Coaching Staff
Sean McCrea, Men’s Varsity Head Coach sean_mccrea@ucsb.edu
Coaching experience:
Long Beach State, UCSB, UCSD, US Rowing HP Camp (3x Intern), US Rowing ODP Camp (2x coach), Long Beach State S&C intern (3yr)
Education:
B.S. Kinesiology
NSCA-CSCS
USRowing level 2
Coaching Philosophy: Create an environment that drives technical, physical, and mental development. Apply evidence-based training principles while fostering an inclusive, competitive culture that empowers student-athletes through organic leadership opportunities and autonomy.
Fun fact: I share a birthday with Billy Crystal, Albert Einstein, and Wardell Stephen Curry (exact day and year). Me and these 3 are The Mount Rushmore of pie day!
Luke Levay, Men’s Novice Coach lukelevay@ucsb.edu
Luke is from San Dimas, CA, and grew up playing just about every sport available to him. He joined UCSB Crew as a true novice with no prior experience his freshman year in 2019 and went on to row for over four years before graduating in the spring of 2024. During his time on the team, he raced in a variety of boat classes but always found his way back to the Lwt4 when spring racing came around. He capped off his super senior year with a strong finish, placing 1st at WIRA and 6th at ACRA, earning 2nd team All-WIRA honors in the process. Now, he’s looking to carry that momentum forward as he moves into the next stage of his rowing career and works with the next generation of Gaucho rowers.
Brooke Downes, Women’s Varsity Coach bdownes@ucsb.edu
Brooke is from Boonton, New Jersey where she began rowing in high school for Row NJ (formally known as Mountain Lakes Rowing Club). She then went on to row all for years at USC and served as the captain of the team her senior year. She primarily sat in stroke seat of the 2V8, with a few races in the 1V8, and qualified twice for NCAAs. After graduating in 2019, Brooke moved to Oklahoma to train at the Olympic Training Center with OKCHP team, primarily training in the women’s single and double skulls, and raced at the US Olympic trials event in 2021. She’s raced internationally in coastal rowing, and placed 9th at her first endurance World Rowing Coastal Championship in 2021, and earned 2 silver medals at the COPA America Cup in 2023. Brooke is still training for both flat water and coastal events, and is excited to take her experiences and help grow the UCSB program.
Conner Becotte, Women’s Novice Coach cbecotte@ucsb.edu
Conner grew up in San Diego enjoying the sun and playing many different team sports. While at Freshman orientation at UCSB, he stumbled upon a talk from the Department of Recreation where the idea of rowing was planted in his head. The rest is history and Conner rowed at UCSB while also rowing for the University of Manchester while on a year abroad. Whether it was sitting stroke seat for the Head of the Charles in Boston or sitting bow seat for his hometown race San Diego Crew Classic, Conner filled in wherever he was needed while rowing for the club. He now hopes to show the greatness of being a Gaucho rower to the novice rowers of today.
