Canisius University Athletics

Matt Cosmann was named the third head coach of the Canisius rowing program on August 23, 2024.

Cosmann spent the previous three seasons serving as the top assistant coach and is entering his sixth season on the coaching staff. A former coxswain at Syracuse University, Cosmann joined the Golden Griffin staff after serving as an assistant coach at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, and the West Side Rowing Club, where he has served on the coaching staff since 2010. 

Cosmann started in the coaching ranks in 2010, when he joined the staff at the West Side Rowing Club (WSRC). In 2019, he served as head U23 and senior women’s coach, leading his program to four top-five finishes at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. From 2020-23, he was the head U19, U23, and senior men’s coach at WSRC, leading his crews to several first-place finishes at various summer regattas, including back-to-back golds at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.  
 
In 2013, Cosmann started coaching at his high school alma mater when he took on the role as first varsity assistant coach for the Marauders. In 2016, Cosmann was appointed the head freshmen/novice coach at St. Joseph’s, where he led the Marauders’ freshmen eight crew to back-to-back gold medals at the New York State Scholastic Championship in 2018 and 2019.
 
After starting his rowing career as a coxswain at St. Joe’s, Cosmann moved on to Syracuse, where he was the top varsity coxswain with the Orange, winning the Eastern Sprints during his time there. He also coxswained for the West Side Rowing Club from 2006-11, winning the USRowing Club Nationals in 2010.
 
The West Side Rowing Club’s 2019 Dennis Call Novice Coach of the Year, Cosmann earned his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 2013 and his MBA in Professional Accounting from Canisius University in 2023.