Temple University Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- 609-513-4811
Kelsey Franks is in her first season as Associate Head Coach for the Owls.
Franks is a 2016 graduate of Temple University, where she was a four-year member of the women’s rowing program and four-year Varsity 8+ coxswain. Franks’ first year as a Temple coxswain was under Grzybowski’s first year at the helm of the program. The pair spent four years as a collaborative coach-and-coxswain duo leading the team to historic finishes. In her senior year, Franks was an integral part of Temple’s finish at the 2016 American Athletic Conference, placing third – the highest in program history. At the event, Franks grabbed a bronze medal in the Varsity 8+ and was named All-Conference Second Team. That same season, Franks helped her crew earn two American Athletic Conference Boat of the Week awards.
Most recently, Franks led the La Salle Women’s Rowing team as Head Coach, beginning her tenure by spending all of four weeks in an assistant position before being thrown into the lead women’s coach position in fall 2021. During her first year at the helm, Franks led the women’s rowing team to the best Atlantic-10 Conference team finish since 2003, and the best Varsity 8+ performance in over a decade. At the following 2023 Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, La Salle had all four boats — Varsity 8+, 2nd Varsity 8+, Varsity 4+, and 2nd Varsity 4+ — place in the Grand Finals at the A-10 Championship in the same year for the first time in program history. The Varsity 8+ boat made its first A-10 Championship Grand Final appearance in school history, while the 2nd Varsity 8+ boat placed fifth in the Grand Final to earn its highest finish ever at the conference championship regatta. In just her second spring as head coach of the Explorers, the La Salle team earned the highest team finish since 1998, and third-highest finish overall. The Franks era of Explorer Rowing also earned historic finishes at Head of the Charles, Murphy Cup, Kerr Cup, and gold medals at Navy Day Regatta, and Head of the Schuylkill.
Prior to La Salle, Franks served as the head rowing coach at Tampa Preparatory School, where she led the team to four Florida State Championships in the Men’s Varsity 4+, Women’s Lightweight 1x, Men’s Freshmen 4+, and Women’s Freshmen 4+. She then moved to the role of rowing director from 2018-2021, leading all major operational and budgetary changes.
While a student-athlete at Temple, Franks was also a member of Vesper Boat Club, working with the entire U23 Heavyweight Women’s Program as coxswain, winning the 2014 US Rowing National Championship in the Women’s Senior 8+, as well as the Women’s Team Title, and Overall Team Title.
A standout student who completed her Bachelor’s degree in English with a Criminal Justice Minor, Franks was also a multi-year fellow from the College Rowing Coaches Association. Franks is currently pursuing her graduate degree in Communication Management at Temple.
Franks is an alum of Mainland Regional High School (Class of 2012) in South Jersey, and was coached by Jeff Garbutt, a Temple Men’s Crew alum. With Franks as coxswain and Garbutt as coach, their Women’s Senior 4+ gained national attention during a season-long win streak, taking home the 2012 New Jersey State Championship and Philadelphia City Championship -- the streak only being broken by a second-place finish at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta and runner-up at the SRAA National Championship.
Franks lives in the Roxborough area of Philadelphia with her boyfriend Tom (Temple Men’s Crew Alum, ‘16), and their two cats.
