Vanessa Tavalero Position: Volunteer Assistant Coach Experience: 1st Year

Vanessa Tavalero joins the Golden Bear coaching staff in 2012 as a volunteer assistant coach. 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.

The other coaching experiences for Tavalero include: assistant coach at UC Davis (2009-10), 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.

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