History

In 1864, rowing became the first organized sport at Rutgers.  Six mile races were held on the Raritan River among six-oared boats. In 1870, Rutgers held its first intercollegiate competition, against the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard, the then top-ranked amateur crew of the time.  In 1876, a new floating boathouse was built for the team adjacent the Albany Street Bridge in New Brunswick, but was washed during a flood in 1882.

The Class of 1914 Boathouse was built in 1950 and is located at the New Brunswick campus on the Raritan River.  The boathouse consists of three bays, one for each program, housing top of the line equipment.  The Raritan provides endless miles of protected water without other boat traffic making it ideal for rowing.

Since the start in 1864, Rutgers has built a strong crew program consisting of heavyweight and lightweight men.  Women’s crew was added to the program in 1974.

At the 1997 Eastern Sprints, the women’s squad was one of only three teams to have all three varsity boats in the grand finals.  Rutgers was also the one of only eight teams in the nation to be invited as a full squad to the first ever 1997 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships. In 1998 and 2001, Rutgers women again qualified for the NCAA Championships.

The lightweight men’s crew has had success winning several medals at the Eastern Sprints throughout the years.  In 1984 and 2000, the lightweights competed at the Henley Royal Regatta in England.  In 2000, the crew went as far as the semi-finals at the Henley.

In 2003, the Rutgers Heavyweight Men advanced to the Final of the Henley Royal Regatta.  In their race to the Final, the varsity defeated crews from Dartmouth and the Leander Club of London.  In 2005, the Heavyweight Men’s Four was silver medalists at the IRA Regatta.

The men and women compete in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC), the most competitive league in the nation.

Several Rutgers crew alumni have competed at the National team level, including heavyweight and lightweight men, women, and members of the coaching staff.  In 2000 alone, six alumni were on the US Olympic Rowing Team for the Sydney Olympic Games.

RUTGERS ON THE NATIONAL TEAM

Rutgers has produced some outstanding rowers in its history, many of whom have gone on to illustrious careers for the US National and Olympic teams. Six Rutgers alumni found their way onto the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Sharon Kriz (RC '98)
Sharon competed for the U.S. at the 2005 World Championships in the Women’s Eight, finishing fourth. Highlights of Sharon’s career leading up to her current spot on the National Team have included a bronze medal at the 2005 Bearing Point World Cup in Munich and a Silver medal at the 1998 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Training with the U.S. team in nearby Princeton, NJ, under the tutelage of Tom Terhaar, has allowed Sharon to assist in coaching the Rutgers Varsity Women’s squad.

Sam Stitt (RC ‘04)
Stitt, a first-time National Team member in 2005, won the double scull event at the U.S. National Selection Regatta.  He went on to compete in the double at the 2005 World Championships in Gifu, Japan.  Sam’s collegiate rowing career was highlighted by making the Final at the Royal Henley Regatta in 2003.

Tom Terhaar (RC ’90)
In 2004, Tom Terhaar coached the U.S. women's eight to a world record in the heat and a silver medal at the Olympic Games. It was the first time the U.S. had won an Olympic medal in the event since 1984. Terhaar was named head women’s coach in 2001. In just his second year as women’s head coach, he coached the women’s eight to a gold medal at the 2002 FISA World Championships in Seville, Spain. In 2003, his women’s four won the gold medal. In 2000, he coached the women’s quadruple sculls to fifth place at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In 1998, he was named the USOC’s 1998 Developmental Coach of the Year for the sport of rowing.

Maite Urtasun (RC ’01)
Maite won the 2002 World Championships as a member of the U.S. Women’s Eight.  She began her elite rowing career while still an undergraduate at Rutgers, winning a Bronze medal in the straight four at the 1999 World Championships.  Maite made six consecutive National Teams from 1999 to 2004, culminating with an Olympic appearance in Athens, Greece.  As stroke of the Rutgers 2001 Varsity Eight, she led the Knights to their third NCAA qualification. 

Jennifer Dore-Terhaar (RC '93)
A ten-time National Team member and two-time Olympian, Jen earned numerous distinctions as a world class athlete. In addition to rowing in the Quad in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, she won silver medals in the Eight at the 1993 and 1994 World Rowing Championships and stroked the U.S. Gold Medal Eight in 1995. Jen returned to elite rowing in 2003 to once again represent the U.S. at the World Championships in the Women’s Eight.

SEAN HALL (RC ‘89)
Sean Hall was a member of the Men’s Quadruple Sculls for the Sydney Olympics. He is a nine-time national team member and three-time Olympian. Hall was a member of the men’s eight that won the 1994 World Championships. Sean graduated from Rutgers with a degree in Political Science.

BOB KAEHLER (RC '86)
Bob Kaehler earned his way into the Gold-Medal favored Men’s Eight, which has won an unprecedented three World Championships in a row leading up to the Olympic Games in Sydney. Kaehler is a ten-time national team member and three-time Olympian. He has won four World Championship gold medals in the men’s eight, the most ever by an American. He was also named US Rowing’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1998. At Rutgers, Kaehler graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry.

JEFF KLEPACKI (RC ‘90)
Jeff Klepacki was also a member of the Men’s Eight in Sydney and three-time Olympian. Klepacki was named the 1994 US Rowing Male Athlete of the Year after stroking the US Men’s Eight to a gold medal at the World Championships. At Rutgers, he was the captain of the crew team and named MVP in 1990, while earning a degree in economics.

Other Rutgers Olympians

Charlie Butt ’83 was named to the 2000 Olympic coaching staff and coached the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls.  As an athlete himself, he made several Lightweight National Teams.

David Collins ‘91 was a member of the Lightweight Men’s Coxless Four. Dave became the only Rutgers oarsman to earn an Olympic medal in Atlanta, when his four won the bronze medal. Dave was a five-time national team member. At Rutgers, Dave was a member of the Lightweight Team, but won the IRA Championship in the open pair event.

Jim Neil ‘90 was named one of the sweep rowing spares for the 1996 Olympics. A nine-time national team member, Jim also was a member of the 1992 Olympics in the four with coxswain. Jim won the gold medal in the pair with coxswain at the 1999 World Championships.

Fred Borchelt ‘76 was a three-time Olympian (‘76, ‘80, ‘84), winning a silver medal in the men’s eight at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Chuck Logg ‘52 was a member of the only US pairs without coxswain crew to win an Olympic gold medal. Chuck, son of the Rutgers crew coach, was paired up with Tom Price a Scarlet Knight teammate of his to win the gold at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

Tom Price ‘55 was only a Rutgers freshman when he won the gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Price and Logg shocked the country and the world with their win at the US trials and then the Olympics. It was fitting that their pair-oared shell was named “Cinderella” before their gold-medal run.