Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- 609-258-2402
Paul Rassam completed his 21st season as the head coach of the Princeton lightweight women in the spring of 2025.
2025 saw Princeton win the Commissioner's Cup at the IRA National Championship along with gold medals in the 8+ and 4+, with the 8+ setting an IRA record of 6:19.32. The Tigers also won the team points trophy at Eastern Sprints along with gold in the 8+ and 4+ and silver in the 2x. In regular season competition, Rassam guided the program to another undefeated season.
In 2024, the Tigers were Commissioner's Cup winners at the IRA National Championship, picking up gold in the 8+, silver in the 2x and bronze in the 4+. While the Tigers finished just one point short of the team point trophy to Boston University at Eastern Sprints, the 8+ won gold, the 2x silver and the 4+ bronze. Regular season competition saw Princeton go undefeated, earning wins over Radcliffe, Stanford and Georgetown.
Princeton followed up the 2022 magical season with a just as impressive 2023 campaign. The Tigers won three gold medals at Eastern Sprints before sweeping the IRA National Championships. The Tigers won the women’s lightweight team crown and the IRA Commissioner’s Cup for the second consecutive year. Rassam was later named IRA Coach of the Year for the 2023 season while the varsity eight also won the Women’s Lightweight Crew of the Year again. That boat has not lost to another lightweight boat since 2019.Â
The 2022 season was arguably the best campaign in program history as the varsity eight won the IRA Women's Lightweight Crew of the Year while Rassam was named IRA Women's Lightweight Coach of the Year after winning the IRA title.
Princeton opened 2022Â with a 13.1-second victory over Georgetown before taking down Radcliffe by 4.3 seconds. The Tigers then headed on the road to defeat No. 3 Stanford before winning Eastern Sprints. Princeton went on to earn two gold medals at the Dad Vail Championships before winning the national championship at IRAs.
The Tigers won the varsity eight national championship for the first time since 2003, cruising to a dominating 26.3-second victory over Wisconsin in 2021.
The 2020 season was cancelled due to the coronavirus.
The 2019 season was a magical one for Princeton as it collected its first gold medal at Eastern Sprints since 2011. The Tigers would later go on to earn silver the IRA Championships, another milestone reached for the first time since 2011.
After spending the 2011 season ranked No. 1, Princeton ended Wisconsin's long run at EAWRCs with a win in the grand final. Princeton also took silver at the IRA Championships, and it nearly knocked off reigning champion Stanford with a dramatic final push on Cooper River.
Prior to his time at Princeton, he served two years as the head women’s coach and two others as an assistant coach at George Mason from 2000-2004. During his two years as the head coach, he was able to triple the George Mason team size. His successful term was highlighted at the Dad Vail Regatta in 2004, when he led the Varsity 8s to the semifinal race for the first time in six years.
Rassam has also coached masters at Smichov Rowing Club, Prague and Capital Rowing Club in Washington, D.C.
A 1997 Princeton graduate with a degree in English literature, Rassam started his professional career as an account manager with Eurosports Marketing in Prague and Budapest. He rowed as a lightweight for three years and won two bronze medals at the Eastern Sprints (1991 and 1992) and one gold in 1995, when Princeton went on to win the Jope Cup.
Rassam believes in much more than rowing technique. He believes in nutrition, health, strength and fitness, both in his rowers and himself. He lives an athletic lifestyle and is an avid runner, and he has run in several marathons. He set a personal record of 2:48 in the 2008 Boston Marathon.Â
| Year | Record | Sprints medal | IRA medal |
|  2005 | 4-1 | silver | silver |
|  2006 | 5-1 | silver | |
|  2007 | 7-0 | silver | silver |
|  2008 | 8-0 | silver | |
|  2009 | 5-2 | silver | |
| Â 2010 | 5-2 | Â silver | bronze |
|  2011 | 8-0 | gold | silver |
| Â 2012 | 1-1 | ||
|  2013 | 2-0 | silver | |
| Â 2014 | 1-1 | bronze | |
| 2015 | 2-0 | bronze | |
| 2016 | 1-1 | ||
| 2017 | 1-2 | bronze | bronze |
| 2018 | 1-1 | bronze | bronze |
| 2019 | 2-1 | silver | silver |
| 2021 | 1-0 | N/A | Gold |
| 2022 | 3-0 | Gold | Gold |
| 2023 | 3-0 | Gold | Gold |
| Totals | 59-11 | 14 medals | 11 medals |
