UC San Diego Crew Camps
Men's Head Coach Zach Johnson
Zach Johnson enters his sixth season with UC San Diego men’s crew team and fourth as head coach in 2009-10.
Johnson's squad put together a record-breaking season in 2008-09, capturing the Cal Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic for the second time in three years and having the varsity eight ranked in the top-25 by the US Rowing Collegiate National Polls every week during the season. The Tritons varsity eight and second varsity eight also placed second at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships, while the team finished third overall. Johnson was named the WIRA Coach of the Year in recognition of his leadership and his team's outstanding peformance. As a result of their incredible season, the varsity eight earned an invitation to the prestigious Intercollege Rowing Association Championships for the first time in program history, joining perennial powerhouses Stanford and Cal as the only California schools ever invited to the IRA Championships.
In 2007-2008, the varsity eight set another program record, as they were ranked 23rd nationally. Varsity would also capture its fifth-straight San Diego City Championship in 2008. Johnson also led the second varsity eight to the team's first gold medal in a decade at the WIRA Championships. The second varsity eight then became the first varsity or junior varsity boat to make it to the Grand Final at the ECAC National Championships, placing sixth out of 18 squads.
After serving two years leading a successful novice program, Johnson set multiple school records in his first season as head coach. During the course of the 2006-07 campaign, Johnson directed the crew to an undefeated fall season and its first win at the Newport Fall Regatta. The team set a new benchmark at the San Diego Crew Classic, where they won the prestigious Cal Cup Trophy for the first time in program history. After sweeping the San Diego City Championships the team was able to medal in four events at the WIRA Championships. Three of the boats finished within one second of first place, including the varsity eight, which was involved in the closest three-way photo finish in conference history. The team reached new levels of recognition in 2007 as UCSD was ranked in the top 25 in the US Rowing National Collegiate Polls for the first time in the program’s 40-year history.
At the end of the 2006-07 season, Johnson was invited to “guest” coach for a month at Yale University. While at Yale, Johnson coached the JV and 3V athletes as they prepared for the oldest intercollegiate sporting event at the Harvard-Yale Regatta. The Yale JV was able to surprise a heavily favored Harvard boat, which had beaten them at both the IRA Regatta and Eastern Sprints weeks earlier, winning the event by over 15 seconds.
In 2005-06 Johnson directed the novice program to success, as both his 1st and 2nd frosh/novice boats medaled at the WIRA Conference Championships, with the novice A finishing less than a second out of 1st Place. At the ECAC National Invitational Regatta, the UCSD novice eight set a program record by placing second at the event. The first time any UCSD crew had ever medaled on a national stage. Most impressive was the fact that the boat was made up nearly entirely of walk-on athletes.
Johnson joined the UCSD coaching staff in 2005 as novice coach. With an entirely walk-on novice team, the boats enjoyed a highly successful season. UCSD won all of their dual races and went on to their best result ever at the San Diego Crew Classic, finishing fourth in the Grand Final. UCSD Novices went on to place second at the WIRA Championships by less than a second. The novices went on to set a new program record at the ECAC National Invitational’s as the novice 8 made the Grand Final before the event was canceled as a result of weather, becoming the first UCSD crew ever to have made it to a Grand Final on a national stage.
Johnson, prior to joining UC San Diego, was the head coach at San Diego State University from 2000-2004. During his tenor, SDSU became a highly competitive crew, winning or medaling in numerous Conference Championships. Johnson’s SDSU crews qualified in the Varsity 4 for the IRA National Championships in 3 of his 5 years as head coach.
Johnson began his rowing career at the early age of 9 and has rowed competitively at every level from Junior to Elite. Although most of his 20 year competitive career focused on sculling events, Johnson won a total of nine National Championship medals in the Eight, Four, Quad, Double and Single, his last coming in 2005.
Johnson graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in History. He was varsity captain and club president for SDSU Crew from 1995-1998.
