Jennifer Zebroski begins her sixth year as head coach of the San Diego State women[apos]s rowing program.
In her short time at SDSU, Zebroski has turned the women[apos]s crew team into a force in collegiate rowing.
Zebroski led the Aztecs to another solid season in 2007-08 with wins in 18 races in six boats over 10 meets. The Varsity Eight continued its improvement with a seventh-place showing of 40 boats at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, Pa. The boat, which missed out on the Grand Final by 0.532 seconds, cruised in the Petite Final, defeating runner-up Fordham by almost nine full seconds.
At the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships, the Novice Eight boat wrapped up a dominating season with a first-place finish of 18 boats. The Second Novice Eight boat added a gold medal, defeating six other boats in the process, while the Novice Four (third of 18 boats) and Varsity Eight (fourth of 11 boats) each looked impressive. In addition, the Aztecs won four of the six races at the San Diego City Championships and once again swept the Parker Cup Regatta.
In the 2006-07 campaign, four boats - Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, Novice Eight and Second Novice Eight - all qualified for the grand final at the WIRA Championships. The Aztecs once again dominated the City Championships as the Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, Novice Eight and Novice Four all won their respective races.
In addition, SDSU swept all five events at the Parker Cup Regatta which included Loyola Marymount and UC Irvine, taking first in the Varsity Eight, Varsity Four, Second Varsity Eight, Novice Eight and Novice Four races in convincing fashion. Only one race - the Varsity Eight - was closer than 16 seconds.
In 2005-06, three varsity boats made it to the grand final at WIRA Championships (Varsity Eight, Junior Varsity Eight and the Varsity four). In addition, the Junior Varsity Eight team won the gold medal at WIRA Championships, while the Varsity Four took the bronze at WIRA[apos]s.
The Junior Varsity Eight went undefeated against conference competitors and the Aztecs swept all varsity events at the San Diego City Championships.
In 2004-05, Zebroski directed the Aztecs[apos] Varsity Eight to a fifth-place finish out of 50 boats at the season-opening Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, its highest finish ever at the prestigious event. The momentum carried over into the spring, as SDSU swept all six races at the Parker Cup Regatta for the first time in school history. The Varsity Eight boat later captured the Cal Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic and the Lightweight Eight boat finished with a No. 8 national ranking in the final USRowing collegiate coaches poll. For her efforts, Zebroski was named the inaugural SDSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee[apos]s coach of the year.
Zebroski[apos]s first year at the helm in 2003-04 was highlighted by a pair of gold medals by Novice Eight and Lightweight Eight boats at WIRAs. The Novice Eight emerged victorious out of 19 boats to claim the championship spot and the Lightweight Eight boat would later place 10th at the elite Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Regatta.
Zebroski was an assistant coach at San Diego State in the 2002-03 season. Her duties included managing the recruiting program, planning team travel, as well as devising and implementing daily training programs for Aztec rowers.
Zebroski also coached the Lightweight Eight to a No. 7 ranking in the USRowing poll in 2002-03 and led the boat to a top-five placing at the San Diego Crew Classic. The Aztecs[apos] Lightweight boat was first at the WIRA Championships and second at the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships.
Before coming to SDSU, Zebroski was a varsity assistant coach at the University of Connecticut from 2000-02. With the Huskies, she coached both the novice and junior varsity rowers. In addition, she managed the recruiting program and developed and implemented daily training programs for the student-athletes.
During her stint at UConn, Zebroski also taught at the Riverfront Recapture Rowing Program in Hartford, Conn., where she conducted sculling and rowing lessons to members of the local community.
In 2000, Zebroski earned a bachelor of science degree in sport management from Ohio University, where she co-founded and managed the Ohio U. women[apos]s club crew team. After rowing for one season, she served as club president and coached the varsity and novice teams for three years.
Introduced to the sport of rowing at age 14, Zebroski rowed for the Simsbury High School team in Simsbury, Conn. During her senior year as a prep, she competed in the Varsity Eight boat which won a gold medal at the Head of the Charles Regatta. While rowing at Simsbury, she spent her summers coaching a youth rowing program.
Over the last 12 years, Zebroski has strengthened her coaching skills by attending numerous coaching symposiums and clinics. She has earned her Level III coaching certification from the United States Rowing Association and has attended two collegiate coaching camps.
Zebroski, a native of Stamford, Conn., enjoys running, reading, traveling and spending time with her family and friends.