SACRAMENTO — Sacramento State Director of Athletics Mark Orr announced today that Sarah Puddicombe has been elevated to head coach of the Hornets' rowing program. She becomes the fifth head coach in the team's history (1995-pres.).

Puddicombe assumes leadership of the program after longtime head coach Mike Connors announced his retirement last month.

A two-time first team All-American, and NCAA national champion as both a coach and student-athlete, Puddicombe has spent the past three seasons (2024-26) as assistant coach with the Hornets, and also had an earlier stint as a Sacramento State assistant from 2005-07.

Puddicombe brings continuity, experience and a deep understanding of the Hornets' culture. During her tenure at Sacramento State, she has her fingerprints all over the program, which includes coaching the novice squad, recruiting, running practices, developing race strategies and lineups, academics, travel, administrative duties, and much more.

"We are thrilled to name Sarah Puddicombe as the next head coach of our rowing program," Orr said. "She is an outstanding leader with deep ties to Sacramento State, a championship pedigree, and a genuine passion for developing student-athletes. She understands the tradition that has been built here, has earned the respect of our team and the rowing community, and is the right person to lead our program into its next chapter. We are excited to see her continue the program's tradition of excellence both on the water and in the classroom."

A local product from Orangevale, Calif., Puddicombe has 23 years of coaching experience. Prior to her second stint with the Hornets, she spent seven years as the head coach of Capital Crew - the Sacramento State Aquatic Center's youth rowing program for high school students (2016-23). In addition, she had collegiate coaching stops at Cal (2008-16), UC Davis (2007-08) and Sacramento State (2005-07).

"First and foremost, I want to congratulate Mike Connors on a wonderful career and his continued dedication to this team over the past the 24 years at Sacramento State," Puddicombe said. "Coaching has never been just a job for me - it has been my life's passion. The opportunity to become a head coach represents the chance to bring together everything I have learned over two decades of developing student-athletes and building successful teams.

"I am excited to build off a program defined by excellence, integrity, and unity, where student-athletes are inspired to exceed expectations and leave a legacy that extends far beyond the finish line. Thank you to Mark Orr and the hiring committee for trusting me to lead this program that will compete for championships while fostering a lifelong love of the sport and the University." 

Puddicombe competed four years at UC Davis (1999-02) where she was a two-time All-American coxswain, three-time team captain, and helped the Aggies to a 2002 NCAA Div. II national championship.

She would later add another national championship at Cal, where she helped coach the Bears to a 2016 title. During her time at Cal, the team also had eight consecutive top three finishes at the NCAA Championships, and seven Pac-12 Conference team titles. That included a run of five straight Pac-12 titles from 2009-13.

Puddicombe was promoted to associate head coach at Cal in 2012, and was responsible for signing 67 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent from 2008-14. She coached four individual boats to top four finishes at the NCAA Championships (including a gold in 2014 and 2016), and five individual boat Pac-12 titles.

During her seven-year stint at Capital Crew, a total of 72 of her 105 seniors were recruited to row in college. In addition, she qualified boats to the USRowing Youth National Championships every full season of her tenure, which included winning a national championship in the Junior 4+ in 2017 and the Junior pair in 2022.

Other coaching stops included serving as a volunteer coach at the Under-23 National Team Camp in 2008 and 2010. She also worked as a Jr. Pre-Elite Rowing Coach from 2004-06, and made her coaching debut with Capital Crew from 2004-05.

Puddicombe graduated in 2002 from UC Davis with a degree in wildlife, fish and conservation biology. She would later add a master's degree in 2009 from the University of Phoenix.

NOTE - Puddicombe is the fifth coach in program history, joining Connors (2003-26), Bill Zack (1997-02), Serge Stanich (1996) and Bob Whitford (1995).