NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Will Porter, the Friends of YWC Head Coach, is thrilled to announce the addition of Josie Konopka to his staff. Konopka will serve as an Assistant Coach.
 
"Josie is one of the brightest young coaches in collegiate rowing, and we're thrilled to welcome her to Yale," said Porter. "Her experience as both an elite rower and coach gives her a unique perspective that will benefit our student-athletes every day."
 
"She embodies the values we prioritize at Yale—competitive excellence, intellectual curiosity, and a commitment to developing the whole student-athlete," Porter added. "She brings tremendous energy, strong technical knowledge, and a proven ability to connect with athletes. We are fortunate to add someone of her character and talent to our program. As a two-time team captain, First Team All-Ivy rower, and U23 National Team athlete, she understands what it takes to compete at the highest level."
 
Konopka comes to New Haven after a stint at Penn as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. She came back to Penn after one year as an assistant coach at the University of Virginia in 2024-25. She helped the Cavaliers to a tenth-place finish at the NCAA Championship following a runner-up finish at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship.
 
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity to join Will, Jamie, and the entire Yale coaching community at Gilder," said Konopka. "Yale's competitive excellence in the Ivy League and NCAA speaks for itself, and I'm thrilled to be able to learn in an environment that values both academic and athletic growth."
 
Prior to Virginia, Konopka spent the 2023-24 season on Penn's staff as an assistant coach. That year, the Quakers continued to make history as they qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third straight year and had all three NCAA boats earn top-12 finishes for the first time (1V8 10th, 2V8 10th, V4A 11th) en route to a tenth-place team finish. At the Ivy League Championship, Penn took fourth in both the overall and NCAA point standings and the Red and Blue earned silver medals in the Varsity Eight, the Third Varsity Eight, and the Third Varsity Four.
 
Konopka was a two-year captain for the Quakers and earned first-team All-America honors from the College Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) and first-team All-Ivy two times. She helped lead the Quakers to their first full-team NCAA Championship appearance in 2022, when Penn finished 11th, and then was in the two-seat in 2023 as the Quakers' Varsity Eight won silver at the Ivy League Championship and followed that up with a fourth-place finish at NCAAs. Overall, Penn took sixth as a team. Konopka then moved back into her usual spot in the stroke seat as Penn made its debut at both the Henley Women's Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta, helping the Quakers advance to the final of the Royal's Island Challenge Cup final where they were nipped at the finish by the reigning British University champion, Oxford Brookes.