Eichler brings more than a decade of experience to the team and recently finished his seventh season as a member of the Beavers’ coaching staff.
“While there were many great candidates for this position, after the success that our women’s rowing team has found in recent years, elevating Coach Eichler to head coach was a no-brainer,” Barnes said. “With his passion for student-athlete development, effective leadership and background in recruiting, I have no doubt that the program will be in great hands moving forward.”
Coach Eichler originally joined the program in 2017 as an assistant coach and was elevated to associate head coach in September of 2022, also serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator for each of his seven seasons. Under his tutelage, the second varsity eights recorded fourth place finishes in back-to-back Pac-12 Championships, while compiling a 24-7 win record in 2023.
“I would like to thank Scott Barnes, Jeff Macy and the search committee for this opportunity and entrusting me as the head coach of women’s rowing at Oregon State,” Eichler said. “I am excited to continue building a championship mindset day in and day out with the thoughtful and powerful individuals of Beaver Women’s Rowing.
“We want to be fast on the water, leaders at the university and top performers in the classroom and are eager to continue building on that tradition,” he added. “My partner, Alexis, daughter, Harper, and I look forward to immersing ourselves even more within the OSU and Corvallis community. Go Beavs!”
Eichler’s appointment is contingent on the completion of all university hiring processes.
He was part of the staff that guided the team to the 2022 NCAA Championships, where OSU earned a 14th place finish in both the varsity eight and second varsity eight while placing 16th in the varsity four.
In 2019, OSU finished in the top-five at the Pac-12 Championship for the first time since 2009. Senior Alina Hagstrom became the fourth rower in Oregon State history to garner all-conference honors twice in her career, while becoming just the third Beaver rower to twice be named an All-American.
The Beavers also made a return to the top-20 rankings, as his second season saw the Beavers’ varsity eight peak at No. 16 nationally, the team’s highest ranking since 2009.
Across his time as an assistant, Eichler coached and developed five CRCA All-American rowers and was responsible for the signing of over 60 student-athletes, including multiple U23 and U19 national team members, while also developing and executing fundraising plans and building relationships with the Oregon State rowing alumni group.
Prior to his arrival in Corvallis, Eichler worked with the United States Junior National Team for five years, training junior men that specialized in small boats. Responsible for evaluating and recommending athletes for selection camps, he also led seminars on college recruiting and advancement in the US National Team system.
Coach Eichler also worked at Rutgers and Princeton University, where he oversaw the on-campus recruiting operations, while simultaneously bettering retention of walk-on rowers and coxswains.
His coaching career began at The Hewitt School as the head crew coach. He created and executed program rules, standards and training plan for a first-year scholastic crew, eventually leading the team to its first medal in program history.
Eichler graduated from Binghamton University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Asian & Asian-American Studies, having competed on the men’s crew team and serving as a team captain.