Bez Named Women’s Rowing Assistant Coach
HAMILTON – Eleanna Bez has joined the Colgate women's rowing staff as an assistant coach, announced first by Head Women's Rowing Coach Jim Lister.
Bez brings to Colgate more than seven years of rowing experience and three years of coaching across a wide breadth of boathouses. She most recently competed on the Purdue Crew while obtaining her master's degree at Purdue University. After her time competing with the team in West Lafayette, Ind., Bez served as the crew's boathouse maintenance and repair worker, assisting alongside coaches and staff.
"I am incredibly excited to welcome Eleanna to our coaching staff here at Colgate," Lister said. "Her recent experience as a collegiate rower at Purdue, combined with multiple seasons of coaching at the prestigious Pocock Rowing Center in Seattle, brings a unique and valuable perspective to our program."
Bez's passion for rowing began as a walk-on student-athlete for the University of Washington in 2017. She continued her involvement in the sport with various clubs in the Seattle area, including the Pocock Rowing Center, where she served a year as the regatta captain in 2022-23 and competed in notable regattas including the Head of the Lake and Opening Day/Windermere Cup.
"I'm incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to bring my coaching, engineering, and biomechanics background to Colgate Rowing," Bez said. "Getting the chance to coach the next generation of rowers and see their appreciation for the sport grow each day is something that's incredibly fulfilling to me.
"My time in Seattle gave me a strong rowing and coaching foundation, and my time at Purdue offered a look into athletics from an engineering standpoint. I am looking forward to sharing these experiences with such a driven group of student-athletes."
Bez's coaching started with a recreational master's squad and eventually bloomed into larger roles at the interscholastic level. Bringing a unique perspective to the sport, Bez has worked with a variety of different age groups, while also performing several years of rowing research with a biomechanics lab.
Bez earned her bachelor of science in anthropology from the University of Washington in 2021. She went on to complete her master's degree in sports engineering from Purdue in May 2024.
"Eleanna's deep curiosity in biomechanics and her genuine eagerness to teach the sport will greatly enhance our training methods and contribute significantly to the development of our rowers," Lister continued. "I have no doubt that her expertise and passion will inspire and prepare our students to become exceptional student-athletes both on and off the water."
Latest Women's Rowing
- Women’s Rowing Duels Cornell and George WashingtonITHACA, N.Y. – The Colgate women's rowing team faced tough competition in dual meets against Cornell and George Washington as part of the Cayuga Duals on Saturday.
- Varsity Eight Claims Patriot League Boat of the WeekHAMILTON – Coming off a successful win at High Point on Saturday, the Colgate women's rowing team's Varsity Eight captured Patriot League Boat of the Week, announced Tuesday.
- Varsity Eight Wins at High PointGREENSBORO, N.C. – Colgate captured first place in the varsity eight, besting boats from High Point and Marist, to headline the Raiders' action in the three-team battle Saturday afternoon at Lake Brandt.
- Women’s Rowing Sends Six Boats to Head of FishSARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Colgate women's rowing sent six boats to compete against teams from across the country for the annual Head of the Fish in Saratoga Springs over the weekend.
- Colgate Finishes Strong at Head of the CharlesCAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Colgate women's rowing Varsity Four earned a seventh-place finish in the Women's Club Four race on Saturday afternoon at the Head of the Charles.
- Women’s Rowing Battles Hamilton on Lake MoraineHAMILTON – The Colgate women's rowing team opened its fall season with a dual against Hamilton College on a tidy fall morning on Hamilton's own Lake Moraine.
