Stacey Rippetoe - Staff Directory - Michigan State University Athletics

Staff Directory

Stacey Rippetoe

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
Phone:
432-5623

Stacey Rippetoe, just the fourth rowing coach in Spartan program history, returned to East Lansing in the summer of 2023. She is spearheading the most recent upward trend in the rowing program, as the recently expanded Big Ten Conference has become one of the fastest, most competitive leagues in the country in the sport. Seven Big Ten teams – including the Spartans – began the 2026 season in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) national poll.

In 2025, Rippetoe guided Michigan State's varsity eight into the Grand Final of both the Women's Sprints and Big Ten Championship regattas, finishing fifth at Big Tens, its highest finish since 2014. The second eight missed the Grand Final by two-tenths of a second and earned redemption with a win in the Petite Final, and the third eight – comprised of all novice rowers – also advanced into the Grand Final, taking fifth place.

Five of her athletes have earned All-Big Ten honors over the last two seasons. In 2025, Sabrina Gottschalk was a First Team selection, while Maddie Kieft and Ugne Rudaityte earned Second Team honors. The three All-Big Ten selections were the most for MSU in a single year since 2011. In addition, 34 athletes have earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors, which recognize athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or better during the academic year.

Rippetoe previously spent eight seasons on the Michigan State rowing staff (2000-08). During her time at MSU, Rippetoe spent her first six years as an assistant coach and was then promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2007 season. In that position, Rippetoe served as both the novice coach and the primary recruiting coordinator for the Green and White. She was honored as the CRCA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2007.

Throughout her tenure and in the years immediately following her departure, Rippetoe's coaching and recruiting prowess was a vital part of the success Michigan State enjoyed on the water. While on staff, the Spartans made seven NCAA Championship regattas, finishing a program-best sixth in both 2006 and 2008 (and again in 2011). MSU finished lower than third at the Big Ten Championships just once (fourth place in 2004) and won Big Ten Championships in 2005 and again in 2008 (the first of back-to-back championships and four consecutive Varsity Eight gold medals at the conference regatta).

MSU had six first-team All-Americans and an additional four second-team selections, as well as 23 All-Central Region (either first or second team) picks. MSU earned 27 selections to the Big Ten first or second team during her time in East Lansing and boasted three Big Ten Athletes of the Year and four Big Ten Freshmen of the Year.

Rippetoe's history with the Michigan State rowing program and the surrounding Lansing community has helped her rekindle alumni relations with the program and reinvest in impactful community programs.    WeCanRow - Lansing (Women Enduring Cancer Row) Pink Ribbon Crew is a program that was started by Rippetoe in 2002 at MSU. Now in its 25^th year in Lansing, it is a charter member of the WeCanRow national organization, which was founded by former Olympic rower Holly Metcalf as a wellness and rehabilitation program for breast cancer survivors. WeCanRow is specifically designed to allow cancer survivors to re-orient themselves with their bodies, giving women a sense of control and putting them in contact with other cancer survivors. Rowing helps survivors to rebuild physical strength and mental focus, renew self-image, and develop the bond of teamwork with women who have had similar cancer experiences.

Rippetoe was the head coach at Boston University from 2008-17. During her tenure, the Terriers qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2013 and 2014, earning conference titles in the CAA and the Patriot League, respectively. A three-time conference coach of the year, Rippetoe guided BU boats to six Eastern Sprints medals, including three in 2012. In her four seasons coaching in the Patriot League, she guided her team to a title in its initial season in 2014 and was second in both of her final two seasons on the Charles, in 2016 and 2017. The Terriers had a total of 23 All-Patriot League selections, and three times in her four Patriot League seasons, the Terrier varsity eight was the Boat of the Year.   While at Boston University, she also started the school's lightweight rowing program and formed a connection with her squad and the Boston WeCanRow program.

An Oakhurst, N.J., native, Rippetoe earned her bachelor's degree in biological sciences in 1997 from Rutgers University, where she and her team finished sixth at the inaugural NCAA Championship. She earned her master's degree in kinesiology, with an emphasis in sports psychology, from Michigan State in 2006.