Colin Truex is in his fifth year as the freshman men’s crew coach for UC San Diego in 2011-12
With the biggest and most talented recruiting class in UCSD history, Truex coached his freshman squad to a 4th place finish at the San Diego Crew Classic, a 2nd place finish at the SIRA Championships, a first-ever victory at the Newport Regatta, and a 3rd place finish at the WIRA Championships. The boat really came together in the IRA Championships, where they finished 12th, placing ahead of traditional powerhouses Wisconsin, Penn, Syracuse, and Yale.
During the 2009-10 season, Truex coached his freshman crew to a victory over Gonzaga, a 4th place finish at the presigious San Diego Crew Classic, and a thrilling 2nd place finish at the WIRA Championships.
Under Truex's leadership, the novice team put together an impressive 2008-09 campign. After going undefeated at the Pac-10 Challenge, the Tritons pulled out a petite final victory at the San Diego Crew Classic, passing Michigan in the final seconds of the race. The UCSD novice squad earned an invitation to the IRA National Championships and didn't disappoint, defeating George Washington to finish 17th in the nation.
In his first season at UCSD in 2007-08, Truex coached the first novice to a third-place finish at the WIRA Conference Championships and a 7th-place finish at the ECAC National Invitational in Worcester, Mass. Truex’s second novice eight earned second-place finishes at WIRA and the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic as well as a first-place finish at the Newport Invitational.
Truex, born and raised in Wethersfield, Conn., began his rowing career as a freshman at Colby College, a small private school located in Waterville, Maine. Over the course of his four year career, Truex spent one year in a champion novice eight and three years in the top varsity eight. His varsity eight won medals at the New England Championships, Head of the Charles and New Hampshire Championships. Truex was also a two-time grand finalist at the ECAC Championships and stroked a silver medal-winning open four at the IRA national championships. Truex’s rowing experience expanded internationally when he competed for the University College London while studying abroad his junior year. His rowing career culminated with a trip to the Henley Royal Regatta in Henley, England where his eight competed in the Temple Cup.
Upon graduation in the spring of 2000, Truex took over as the men’s novice coach for the Ohio State Crew Club. In his two years at Ohio State, the novice men’s team raced three competitive eights in the spring and experienced much success winning medals at the SIRA, MACRA, and Big Ten Championships.
From 2002 to 2007 Truex was the first assistant coach for the San Diego State women’s rowing team. Truex’s main responsibilities included developing and coaching the walk-on novice team. Over those five years his top novice boats won first-place honors at the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival, San Diego Fall Classic, the Parker Cup, the San Diego City Championships, and the WIRA Championships. His top novice eights also earned second-place finishes at the Miller Cup and a fourth place finish at the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic.
In addition to coaching the novice team Truex also coached the lightweight eight (2003-05), the varsity four (2006) and the JV eight (2006). In two years with Truex the lightweight won back-to-back WIRA Championships and was ranked as high as sixth in the national lightweight rankings. Truex coached the varsity four to a bronze medal finish and the JV eight to a gold medal at the 2006 WIRA Championships. The JV eight went undefeated against WIRA conference opponents during the 2006 season.
On top of his coaching responsibilities with the Aztecs Truex also served as the recruiting coordinator and his efforts led to the signing of over 60 high school athletes during his five years.
In Dec. 2007 Truex earned a Masters in Business Administration with a specialization in Management from SDSU. In the business program Truex met his future wife and former Loyola Marymount rower Jenny Griffin. They were married in June 2008 on Mission Bay and live together in Allied Gardens with their lazy dogs, Sammie and newcomer Jack. Truex and his wife also welcomed a new addition to their family with a son named Griffin, born in June 2011.
