Coaches and Staff
RJ Rubino
Club President and Head Coach
The Buffalo Rowing Club program is led by RJ Rubino, a former US National Team oarsman with a distinguished record at national and international regattas. RJ has directed successful programs at RowBuffalo, Canisius High School, BSRA, and the U23 US National Team After achieving historic success with RowBuffalo in 2023 and 2024, he founded the non-profit Buffalo Rowing Club. Under his leadership, RJ's rowers have won a U23 World Championship, fourteen Royal Canadian Henley titles, thirteen USRowing Youth and Summer National Championships, seven CSSRAs, four SRAAs, and dozens of New York State Championships. Alumni of his programs have won prestigious events such as the Eastern Sprints, IRAs, The Henley Royal Regatta, and World Championships
Nathaniel Sass
U19 Lead Coach
Nathaniel Sass joins the Buffalo Rowing Club after finishing his collegiate career with two years at Boston University and three years with the University of Pennsylvania lightweights. In that time, he has achieved a U23 World Rowing Championship in 2022, two US National teams, 3x IRCA First Team All American, the UPenn Lightweight 2k record, along with multiple IRA and Eastern Sprints medals. Now returning home, he hopes to help maintain the new era of rowing success in the Buffalo rowing community as a coach and a rower.
Zachary Mecca
U17 Lead Coach
Zachary was a four-year member of the Varsity Lightweight Rowing Team at Harvard University, 2024 IRA National Champion, 2x winner of the Head of the Charles, and 2x Eastern Sprints silver medalist. He is an alumnus of Canisius High School where he won the 2019 USRowing Youth National Championships. He has four years of elite coaching experience and returns to Buffalo this summer to lead the Under-17 squad. He serves on the BRC Board of Directors as Head of the Oarsmen Committee.
Jerry Jacobi
Senior Assistant Coach
A two-time U.S. National Team member and National Champion in both high school (Amherst HS) and college (Syracuse University), he is a Syracuse Rowing Hall of Fame inductee and past President of the Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association. As a coach, Jerry has guided crews to U.S. National, Canadian Secondary Schools, and Royal Canadian Henley titles. He also applied his strength and conditioning expertise to Buffalo East High School Basketball, helping the team capture multiple city and sectional championships and a New York State Semi-Final berth. Jerry serves on the BRC Board of Directors as Treasurer.
Ryan Ficorilli
Senior Assistant Coach
Ryan Ficorilli joins Buffalo Rowing Club after back-to-back championship winning seasons with RowBuffalo. As an oarsman, Ryan led the Columbia University Rowing Team as captain for two years. He holds gold metal victories in eights at the Sprints. He has coached college and high school programs for over 10 years with gold metal results at NYS Championships, SRAA, and CSSRA events. He was a member of the US National Team and represented the US at the Pan Am Games. Ryan has won/medaled at every major regatta in North America.
Liam Feeney
U19 Assistant Coach
Liam Feeney joins BRC after a summer competing for the United States U19 Team in the 8+ as stroke seat. Liam was team captain for Buffalo Rowing in the summer of 2024, winning the U19 8+ and 4+ at Canadian Henley, as well as Summer Nationals in the Youth 8+ as stroke seat. In 2023, Liam stroked Buffalo’s winning U17 8 and 4. Liam also lead Canisius High School as stroke seat to many victories including the Freshman 8+ and Varsity 8+ at SRAAs and Youth 2- at Youth Nationals. Liam is currently a freshman at Boston University.
Max Burget
U17 Assistant Coach
Max joins BRC as a Division I rower at Drexel University and member of Team USA, competing in the Men's Pair at the 2023 U19 World Championships in Paris France. He is a graduate of Canisius High School and currently studying Business Law.
Esther Littlefield
Assistant Coach
Esther joins Buffalo Rowing Club's coaching staff as a current member of the Northeastern University Rowing Team. In her freshman season with NU, she raced in with the 2nd Varsity 8+ at NCAAs. Esther began her rowing career at Nardin Academy and West Side, before leading RowBuffalo's to their first women's national title in 2024.
Will Heaton
Assistant Coach
Will Heaton joins BRC after a summer competing for the United States U19 Team in the priority boat, the 4-, placing 4th. He rowed for Buffalo Rowing in the summer of 2024, winning the U19 8+ and 4+ at Canadian Henley, as well as competing up in the U23 8+ category. Will holds the Buffalo Rowing U19 2K record, 6:08.1, and now holds one of the fastest Youth 2Ks in the world.
Brett Vilk
Assistant Coach
Brett Vilk joins the BRC coaching staff from Grimsby, Ontario. After a distinguished rowing career with Team Canada, Cal Berkeley, Brentwood, and RowBuffalo. A multi-year member of Canada’s U23 8+ and U19 4-, Brett stroked the 1V to a top finish at the Head of the Charles during his senior year at Cal Berkeley. In 2023, he led RowBuffalo to victory as the stroke of the Canadian Henley Championship 8+. Brett is a multi-time CSSRA & SRAA champion.
