Ohio State Rowing Hires Taylor Ruden As Assistant Coach

First-year Ohio State rowing coach Kate Sweeney announced Taylor Ruden as Ohio State’s new assistant coach on Wednesday in a university statement.

“I am eager to welcome Taylor to the Buckeye family,” Sweeney said. “I’ve known her since she was a student-athlete and have always been impressed with her level of character and work ethic. She’s done a great job everywhere she’s been and I am excited for her to start working with our student-athletes.”

Ruden, who rowed at Indiana from 2012-2016, comes to Ohio State by way of Bloomington, where she was an assistant under head coach Steve Patterson for the cancelled 2019-2020 season. Before returning to Indiana as an assistant, Ruden spent three years in the same role with Navy, and was part of a staff that earned back-to-back CRCA Region 2 Staff of the Year honors, while winning two Patriot League titles in the process. She coached the First Varsity 4 boat to a 14th place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships, a school best.

“I want to thank Kate Sweeney and Janine Oman for this opportunity,” Ruden said. “I am very excited to be joining the Buckeye family! Ohio State Rowing is incredibly rich in tradition, success and fosters an environment of excellence for all its student-athletes and staff members. I am honored to have the chance to continue that with the next generation of Buckeyes.”

Ruden is joining an Ohio State program that has undergone serious changes in the past year. Sweeney took over the interim head coach of the program in March following the firing of former head coach Andy Teitelbaum for dismissing mental health concerns that his athletes had shared with him. She was named the full-time coach in June.