Vanessa Tavalero Position: Assistant Coach Experience: 2nd Year

Vanessa Tavalero begins her second season with the California rowing program and her first as a full-time assistant coach with the Golden Bears. She served as a volunteer assistant coach last season before being elevated to her current role.

Tavalero is a graduate and former rower at Washington, where she also was an assistant coach from 2010-11. She rowed on the Husky varsity eight boat beginning in her sophomore campaign.

Rowing as a senior in 2000, Tavalero led the Huskies to a second-place team finish at the NCAA Championships, also claiming second in the varsity eight grand final. That boat also won the 2000 Pac-10 Championship and was victorious at the Henley Regatta. The conference championship was the third of three straight Pac-10 titles for Tavalero and the Huskies in the varsity eight.

During her freshman season, Tavalero also won the Pac-10 championship in the freshman eight.

Tavalero's efforts at Washington helped the Huskies garner back-to-back team NCAA Championships in 1997 and 1998, her freshman and sophomore seasons.

Tavalero also served as an assistant coach at UC Davis (2009-10), the novice coach at Sacramento State (2007-09) and the novice coach for Capital Crew (2004-07).

Prior to attending Washington, Tavalero was a member of the U.S. Junior National team from 1994-95.

A native of Fair Oaks, Calif., Tavalero graduated from Washington in 2000 with a degree in metals and jewelry.