LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell Athletics has announced Katy Ruderman as its next head women’s rowing coach, welcoming aboard a rising leader in collegiate rowing circles following a successful three-year stint as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Ruderman joined the HWS coaching staff in August 2022, and in her three seasons in Geneva, she helped build record-setting recruiting classes, designed and implemented practice plans and race strategies, and established a comprehensive coxswain development program.

In addition to her duties at HWS, Ruderman also serves as the Para PR3 National Team coach, and she will lead the PR3 crews representing the United States at the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China, this September.

“I am excited to welcome Katy Ruderman to the Bison Athletics family as our new head rowing coach,” said Tim Pavlechko, interim vice president for Athletics & Recreation. “Katy is a dynamic leader with a proven history of building successful crews while fostering a culture of excellence both on and off the water. Her commitment to student-athlete development and her competitive drive align perfectly with our vision for the Bison rowing program.”

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead the next era of Bucknell Women’s Rowing,” said Ruderman. “I would like to thank Tim Pavlechko and Natasha Wilson for the opportunity to join the Bison Athletics team and the search committee for their investment in the future of the women’s rowing program. I am excited to guide and support the student-athletes in pursuit of their athletic and academic goals. I look forward to centering athlete development by celebrating growth and encouraging student-athletes to embrace challenges. My partner and I are looking forward to being part of the Lewisburg community.”

Prior to her stint at HWS, Ruderman spent three seasons as an assistant coach at George Washington, where she helped the rowing squad to second-place finishes in the Atlantic 10 Championships in 2021 and 2022. Those were the program’s best-ever A10 finishes, and while in D.C., she also served as the U23 High Performance Coach at Potomac Boat Club.

Ruderman previously spent 10 years coaching at the junior level. As the program director for Brookline High School rowing, she oversaw the training, racing, and travel for both her male and female athletes. As the Warriors head boys’ coach, Ruderman led a highly competitive team with more than 20 nationally ranked boats. She had five boats make the grand final at youth nationals, including two national championship crews. Ruderman also spent time as the head junior men’s coach and program director at Dirty Water Boat Club in Boston, and she also worked at Riverside Boat Club with the high performance group and junior programs.

A native of Brookline, Mass., Ruderman earned her bachelor’s degree in health and wellness promotion from Cambridge College in Boston in 2019. She recently completed a master’s degree in higher education leadership at Hobart and William Smith, and she holds a Level 3 Coach certification from USRowing. She previously served on the race committee at the Head of the Charles regatta from 2012-20 and was a board member from the Massachusetts Public School Rowing Association from 2013-18.