Jason Elefant - Men's Rowing Coach - Syracuse University Athletics

Jason Elefant

Title:
Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator
Email:
jelefant@syr.edu
Phone:
609-647-6481

Jason Elefant enters his third year as an assistant coach at Syracuse in 2019-20 and his second year as the program’s recruiting coordinator. Elefant’s primary responsibilities involve identifying, recruiting, and assembling future classes of Orange oarsmen to continue the strong tradition of rowing at Syracuse University, which dates back to over a century.

During the 2019 season, Syracuse posted its strongest dual season in over a decade, with the 1V, 2V, and 3V going a combined 14-4 and claiming the Goes, Stagg, and Packard Trophies with wins over Wisconsin, Cornell, Navy, Columbia, and Dartmouth. The program’s top three eights went on to post 7^th, 8^th, and 4^th place finishes at Eastern Sprints followed by 9^th, 11^th, and 9^th place finishes at the IRA Championships, respectively. Elefant was the primary coach for the second varsity eight during the racing season.

Elefant was elevated to the post of recruiting coordinator following the completion of a successful first year at Syracuse, in which he coached the third varsity eight to an unbeaten record in the dual season and a #10 national ranking at the IRA Championship Regatta. With the 3V’s 10^th place finish at the 2018 IRA, Syracuse placed three eights in the national top-10 for the first time since the regatta entered its new format in 2013.

Elefant also assisted with Syracuse’s trip to the Henley Royal Regatta in England in 2018, its first appearance at the prestigious event since 2007. Following the 1V’s 8^th place finish at the IRA Regatta, Syracuse was entered in the Temple Challenge Cup for student eights. The Orange advanced all the way to the quarterfinals before falling by one length to hometown favorites Oxford Brookes.

"Coach Elefant did an outstanding job for us during his first year in our program," Head Coach Dave Reischman said. "He has proven he is ready to take over directing our recruiting efforts. He has really impressed me with his work ethic and he has been very thoughtful about changes he is going to implement in our recruiting approach."

Before entering the US collegiate ranks, Elefant spent two years coaching junior rowers in Great Britain. From 2015-17, Elefant held the position of Colet Fellow at St Paul’s School in London, one of the country’s pre-eminent schools and rowing programs. Elefant mentored student-athletes across multiple year groups at the school’s Boat Club, primarily assisting with the J15 and J16 groups. While an assistant at St Paul’s, the program achieved numerous successes, highlighted by the program’s first-ever victory in Championship Eights at the UK National Schools’ Regatta in 2017.

Elefant graduated from Princeton University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in History. As a member of the men’s lightweight rowing team, Elefant metaled three times at the Eastern Sprints and earned a spot on the 2014 IRA All-Academic Team during his junior year. Elefant also participated in the 2012 United States Under-23 lightweight four camp and was an alternate on the 2011 United States Under-19 National Team.