Ken Jurkowski enters his second season as assistant coach at Sacramento State in 2026-27, bringing two decades of elite competitive experience and world-class rowing credentials to the Hornets’ coaching staff.
A native of Rhinebeck, N.Y., Jurkowski has an extensive background at the highest level of the sport, which includes competing in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
He has eight years of coaching experience, which includes a season (2009-10) as UCLA’s head men’s club rowing coach. He’s also had five assistant coaching stops:
2026-Pres. - Sacramento State women’s assistant coach
2011-12 - Cal women’s assistant coach
2009-10 - UCLA head men’s club coach
2007, 2009 - Cornell men’s and women’s assistant coach
2007-08 - Michigan women’s assistant coach
2005-07 - Texas women’s assistant coach
During his coaching tenure, he has served numerous roles, including on-water practices, training methods, technique, athlete management, body mechanics for injury prevention, mental preparation, boat mechanics, and designing training programs.
Jurkowski began his athletic journey at Cornell, where he joined the heavyweight men’s rowing team as a walk-on freshman in 1999. He quickly earned a spot in the varsity eight, serving as a three-year varsity starter from 2001-03.
Following his collegiate career, Jurkowski launched into senior international competition, making an immediate impact on the national team stage. In 2006, he earned a bronze medal with the United States men’s eight at the World Rowing Championships in Eton, Great Britain. He subsequently transitioned into single sculls, representing the United States as a two-time Olympian at the 2008 Beijing Games - where he finished 11th overall - and at the 2012 London Games.
Over his decade-plus competitive career, he consistently posted top finishes across World Rowing Cup events and national selection regattas.
Jurkowski graduated from Cornell in 2003 with a degree in biological engineering technology.
