Women's Crew Second in NCAA National Championships

MAINE IS A GREAT PLACE TO ROW IN THE SUMMER! CHECK OUT THE COLBY CREW CAMP.

MAY 15: COLBY WOMEN QUALIFY FOR NCAA ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

MAY 12: COLBY SENDS 6 CREWS TO THE AVAYA COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS (results thanks to row2k.com)

MAY 4: WOMEN'S 2ND VARSITY 8 WINS BRONZE AT NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS (results thanks to row2k.com)

APRIL 27: VARSITY MEN AND WOMEN GEAR UP FOR NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH WINS OVER UNH.

APRIL 21: COLBY CAPTURES SECOND CONSECUTIVE PRESIDENT'S CUP. Click here for full story.

APRIL 13: VARSITY MEN'S 8 TIES COAST GUARD, WOMEN WIN.

Chris Klug, brother of Freshmen Rower Hillary, wins Bronze medal at Winter Olympics. Click here for more.

Crew is the oldest intercollegiate sport in the nation but the newest varsity sport at Colby, established in 1993 after several years as a club team. The crew rows on nearby Messalonskee Lake at the Colby-Hume Center, which features a recently expanded boathouse and seven miles of sheltered water.

Our goal at Colby Crew is to provide a positive learning environment while becoming one of the best small college rowing programs in the nation. This begins by maximizing the athletes' development in many areas such as cardiovascular conditioning, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, rowing technique, and psychological preparation.

As with every collegiate rowing program, the Colby crew season spans the entire academic year. The fall racing season is a time to improve cardiovascular fitness, redefine technique, and to compete in many of the Head races that take place throughout New England, including the Head of the Charles Regatta. The crews move indoors in mid-November to begin the winter training program, during which the foundation for success in the spring continues to be built through a combination of training on the ergometers and in the weight room, as well as a variety of other types of training. In accordance with New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) rules, winter training is not mandatory.

The spring season begins in mid-February, as the crews head back onto the water to begin preparation for the spring racing. During the spring break recess in March, the crews travel south for an intensive week of rowing. Each weekend in April consists of races against crews from across New England, including the annual President's Cup race with Bates and Bowdoin. The New England Rowing Championships take place on the first Saturday in May, where a strong performance by a crew will qualify it for the Avaya Communication Collegiate Championship Regatta.

The team is made up of student-athletes from across the country, some of whom come to Colby with rowing experience, but many do not. They are a group of highly motivated and dedicated people whose passion for the sport of rowing is reflected in the winning tradition that has developed on the crew.

2001 Spring Season Review

The 2001 spring season continued a winning tradition for the Colby Crew. After a successful spring training trip to Oak Ridge, Tenn., during spring break, the crews jumped right into racing.

2001 also marked a number of milestones for the Colby Crew. With almost 60 student-athletes practicing every day and racing every weekend, it was the largest squad in the history of the team. It also saw the first-ever-undefeated season for a freshman women's crew, who went 6-0 through their racing season. They were followed closely by the varsity women who went 6-1 while compiling their best dual racing season record ever. This spring Colby also brought home the first New England Rowing Championships Gold Medal for a freshman women's crew, won by the second freshman women's eight. Finally, the season highlight was the gold medal-winning performance by the freshman women's crew at the Avaya Communication Collegiate Championship Regatta (formerly known as the Champion International Collegiate Regatta). They soundly defeated crews from Divisions I, II, and III rowing programs from across the country to become the first Colby crew to ever win a gold medal at the regatta.

The spring season also marked another President's Cup Championship for Colby. The President's Cup is awarded to the winner of the annual race between Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin colleges. On their way to winning the regatta Colby swept the varsity men's and women's eights and freshman men's and women's eights races.

2001-2002 Outlook

This year the crew will continue to build on a strong 2001 spring season from all the crews and will combine a healthy dose of both youth and experience. Men's co-captains Pete Morelli '02 and Todd Brooks '03 will head an improving group of young rowers determined to continue the tradition of excellence.

Women's co-captains Christina Lavertu '02 and Katie Ward-Waller '02 will lead the women's squad, which is coming off the best spring season in their history and graduated just two seniors.

About the Colby-Hume Center