Drayton Piper joined the Embry-Riddle rowing coaching staff as an assistant in July of 2024, bringing years of rowing experience, both as a coach and as an athlete, to the men's and women's programs.
Working alongside Head Coach Grant Maddock during the 2024-25 season, Piper made an immediate impact and helped guide Embry-Riddle Women's Rowing to an NCAA II National Championship in 2025, which was just the program's eighth season of varsity competition and Embry-Riddle Athletics' first-ever team NCAA II title. Piper was recognized for his coaching efforts when the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association tabbed ERAU's women's rowing staff as the Division II Staff of the Year. He also received CRCA DII South Region Staff of the Year honors.
Piper began his coaching career as a varsity assistant coach for Georgia Tech men's rowing in the fall of 2022 and was promoted to interim head coach of that same program in the spring.
The Roswell, Georgia native also helped coach the men's and women's rowing teams at his hometown Saint Andrew Rowing Club. While there, Piper aided his squads to two wins at the Head of the Hooch, a Southeast Regional Women's Team Points Trophy, and national medals in the Women's Under-16 8+ and the Women's Varsity 4+. At the same time, he served as the primary coach for the men's novice team and assisted in producing the squad's first 8+ to qualify for nationals since 2009.
As a student-athlete, Piper spent four years competing on the water for Marietta College.
