Taylor Ruden Named Assistant Coach for UVA Rowing
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Taylor Ruden has been named assistant coach for the Virginia rowing program, head coach Wesley Ng announced Wednesday (July 24).
Ruden joins Ng’s staff at UVA after serving as assistant coach at Ohio State the past four seasons from 2020-24. Ruden helped the Buckeyes to the Big Ten Championship in 2022 and four NCAA championship appearances, including a top-10 finishes in 2021 and 2022. She coached the Buckeyes’ Second Varsity Eight to gold at the 2023 Big Ten Championships and eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
“I am thrilled to be joining Wes and the women’s rowing staff at UVA,” Ruden said. “The successful history of this program and the people that have been created along the way is something I can’t wait to be a part of.”
In Ruden’s first season at Ohio State in 2020-21, the Buckeyes finished second in the Big Ten and sixth at the NCAA Championships. Ohio State finished 12th at the NCAA Championship in each of the past two seasons. Ruden coached eight All-Americans at Ohio State.
Ruden also spent one year as an assistant at her alma mater, Indiana, in 2019-20 and three seasons at Navy from 2016-19. While with Navy, she was part of a staff that earned back-to-back CRCA Region 2 Staff of the Year honors as the Midshipmen earned Patriot League titles in her two seasons. She coached the Varsity Four, which finished a program-best 14th at the 2018 NCAA Championships, and one All-American at Navy.
During her time as a student-athlete in Bloomington, Ruden competed as a coxswain with the Hoosiers’ crew team. She coxed the Varsity Four to a 13th-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championships and Varsity Eight to a 16th-place national finish as a senior in 2016. Ruden graduated from Indiana’s Kelley School of Business with a degree in marketing in May of 2016.
“Taylor Ruden’s addition to our coaching staff is a game-changer,” Ng said. “She has an amazing rowing and coaching pedigree and has been instrumental in creating individual boat and team improvements at the NCAAs. Taylor understands the comprehensive nature of what it takes to succeed and brings an educator’s mindset to her coaching. Taylor’s ability to inspire and develop student-athletes as a whole person, combined with her strategic programmatic insights, will play a crucial role in driving UVA to our ultimate ambition.”