Kari Grambo begins her seventh year as an assistant coach on the Gonzaga University women’s rowing staff in 2018-19. Grambo is no stranger to Gonzaga having had an exceptional rowing career as a Zag from 2002-06.
In her six years on staff at GU, the Zags have won five WCC titles and advanced to the NCAA Championships five times. In that time, the Zags have had 23 All-WCC selections, four WCC Coxswain of the Year and three Newcomer of the Year winners, three Rower of the Year selections, and 62 All-Academic Team members, along with 2016 All-Region and All-American selection Kara Soucek. In 2013, GU placed a program-best 16th at the NCAA Championships and earned the CRCA Region 5 Staff of the Year.
During her time as a rower with Gonzaga, formerly Kari Durgan helped the Bulldogs win three West Coast Conference Championship titles and two gold medals at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships. As a senior, Durgan was named the Gonzaga Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year, earned ESPN The Magazine District VII All-Academic At-Large first team honors and was awarded the West Coast Conference Post-Graduate Scholarship. She also was named All-WIRA first team in 2005 and 2006, All-WCC first team in 2005, and both WCC All-Academic and CRCA All-West Region Academic Team in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Prior to returning to GU, Grambo was the novice coach for the women's rowing club at UC Davis from 2010-12 and was an assistant coach from 2006-08. The Novice 8+ won silver at the 2012 American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) National Championship and WIRA Championships.
Grambo also had been an Associate Instructor in English at UC Davis since 2008.
She graduated from Gonzaga with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and political sciences in 2006 and earned her Doctor of Philosophy in English from the UC Davis in 2012.
