Elephant joins men’s rowing team



Cal Men’s Rowing adds Jason Elefant to the coaching staff.


Former Syracuse assistant will focus on Bears International Recruiting

BERKELEY – California men’s rowing coach Scott Fransen is pleased to announce the addition of Jason Elefant for the 2022-23 season. Elephant joins the 2022 National Champions after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Syracuse.

“I’m delighted to have Jason join our team,” said Frandsen. “He has done a great job at Syracuse with recruitment and coaching and I think he will fit very well into our team culture. Jason will lead our international recruitment and focus on coaching the 3v/4v group within our roster.”

A native of Hamilton, NJ, is making his way to the West Coast after spending five years at Syracuse, the last four years as a recruitment coordinator for Orange. Elefant was responsible for recruiting all nine members of the 2022 Varsity Eight, which ranked No. 6 nationally and finished fifth at the 2022 IRA Championships earlier this month. It was the second year in a row that Orange competed in the IRA Grand Finals. The 2V8+ and 3V8+ took 8th placeth and 10th This is the third time in the past five years that Syracuse has ranked three crews in the top 10 nationally.

In 2021, in a shortened season marred by Covid restrictions, Syracuse recorded its best finishes in nearly 30 years, with the V8+ and 2V8+ eights finishing 4th and 5th in their respective Grand Finals.

During the 2019 season, Syracuse recorded its strongest doubles season in over a decade, with the V8+, 2V+, and 3V+ scoring 14-4 combined and taking the Goes, Stagg, and Packard trophies with wins over Wisconsin, Cornell, Navy, Columbia, and Dartmouth. The first three eights of the program landed on post 7th8ththand 4th 1st place in the Eastern Sprints followed by 9thth11thand 9th place in the IRA Championships. Elephant was the head coach for the second varsity eight during the racing season.


Elephant was appointed recruiting coordinator after completing a successful first year at Syracuse coaching third varsity eight to a double season undefeated record and a 10th national ranking at the IRA Championship Regatta. With the 3V’s 10th Place at the 2018 IRA, Syracuse placed three eighths in the national top-10 for the first time since the regatta was incorporated into its new format in 2013.

Before joining the Syracuse coaching staff, Elefant coached junior rowers in the UK for two years. From 2015 to 2017, Elefant was a Colet Fellow at St Paul’s School, London, one of the country’s pre-eminent schools and rowing programmes. As an assistant at St Paul’s, the program achieved numerous successes, highlighted by the programme’s first win in the Championship Eights at the UK National Schools’ Regatta in 2017.


Elephant graduated from Princeton in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in history. As a member of the men’s lightweight rowing team, Elefant won a three-time medal in the Eastern Sprints and earned a spot on the 2014 IRA All-Academic Team during his junior year. Elefant also competed in the 2012 United States U23 Lightweight Four Camp and was a substitute in the 2011 United States U19 national team.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Bears and contributing to Cal’s legendary program,” Elefant said. “Scott, Brandon and Sam have done an amazing job of building a championship culture and clearly set the bar extremely high. I look forward to diving into the coaching and recruiting work next season to push this team forward in its quest for state championships.”

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