Tessa Gobbo-Zimmerman '13 - Women's Crew Coach

Tessa Gobbo-Zimmerman '13

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
tessa_gobbo@brown.edu
Phone:
401-863-1000

Tessa Gobbo-Zimmerman '13 joined the Brown Women's Rowing Staff as an assistant coach in 2021 and enters her second season as the Loyalty Chair for Women's Crew in 2025-26 after being promoted to that position in August of 2024. Gobbo-Zimmerman '13 is the fourth head coach in program history.

In Gobbo-Zimmerman's '13 first year at the helm, the Varsity 8 crew took home the silver medal at the 2025 Eastern Sprints and the bronze medal at the 2025 Ivy Championship. The Bears also qualified for the NCAA Championship for the 28th consecutive season in 2025, with the Varsity 8 finishing sixth in the Grand Final and the team finishing seventh overall in total points.

Brown captured the Eastern Sprints Championship in 2022, 2023, and 2024. They also earned a share of the Ivy title in the Spring 2022 campaign. At the NCAA Championships in 2023, the Bears finished seventh as a team with the Varsity 8 finishing 10th. At the 2024 NCAA Championships, the Bears placed sixth overall with the Varsity 8 earning fifth.

After graduating from Brown in 2013 with a degree in sociology, Tessa continued on to the US National team. In some of her major international races Tessa won gold in the 4- at the 2013 World Championships, gold in the 8+ at the 2015 World Championships, and gold in the 8+ at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She became only the second former Brown female student-athlete to win Olympic gold at the Summer Games.

Overall, Gobbo-Zimmerman '13 has raced in most boat classes in major international or national regattas.

Tessa was a volunteer assistant coach for the Boston University Open Weight Women's Rowing Team Fall 2019 through Spring 2021. While training with US Rowing National Team Tessa did some coaching at Mercer Juniors and fitness training at the Special Olympics New Jersey. Tessa completed her Master's in Education at Boston University Spring of 2020.

She started rowing at the Northfield Mount Hermon School in 2006 and then went on to row at Brown University where she was part of the 2011 team that won the NCAA Championship. During her time at Brown Tessa was co-captain of the 2012-2013 team, CRCA Pocock All American First Team 2011, CRCA Pocock All American Second Team 2012 & 2013, Academic All-Ivy 2013, and received the Marjorie Brown Smith Award for Outstanding Female Athlete 2012-2013.