In just her third season as the head coach of the Pepperdine women’s swimming and diving program, Ellie Monobe took the Waves to new heights as they won back-to-back PCSC championships in 2022 and 2023. She then guided the program to an MPSF championship in 2025. She is in her sixth year as head coach in 2025-26.
Despite coming into a new position in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Monobe had a highly successful first season in 2020-21, leading the Waves to a second-place finish at the PCSC Championships while attaining championship performances in five individual events and four relays.
The squad broke through in 2022 to win the program’s first-ever PCSC title with one individual champion and two relay victories. Seven school records were set during the season. Two divers went to NCAA Zone Qualifying and five swimmers competed at the National Invitational Championship.
The Waves repeated by winning the PCSC title again in 2023 with seven individual championships and three relay victories. Seven school records were also set during the season.
Monobe was named PCSC Coach of the Championship Meet in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
In 2023-24, the program's first year in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, the Waves set five new school records, put three athletes on the All-MPSF second team and had one diver go to the NCAA Zone Diving event.
In 2024-25, Monobe guided the program to the 2025 MPSF championship and was named the MPSF Coach of the Year. Pepperdine set five new school records, won five MPSF event championships and had 43 top-8 individual performances en route to the 2025 title.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ellie to the Pepperdine Athletics family,” said Director of Athletics Dr. Steve Potts at the time of her hiring in August 2020. “Ellie brings incredible experiences, both as a student-athlete and as an accomplished coach, to her new role in leading our women’s swim and dive program. Her commitment to the overall development of each of the young women on our team and to building a strong team culture of trust and respect was the major factor in our decision.”
Monobe spent the previous four years (2017-20) at UC Santa Barbara under head coach Matt Macedo. She was promoted to associate head coach after her third season. She was responsible for designing training programs and practices, specifically for mid-distance, distance, stroke and IM training groups. She also the recruiting coordinator for both the men’s and women’s programs.
“I’d like to thank AD Steve Potts, President Jim Gash and the senior athletic staff for entrusting me with this incredible opportunity to lead the Pepperdine women’s swimming and diving program,” said Monobe at the time of her hiring. “I am honored and excited to bring my passion for swimming and to build upon the Pepperdine legacy. With the academic and athletic prestige that Pepperdine offers, I look forward to building upon the student-athlete experience and collaborating with these strong women.”
During her UCSB tenure, the Gauchos won Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles on the men’s side in 2017 and 2018, while the women turned in three second-place finishes. She helped produce a combined total of 42 individual or relay conference champions. The programs set 26 school records during her time there. Two student-athletes qualified for the 2018 NCAA Championships.
Monobe was an assistant coach at UNLV during the 2015-16 season (helping the men tie for 35th place at the NCAA Championships) and at UMass during the 2014-15 season.
She spent the 2013-14 school year as head coach of the Sun Valley Swim Team in Lafayette, Calif., while also serving as a graduate assistant in compliance in San Jose State, where she earned her master’s degree in kinesiology. While at SJSU, she was also the team manager for the Spartan women’s swimming and diving team.
A native of Northern California, Monobe got her start in coaching at her alma mater, California, where she was an undergraduate assistant/volunteer assistant coach in 2011-12 while completing her degree in American studies.
From 2007-11, Monobe was a four-year member of Cal’s women’s swimming team, which won NCAA championships in 2009 and 2011 and a Pacific-10 Conference title in 2009. She was a team captain as a senior and won the program’s Coach’s Award in 2009 and 2011.
