Women's Rowing
Chandraratna, Previn
Previn Chandraratna
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Alma Mater:
- Columbia, '97
Previn Chandraratna enters his fourth season as UCLA’s head coach in 2024-25, his 10th year on the coaching staff in Westwood.
Chandraratna has spent the past two seasons as UCLA’s head coach. He was promoted to interim head coach in June of 2021 before the interim label was removed at the conclusion of the 2022 spring season. He served as an assistant coach for six seasons on the Bruins’ staff, including three years (2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21) as the associate head coach. Chandraratna joined UCLA’s rowing program as an assistant coach in 2015.
The Bruins’ top two varsity eight crews have had multiple first-place finishes over the past two seasons, including strong performances in 2023 at the Big Ten Invitational and the Dexter Lake Invitational. UCLA’s 2022 season included a strong varsity eight crew that defeated USC in a season-opening race and finished ahead of No. 19 Washington State to close the spring campaign. The Bruins had been ranked as high as No. 16, midway through the season.
In 2023, the Bruins registered five first-place finishes at the two-day Big Ten Invitational in Sarasota, Fla. Three weeks later, UCLA finished with top-three finishes in seven of eight races at the Dexter Lake Invitational in Lowell, Ore.
While serving as UCLA’s associate head coach, Chandraratna had overseen all of the program’s recruiting efforts and coached the second varsity eight. During the pandemic-altered season in 2020-21, UCLA rose to as high as No. 14 in the CRCA’s weekly national rankings. UCLA’s second varsity eight crew compiled victories against USC in all three matchups, en route to a fourth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships. The second varsity eight finished ahead of No. 15 Washington State and No. 19 Oregon State.
UCLA’s rowing program had opened the 2020 season with a dual-meet win against San Diego State, winning all four races, before the remainder of the spring schedule was canceled.
In 2019, the Bruins secured a fourth-place team finish at Pac-12 Championships (Lake Natoma), finishing ahead of Washington State, Oregon State and USC. The varsity four and the second varsity eight placed fifth and fourth, respectively, at the year-end event.
In 2017 and 2018, Chandraratna coached the varsity four to a fifth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships. In addition, UCLA’s second varsity eight picked up wins against Stanford, USC and other rivals during those two regular seasons. In 2017, the second varsity four won the San Diego Crew Classic.
A 1997 graduate of Columbia University, Chandraratna arrived at UCLA in August 2015 with 16 years of coaching experience, including seven years working with collegiate rowing programs. Prior to his time at UCLA, he served for three seasons as an assistant coach and director of recruiting with the women’s rowing team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2014 at MIT, he helped the program to its fastest team finish in program history, including bronze medals in the varsity eight and varsity four at the Patriot League Championships. The squad made appearances in the Grand Finals of its regional championships in all events during his three years in Cambridge, Mass.
Prior to his time at MIT, Chandraratna served as freshman heavyweight coach and director of recruiting at his alma mater, Columbia University, for four years. During his tenure at Columbia, the team earned a national ranking as high as No. 9.
Chandraratna also brought 10 years of scholastic coaching experience to Westwood. He worked as head coach of Row New York and as an assistant coach at Pelham Community Rowing, where he helped lead squads to 10 state titles and one national championship. As Director of Programs at Row New York, he helped the program win the prestigious US Rowing Anita de Frantz Golden Oars Award and was a founding member of the US Rowing Task Force on Access, Affordability and Diversity.
As a rower, Chandraratna earned Most Valuable Player honors as the stroke seat and captain of the heavyweight program at Columbia. He also trained with the U.S. National Team at the National Sculling Center in Augusta, Ga.
Chandraratna earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international relations from Columbia University. He earned a second master’s degree in sports leadership from Northeastern University in 2017. He currently resides in Redondo Beach, Calif., with his wife, Manuela, and their son, Logan.
Chandraratna has spent the past two seasons as UCLA’s head coach. He was promoted to interim head coach in June of 2021 before the interim label was removed at the conclusion of the 2022 spring season. He served as an assistant coach for six seasons on the Bruins’ staff, including three years (2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21) as the associate head coach. Chandraratna joined UCLA’s rowing program as an assistant coach in 2015.
The Bruins’ top two varsity eight crews have had multiple first-place finishes over the past two seasons, including strong performances in 2023 at the Big Ten Invitational and the Dexter Lake Invitational. UCLA’s 2022 season included a strong varsity eight crew that defeated USC in a season-opening race and finished ahead of No. 19 Washington State to close the spring campaign. The Bruins had been ranked as high as No. 16, midway through the season.
In 2023, the Bruins registered five first-place finishes at the two-day Big Ten Invitational in Sarasota, Fla. Three weeks later, UCLA finished with top-three finishes in seven of eight races at the Dexter Lake Invitational in Lowell, Ore.
While serving as UCLA’s associate head coach, Chandraratna had overseen all of the program’s recruiting efforts and coached the second varsity eight. During the pandemic-altered season in 2020-21, UCLA rose to as high as No. 14 in the CRCA’s weekly national rankings. UCLA’s second varsity eight crew compiled victories against USC in all three matchups, en route to a fourth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships. The second varsity eight finished ahead of No. 15 Washington State and No. 19 Oregon State.
UCLA’s rowing program had opened the 2020 season with a dual-meet win against San Diego State, winning all four races, before the remainder of the spring schedule was canceled.
In 2019, the Bruins secured a fourth-place team finish at Pac-12 Championships (Lake Natoma), finishing ahead of Washington State, Oregon State and USC. The varsity four and the second varsity eight placed fifth and fourth, respectively, at the year-end event.
In 2017 and 2018, Chandraratna coached the varsity four to a fifth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships. In addition, UCLA’s second varsity eight picked up wins against Stanford, USC and other rivals during those two regular seasons. In 2017, the second varsity four won the San Diego Crew Classic.
A 1997 graduate of Columbia University, Chandraratna arrived at UCLA in August 2015 with 16 years of coaching experience, including seven years working with collegiate rowing programs. Prior to his time at UCLA, he served for three seasons as an assistant coach and director of recruiting with the women’s rowing team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2014 at MIT, he helped the program to its fastest team finish in program history, including bronze medals in the varsity eight and varsity four at the Patriot League Championships. The squad made appearances in the Grand Finals of its regional championships in all events during his three years in Cambridge, Mass.
Prior to his time at MIT, Chandraratna served as freshman heavyweight coach and director of recruiting at his alma mater, Columbia University, for four years. During his tenure at Columbia, the team earned a national ranking as high as No. 9.
Chandraratna also brought 10 years of scholastic coaching experience to Westwood. He worked as head coach of Row New York and as an assistant coach at Pelham Community Rowing, where he helped lead squads to 10 state titles and one national championship. As Director of Programs at Row New York, he helped the program win the prestigious US Rowing Anita de Frantz Golden Oars Award and was a founding member of the US Rowing Task Force on Access, Affordability and Diversity.
As a rower, Chandraratna earned Most Valuable Player honors as the stroke seat and captain of the heavyweight program at Columbia. He also trained with the U.S. National Team at the National Sculling Center in Augusta, Ga.
Chandraratna earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international relations from Columbia University. He earned a second master’s degree in sports leadership from Northeastern University in 2017. He currently resides in Redondo Beach, Calif., with his wife, Manuela, and their son, Logan.
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