ROWING ASSISTANT VANESSA TAVALERO INDUCTED INTO WASHINGTON'S HALL OF FAME

11/20/2008

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento State assistant women’s rowing coach Vanessa Tavalero was inducted into the University of Washington’s Hall of Fame this past this weekend for her exploits on the water as a Husky student-athlete.

Tavalero was a member of Washington’s 1997 women’s rowing team that claimed the school’s first-ever NCAA team title in any sport. In the process, she was also a member of the inaugural NCAA women’s rowing championship squad as 1997 was the first year the NCAA offered a National Collegiate Championship in the sport of rowing. The championship took place at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River. Each member of the 1997 varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four crews was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.

That year, as a freshman, Tavalero sat in the stroke seat with the Huskies’ varsity four which placed second in the grand final, just 0.6 seconds behind Brown. Washington’s varsity eight placed first in the grand final, and the team’s second varsity eight and varsity four each placed second in their respective grand finals to garner enough team points to claim the national championship.

Tavalero, who was a member of four straight Pacific-10 Conference championship squads at Washington, would compete with the varsity eight during her final three years with the program (1998-00). That included winning another NCAA national team championship in 1998 as a member of the varsity eight in the two seat. Tavalero also sat in the five seat for the Huskies’ varsity eight which placed fifth at the event in 1999, and second in 2000.

She was also a member of the USRowing Under-23 National Team Camp in the summers of 1998 and 1999, and trained under former United States National Team Coach Hartmut Buschbacher.

Tavalero is currently in her third season on the Sacramento State coaching staff, as she coaches the team’s novice crew and assists in all aspects of recruiting.