gold medal in almost 20 years, making significant advances in recruiting, and contributing to record-setting performances and historic team results," noted Grzybowski. "She continues to play a major role during a transformational time in our program."
"Alyssa's energy and passion for coaching is unwavering and contagious," continued Grzybowski. "She has grown tremendously during the past four years and this promotion is well-earned and well-deserved. I'm grateful for her dedication, her leadership, her loyalty and her friendship, and I'm excited about what the future holds as we continue to work together to make Temple Women's Rowing into a national force."
O'Donnell has had a tremendous impact on the development and recruitment of top student-athletes since arriving on campus in 2014. As of June 2018, she has inked 43 talented women to sign NLIs and taught 67 true-novices how to row.
"I'm greatly appreciative of this promotion from Rebecca and our Athletics Administration," said O'Donnell. "It's always been a privilege to work at Temple, coach the inspiring women on the team and to collaborate with such a dynamic staff. I'm thankful for the recognition and look forward to continuing the success of the program."
O'Donnell's career with the Owls started with the novice program for the 2014-15 season, where her novice eight boat won the Dad Vail Regatta, earning the Owls their first win in the category in program history. Her novice eight boat then continued its success at the 2015 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championships, where they won gold in the third varsity eight event.
In 2016, O'Donnell took over coaching the fours group, including guiding Temple's third varsity four to a gold medal at the AAC Championships. That boat, made up of all true novices, highlighted a fantastic championship for the Owls' fours, as the varsity four and second varsity four both tallied fourth place finishes.
Moving back to the novice rowers in 2016-17, O'Donnell led the mostly walk-on novice eight to a plethora of top finishes. That crew won silver in a deep field at the Knecht Cup, nabbed bronze medal finish at Temple's home race, The Murphy Cup, and finished fourth as the third varsity eight at the AAC Championships.
The 2017-18 season was history making for O'Donnell, who coached the varsity fours group. Temple came away with its first ever Eastern Sprints medal, as the second varsity four nabbed silver. At the deep Knecht Cup, the second varsity four won gold and the varsity four added a bronze, marking Temple's only medals at the event. Wrapping up the season at the AAC Championships, both of O'Donnell's boats took home bronze medals to help Temple to tie its best-ever team finish of third.
As the team's recruiting coordinator 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.
A US Rowing Level II Coach, 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. In two seasons at GVSU, she helped the program to immense success, including the Dad Vail women's points trophy in 2013 and varsity eight gold at both the Head of the Charles and Dad Vail Regattas. O'Donnell also helped the program to the grand final of the Women's Henley Regatta, finishing second only to Oxford University.
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.
An upstate New York native, O'Donnell began rowing at Saratoga Rowing Association. She competed collegiately at Nova Southeastern University, where she was named a 2011 First Team All-American by the CRCA. At NSU, O'Donnell was also 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 holds a master's degree in Communications from Grand Valley State. She also owns a bachelors degree in exercise and sports science and an associates degree in psychology.
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