Kayla Thieken enters her second season as the graduate assistant coach for the WVU rowing team.
In her first season with the Mountaineers, Thieken assisted coach Tina Griffith in coaching the novice squad and helped guide the third varsity eight boat to a victory in the Petite Final at the Big 12 Championship.
In the classroom, eight student-athletes earned CRCA (College Rowing Coaches of America) Scholar-Athlete recognitions and 18 were named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team.
Thieken comes to West Virginia after serving as a volunteer coach for the UCF rowing team, where she coached the novice squad and helped UCF win the American Athletic Conference Championship and qualify for the NCAA Championships in 2016. She was also an assistant coach for the Orlando Area Rowing Society, where she coached the women's varsity squad and helped three boats qualify for youth nationals.
Prior to her stint as a volunteer coach for the Knights, Thieken was a four-year member of the rowing team and a captain during her senior year. As a senior in 2015, she led the Knights to their first conference championship in program history and secured an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
Thieken, a native of Tampa, Florida, graduated from UCF in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in sport and exercise science and is currently pursuing a master's degree in coaching and sport education.
