SMC California Athletics

Ebke was hired as the head rowing coach in July, 2022 after spending three seasons as the head coach of rowing program at the University of Central Oklahoma. He helped take the Bronchos to the NCAA DII National Championships in 2022, where they finished fifth place overall. UCO's Varsity 8+ finished fifth overall, taking the Petite Final, and their Varsity 4+ finished third in the Grand Final. This came after they finished third overall in the heavily-contested Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship. Central Oklahoma's Varsity 4+ boat won the GNAC title.
 
"We are very excited to announce Brian as our new head rowing coach," Matoso said on the hiring of Ebke. "He has won a national championship and has helped maintain and grow the success of the programs he has been with. We are confident that he will do the same with Gaels Rowing and we look forward to watching the program continue to grow under his tutelage."
 
His tenure was disrupted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he and the Bronchos found immediate success, winning the NCAA DII National Championship in 2021, marking the third-straight title for Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos swept their way to the national title in 2021, with the Varsity 8+ (fourth-consecutive) and the Varsity 4+ (second-consecutive) winning their respective titles en route to the team title.
 
Their path to a national championship in 2021 featured dominance during the regular season, with the eights winning six races during the season, and the fours winning a trio. Ebke guided the Bronchos to the first-ever GNAC championship, and UCO was dominant in the postseason awards. They were awarded Rower of the Year, Coxswain of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and all of this led to Ebke taking home Coach of the Year honors from the conference.
 
"Thank you to Mike Matoso and the search committee for the opportunity to be the next head coach of women's rowing," Ebke said. "I've already received an amazingly warm and excited welcome from the athletic administrative staff and that speaks to the incredible culture within the department. Saint Mary's is a special place and it's clear that there is a lot of energy and positive momentum within athletics and the school as a whole."
 
Ebke returned to Central Oklahoma to take the head coach position after spending the 2014 season as a graduate assistant coach for the Bronchos. He held an assistant coach position at Princeton from 2018-19 with the open rowing team, where they finished ninth in 2018 and seventh in 2019.
 
During his collegiate days, Ebke was a heavyweight rower for Princeton and enjoyed a successful career prior to being a Tiger, including a win at the 2004 CRASH B Indoor World Championship, as well as a top-five finish as a member of the 2004 Men's 8+ Junior National Team.
 
"I'm really excited about the direction that the rowing program is headed in and I can't wait to get to campus and really dive in," continued Ebke. I know we have a great group of student-athletes returning to the team and I'm excited to meet everyone and begin to get to know the student-athletes, coaches, and staff at Saint Mary's more as we work to continue to bring success to the program. I'm excited to be a Gael!"
 
Ebke is a native of Marin, and returns to California with his wife Madison and their daughter Ella. He graduated from Princeton in 2009 with a Bachelor's in History, and then obtained his MBA from Central Oklahoma in 2017.