Coaches and Staff
RJ Rubino
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, and World Championships.
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.
Liam Feeney
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.
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.
Nathaniel Sass
Assistant 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.
Connor Kennedy
Head of Finance Comittee
Connor Kenney attended City Honors High School and was a top performer of their Varsity Rowing Team before joining RowBuffalo as a rower in 2023, then assistant coach in 2024. Connor now attends Colby College, studying Business. He continues to contribute to the rowing community as the Buffalo Rowing Club's Head of Finance Comittee.
Zackary Mecca
Head of Oarsman Committee
Zachary graduated in 2024 from Harvard University where he was a four-year member of the Varsity Lightweight Rowing Team, 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 at Canisius High School, Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association, and Community Rowing, Inc. in Boston, MA. He now works in New York City.
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.
Ryan Ficorilli
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.
