Temple University Athletics
Women's Rowing
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- grzybowski@temple.edu
- Phone:
- 267-634-1733
Rebecca Grzybowski (pronounced GREH-bow-ski) was named the head coach of the Owls' women's rowing program in 2012 after serving just one season as an assistant coach.
In her tenure in North Philadelphia, Grzybowski's crews have come away with 21 conference medals, four of which have been gold, while also taking home the 2019 Dad Vail title.
Most recently, Temple's Varsity 8 boat took home a bronze medal at the 2023 American Athletic Conference Championships. The Owls earned one first team All-AAC selection (Gemma Wollenschlaeger) and two secon team All-AAC selections (Maggie Paige & Olvia Elliott).
Grzybowski led the Owls to the 2019 Dad Vail Regatta overall and women's points titles. At the storied Philadelphia event, all Temple boats finished fifth or better in the finals, while three boats (2V8, 2V4, 3V8), earned gold medals.
At the 2019 Athletic Conference Championships, Grzybowski's Owls earned a medal of each color to finish fourth overall as a team. Temple's medal haul tied its second best performance in history, while every Owl boat finished in fifth place or higher.
In the Owls' 2018 season, the team tied its best ever result at the American Athletic Conference Championships, taking third, just 12 points away from a second place finish. Temple took bronze in the second varsity eight, varsity four, and second varsity four races, while the Owls' varsity eight grabbed fourth.
Grzybowski also guided the development of Charlotte Forman '18, who rowed for the United States at the World University Games. Forman, a 2018 All-Conference selection, helped Team USA to a bronze medal.
Temple's 2016 squad was the first in program history to place as high as third place in the team standings at the American Athletic Conference Championships. At that event, Temple grabbed gold medals in both the third varsity four and third varsity eight races, while also finishing in third, fourth, and fifth places in the NCAA qualifying events (varsity eight, second varsity eight, and varsity four).
In the first two American Athletic Conference Championships (2014, 2015), Grzybowski's crews medaled five times, including a gold from the third varsity eight in 2015.
In her first season as head coach, Grzybowski led her crew to a fourth place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championships. There, the Owls came away with a pair of bronze medals. Closing out the Atlantic 10 era for Temple, her teams earned silver in the varsity four and novice four events in 2013.
Gryzbowski’s impact started in 2011-12, when she served as an assistant coach with the program. 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, 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, and their children Evan and Riley.
