THE CUPINI FILE

Personal Information

Full Name: Kim Marie Cupini
Born: November 4, 1981
Hometown: Rochester, N.Y
College: San Diego, 2003

Coaching Experience

2004-05:
San Diego, assistant coach
2005-07:
UCF, assistant coach
2007-17:
San Diego, head coach
2017-23:
SMU, head coach
2023-present:
Tennessee, head coach

Individual Highlights

CRCA National Coach of the Year (1)
2024
CRCA Regional Coach of the Year (2)
2023 (Region 4), 2024 (Region 3)
SEC Coach of the Year (2)
2025 (Co-winner), 2026
Big 12 Coach of the Year (1)
2024
AAC Coach of the Year (4)
2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
WCC Coach of the Year (5)
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014
All-American Selections:
28
All-Conference Selections:
93

TENNESSEE HIGHLIGHTS

2026 SEC Championship
Two-time SEC Coach of the Year (2025 & 2026)
2024 CRCA National Coach of the Year
2024 Big 12 Co-Head Coach of the Year
2024 CRCA Division I Region 3 Coach of the Year
Three top-five NCAA Championship finishes (third in 2024 & 2026; fifth in 2025)
14 CRCA All-Americans
14 All-SEC selections
Five All-Big 12 selections
Three consecutive CRCA top five end of year rankings (No. 3 in 2024, No. 5 in 2025, & No. 3 in 2026)
Each of UT's three NCAA Championship crews set program-best marks by boat classification at the postseason event, with its First Eight placing third, its Second Eight crew finishing third and its Four boat earning fifth place at 2024 NCAA Championships
40 CRCA National Scholar-Athletes

SMU HIGHLIGHTS

Eight CRCA All-America honors
31 All-AAC selections
Three consecutive American Athletic Conference titles (2021, 2022, 2023) and three consecutive NCAA Championships appearances, where SMU finished 11th in 2021, 12th in 2022 and ninth in 2023
2023 CRCA Division I Region 4 Coach of the Year
AAC Coaching Staff of the Year in each of her last four seasons with the program (excluding 2019-20 due to COVID-19)
Ninth-place finish at 2023 NCAA Championships was the best in program history
SMU's 1v8+ placed seventh nationally in 2023, its best-ever performance at NCAA's
Four AAC Boat of the Year recognitions (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Finished the 2023 NCAA Championships with 85 points—the most ever for SMU
Capped the 2022-23 season ranked No. 9 in the CRCA national poll, the highest end-of-year ranking in team history
In 2022, swept all four races at the AAC Championship for a second straight season and went on to finish 12th overall at the NCAA Championships
SMU's first-ever conference title in 2021, sweeping all four races at the AAC Championship

SAN DIEGO HIGHLIGHTS

Six CRCA All-Americans
43 All-WCC honorees
Four West Coast Conference titles
Five-time WCC Coach of the Year
19 CRCA All-Region accolades
One WCC Rower of the Year
Four WCC Coxswains of the Year
Two WCC Newcomers of the Year
In 2014, made the first NCAA Championships appearance in program history, finishing 15th overall
Nationally ranked in the top 20 or received votes in the poll each of Cupini’s final five seasons
41 were named CRCA National Scholar-Athletes
40 Toreros received WCC All-Academic honors
Began her coaching career as an assistant coach at San Diego in 2004-05, briefly departing for UCF, before returning for a second coaching stint with her alma mater

ROWING CAREER (SAN DIEGO)

Earned All-WCC honors in 2001 and 2003
Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) All-Conference accolades in 2002 and 2003
2003 Leadership and Contribution to Student Life Award winner
Co-captain and WCC All-Academic Team member

One of the most decorated coaches in collegiate rowing, Kim Cupini was named Tennessee rowing’s third head coach in program history by Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White on June 9, 2023.

Cupini earned 2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year honors after less than one calendar year on Rocky Top.

“Kim has demonstrated the ability to build championship teams throughout her coaching career, and we are thrilled to welcome her to Knoxville!” White said. “Her success in molding well-rounded student-athletes and seeing how she has taken her programs to new heights under her leadership is impressive. With Kim’s outstanding coaching pedigree and success everywhere she has been, the sky is the limit for her potential in leading our program here on Rocky Top.”

Cupini had another successful season on Rocky Top in 2026. She guided the program to its first conference title since 2012, as Tennessee captured the SEC Championship. Adding to a historic season, UT reached No. 1 in the CRCA poll for the first time in program history. Cupini was named SEC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. The 2026 campaign culminated in a third straight top-five finish at the NCAA Championships. Tennessee tied its best finish in program history, placing third overall. The 1V4 crew earned its highest finish ever at the championship event, placing second in the grand final. The 1V8+ closed its season with a third-place finish at NCAAs, while the 2V8 finished fourth.

Five Tennessee student-athletes garnered CRCA All-America honors, with Meg Flanagan, Taryn Graves, Alex Pidgeon, and Hannah Smith earning first-team recognition, while Hannah Richardson received second-team honors. For the third consecutive season, a Lady Vol rower was named CRCA Athlete of the Year. Flanagan earned the honor for the second time in her collegiate career after previously being named a finalist in 2024. Tennessee also swept the conference's major awards, as Flanagan was named SEC Rower of the Year and Frida Werner Foldager earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Nine student-athletes received All-SEC recognition, with the entire first varsity eight crew featured on the list.

In year two in Knoxville, Cupini led Tennessee to its second consecutive top five finish at the NCAA Championships. That finish secured the most successful two year run in program history. Cupini was also tabbed SEC Co-Coach of the Year, the second year in a row that she had earned conference coach of the year honors after being named Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2024. The Lady Vols finished in second place at the inaugural SEC Championships in 2025, with the Lady Vols earning three gold and two silver medals.

Four rowers earned CRCA All-American honors in 2025, with Alice Fahey, Riley Ferdelman, and Alex Pigeon all garnering first team honors, while Meg Flanagan earned second team accolades. For Fahey, it marked her third first team All-America recognition in her career, while Flanagan eanred her second. In Cupini's two years at the helm, Tennessee has had its most All-American honors over a two year run, with nine total during that span. Alex Pigeon was also named one of eight finalists for the CRCA Athlete of the Year Award, the second-straight year a Tennessee rower earned the distinction.

In her first season on Rocky Top, Cupini led Tennessee to its best season in program history. The Lady Vols ascended to No. 3 in the CRCA national rankings by season’s end, and placed third nationally—a program-best finish—at the 2024 NCAA Championships, earning a podium spot in two of the three Grand Final events while tallying 118 team points in all.

Cupini earned CRCA National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Co-Head Coach of the Year honors in 2023-24. At the 2024 Big 12 Championships, the Lady Vols tied their best-ever finish, placing second as a team and medaling in all five boats.

Tennessee’s five CRCA All-Americans in 2023-24 marked a program record, as UT upped its all-time First Team All-American count from three to seven in Cupini’s first year at the helm. Five UT rowers earned 2024 All-Big 12 accolades.

Cupini and her staffs have earned conference coaching honors during 10 of her 17 seasons as a head coach, including in 2023-24 at Tennessee, while her teams have won a combined seven league titles between her stops at San Diego (2007-17) and SMU (2017-23). Cupini's teams have earned a combined five NCAA Championship appearances, finishing inside the top 15 nationally each time.

No matter where she’s been, Cupini’s ability to develop high-caliber rowers has been recognized by her peers. During her time at SMU, her crews earned AAC Boat of the Year honors four times. At San Diego, she coached a WCC Rower of the Year, four WCC Coxswains of the Year and two WCC Newcomers of the Year. Nine student-athletes garnered All-America status with her direction, while her rowers earned a combined 55 all-conference honors.

"I am sincerely honored to be joining the University of Tennessee and become a part of an already amazing athletics program and a great university," Cupini said. "The energy for success that Danny White and his staff have created is unparalleled, and I am extremely grateful to the search committee for their belief in me to lead the program. It's undeniable that Tennessee Athletics has a vision and commitment to become one of the top rowing programs in the country, with an exceptional rowing venue on the river integrated into our campus. We will work tirelessly to bring a championship-caliber program home and offer a first-class experience for the rowers. My passion is working with our student-athletes to achieve their top goals while creating an unbelievable culture they can remember long beyond their time on Rocky Top; I can't wait to start!"

During her six years at SMU, Cupini led the Mustangs to three American Athletic Conference titles (2021, 2022, 2023) and three consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, where SMU finished 11th in 2021, 12th in 2022 and ninth in 2023. Cupini and her staff were named AAC Coaching Staff of the Year each of the past four seasons (excluding 2019-20 due to COVID-19 canceling the season) and SMU claimed AAC Boat of the Year three times (2019, 2021, 2022) under her watch.

In 2023, the Cupini-led Mustangs logged a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Rowing Championship, the best finish in program history. The Varsity 8 also recorded its best finish, having an outstanding finish to win the Petite Final to place seventh in the country. SMU advanced all three boats to the A/B semifinals at the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history and finished the Championship with 85 points—the most ever for SMU and highest finish by an AAC program. The Mustangs ended the year ranked No. 9 in the Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll, which marked the highest ranking in team history.

In 2022, SMU swept all four races at the AAC Championship for a second straight season and went on to finish 12th overall at the NCAA Championships. SMU recorded eight All-AAC honorees with five first-team selections, while a trio of Mustangs were named All-Americans.

Cupini led SMU to the program’s first-ever conference title in 2021 after sweeping all four races at the AAC Championship. Eight SMU rowers were named to the All-AAC team and a pair of Mustangs received Pocock All-America accolades.

Prior to her impressive tenure at SMU, Cupini was at the helm of the San Diego rowing program for 10 years. During her time, she led the Toreros to four West Coast Conference titles. In 2014, the team made the first NCAA Championships appearance in program history, finishing 15th overall. USD was nationally ranked in the top 20 or received votes in the poll each of Cupini’s final five seasons in San Diego.

While leading the Toreros, Cupini earned WCC Coach of the Year honors five times and coached six rowers to All-America status while 19 earned All-Region accolades. Her teams collected 43 all-conference awards, a WCC Rower of the Year, four WCC Coxswains of the Year and two WCC Newcomers of the Year. With success also in the classroom, 40 Toreros received WCC All-Academic honors while 41 were named CRCA Scholar-Athletes.

Before becoming a head coach at San Diego, Cupini was in an assistant role in 2005. During her time at UCF, she helped lead the Knights to the program’s first top 20 national ranking during the 2005-06 season and the first NCAA Championships appearance in 2007. Cupini began her coaching career as an assistant coach at San Diego in 2004.

As a member of the San Diego rowing team during her collegiate career, Cupini earned All-WCC honors in 2001 and 2003, and Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) All-Conference accolades in 2002 and 2003. She was also named to the WCC All-Academic team.

A native of Rochester, N.Y., Cupini graduated from San Diego with a B.S. in environmental studies and a minor in business administration. She holds a USRowing Advanced and Level III coaching certification.

Name	Title	Email Address
Kim Cupini	Head Coach	kcupini@utk.edu
MJ Keys	Associate Head Coach	mkeys3@utk.edu
Karly Braun	Assistant Coach	kbraun4@utk.edu
Colleen Gillis	Assistant Coach	cgillis3@utk.edu
Violette Legrand	Assistant Coach	vlegrand@utk.edu
David Hall	Assistant Coach	dhall32@utk.edu

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