Coaches' Corner: Colin Truex

This summer we'll be featuring various coaches from our 23 teams in a Q&A format on UCSDTritons.com as well as our social media accounts.

Colin Truex enters his 11th season as the head coach of the UC San Diego women’s rowing team in 2022-23 after taking over the program in 2012.

Since taking over, Truex has led the Tritons to four appearances in the NCAA Championships, including a runner-up finish in the grand final for the Varsity 8 in 2018. Additionally, the Tritons have garnered 11 All-America honors during Truex’s tenure.

Most recently, UC San Diego completed its second season of Division I competition in 2021-22. The Tritons took home four medals at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships on Lake Natoma, earning silver in the varsity 4+ and the novice 4+, as well as taking home bronze in both the varsity 8+ and second varsity 8+. 

At the CAA Championships, the Varsity 8 placed sixth and senior Hailey Caldwell-Meurer was one of 14 rowers named to the 2022 All-CAA Team after the event. 

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Any exciting summer plans?

We are taking a trip to Sicily to visit some friends. 

What’s one skill/talent you wish you had or would like to learn?

I would like to learn how to surf. I've lived in SD for over 20 years and I should know to how to surf! Hopefully I'll learn soon with my kids.

What are three words you would use to describe your team culture?

Positive, supportive, resilient.

What has stood out to you most/what have you learned in this transition to Division I competition?

I've learned that the level of talent and the training intensity that is required to be competitive is definitely much higher than at DII. But I've also learned that we are not far off! We've got an incredibly talented team and if we continue to ramp up the intensity of our training, I know our competitiveness will grow with each season. 

What are you looking forward to most with your squad next season?

We've had quite the youth movement these last two years and I am looking forward to seeing how the younger members of the team step up into leadership roles next year. 

What’s your favorite coaching memory?

NCAAs 2018- we had quite a special season and to finish as NCAA runner-up was just amazing! 

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Check back on UCSDTritons.com all summer long for future editions of “Coaches' Corner" from other UC San Diego coaches. Previous “Coaches' Corner” entries are below.
 

• Heidi VanDerveer (Women's Basketball)
• Liz LaPlante (Women's Tennis)
• Timmer Willing (Men's Tennis)
• Brad Kreutzkamp (Women's Water Polo)
• Nate Garcia (Cross Country)
• Kristin Jones (Women's Soccer)
• Juan Ignacio Calderon (Fencing)
• Fred Hanover (Men's Golf)

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.