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Erin Brown Takes Over at SBCC

Dec. 7, 2008

Santa Barbara, CA - Former UC Davis defender Erin Brown will coach the SBCC women's lacrosse club. Brown, who prepped at Monte Vista High School in Northern California and graduated from there in 2001, stepped up to the Vaquero coaching position in November. A late change in plans for practice time and location resulted in Diana Garcia being unable to free herself for afternoon practices so she stepped down. Brown, in graduate school at UCSB, will be able to make the early afternoon  SBCC team practices being held on the turf at UCSB in conjunction with the UCSB team practices.

"I’m excited to have the opportunity to coach this new lacrosse program at SBCC. We have players with a range of skill levels and I look forward to bringing them together to play as a team," said Brown after finding out she would be coach of the team.

Brown continued with thoughts about getting the team ready for the season opener but then concluded with the statement, "I anticipate a successful season."

While in college Brown played for the Aggie's NCAA team. UC Davis supports both an NCAA team competing in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) and a U.S. Lacrosse WDIA team competing in the Western Women's Lacrosse League (WWLL). SBCC and UCSB both compete in the WWLL. The UCSB 'A' Team is in WWLL DI while the UCSB 'B' Team and SBCC are in WWLL DII.

UCSB head coach Paul Ramsey, who also doubles as the SBCC team administrator, was in touch with Brown about being an assistant coach for UCSB when it became apparent field space availability and Garcia's work schedule weren't going to click. 

"The SBCC players are fortunate Erin is here and coaching them," says Ramsey. "I wrestled with giving up on the idea of her as a UCSB assistant to ask her to coach SBCC but ultimately for the good of the development of the game here in Santa Barbara we came up with this plan."

Brown will work with both programs as time permits. As a player at Monte Vista High School, Brown was a two-time captain on the lacrosse team, helped her team to a NCGLA co-championship as a junior, was voted Most Valuable Defender and a member of the NCGLA All-Star team while also earning Most Improved as a Cross Country runner. Brown didn't go far from home for her first stop on the higher education circuit when she went to UC Davis to play lacrosse and get her undergraduate degree in Evolution & Ecology and Landscape Restoration, earning her B.S. in 2005. From there she worked and lived at the Point Reyes National Seashore for a few years before returning to academia. The Walnut Creek, California native is a little farther from home while she's at UCSB in the first year of her Masters in Environmental Science Management and Water Resource Management. The SBCC team is going to yield the benefit of having Brown here pursuing her higher education and being willing to coach lacrosse at the same time.