Sports Shorts

The Rutgers women's crew program announced the hiring of Heather Putnam as first varsity assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, head coach Max Borghard announced. Putnam coached the Scarlet Knights freshmen and novice squads from 2002-06. In her two years away from the Banks, Putnam earned a master's in education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and served as the graduate assistant for UMass women's rowing.

"We are very excited to have Heather return to Rutgers," said Borghard. "We will be hiring another coach in the coming month, and having two assistants will help the program immensely. Heather's experience will be a big factor in the success of our program."

In her first stint with the Scarlet Knights, Putnam led the 2005 Novice Eight to a gold medal at the Big East Championship and a seventh place finish at the Eastern Sprints. Her crews also brought home Big East silver medals in 2003 and 2004 and a bronze medal in 2006.

Prior to Rutgers, Putnam spent the 2001- 02 season at the U.S. Naval Academy. Following a successful fall campaign in which Navy's Novice Women won the Navy Day Regatta, the Head of the Schuylkill, and the combined men's and women's points trophy at the Princeton Freshmen Invite, the First Novice Eight went 15-1 in regular spring season competition. Both her First and Second Novice Eights then qualified for the Grand Finals at Eastern Sprints. Finishing sixth overall, the 2002 novices were Navy's first women's crews to qualify for an Eastern Sprints Final in an eight-oared event.

Putnam served as an intern for the Princeton Lightweight Women from 1999- 2001.

Her 2001 novice lightweight eight won gold at the Eastern Sprints and both freshman classes went on to contribute to IRA national titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003.