Aug. 18, 2008

BEIJING, CHINA - SJU alum Mike Teti was the head coach of the United States Men's Eight crew that took the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The men's eight won the bronze medal, missing the silver by 0.23 seconds. After getting off the line in sixth place, the crew pushed into fourth at the 1,000-meter mark before taking third position from The Netherlands in the third quarter of the race. The U.S. continued to charge on the second-place British crew but fell just short at the line. Canada led the race from start to finish, winning with a time of 5:23.89. Great Britain took second in a 5:25.11, followed by the U.S. in a 5:25.34.

Teti, a 1978 SJU graduate and Hall of Famer, is the head coach of the U.S. Men's Rowing Team. He has served on the U.S. coaching staff at the World Championships and the Olympic Games since 1996 and became the head men's coach following the 2000 Olympics. At the 2004 Games in Athens, he directed the men's eight to a world record in its heat, and an eventual gold medal, marking the first time the U.S. captured the men's eight since 1964.

A native of Upper Darby, Pa., Teti was recently named the head men's rowing coach at the University of California, Berkeley and will assume those duties following the Olympics.

As a rower, he was a 12-time national team member and three-time Olympian, winning a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics. He was inducted into the inaugural Saint Joseph's Athletic Hall of Fame class in 1999 and is also a member of the U.S. Rowing Hall of Fame.