An NCAA Division III national championship for Colby Women's Crew!!(5/31/03)

Women's varsity crew wins heat at NCAA meet(5/30/03)

Women's crew to start national title bid Friday(5/29/03)

May 13th: Women Qualify for 2003 NCAA Championships.

May 12th: Women's Crews "Rev it Up" in Grand finals at ECAC Championships.

May 3rd: Frosh Women Bring Home Hardware at NE Championships.

April 25th: Colby to Meet UNH and UVM.

April 20th: Colby Wins President's Cup.

April 12th: Colby Meets Tough Coast Guard Crews.

April 7th: Crews Show Good Speed in First Weekend of Racing.

Summer Crew Camp for High School boys and girls.

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.

2002-03 Outlook and 2001-02 Season Highlights

2001-02 marked the largest squad in the history of the Colby crew program, with more than 70 student-athletes training and racing.

For the men, the combination of a varsity eight that finished with a 7-1-1 dual racing record and had two talented freshmen eights, signaled continued growth and speed. Graduating just two seniors from their successful varsity crew, captains Todd Brooks '03 and Tim Cronin '03 have already begun laying the foundation for the upcoming year.

The women's crew saw both the varsity and junior varsity women's eights post undefeated regular seasons and earn selection to the first-ever NCAA Division III Women's Rowing Championship where the team finished second. Along with two solid freshmen crews to help solidify a strong squad for next year, captains Emily Allen '03 and Leah Robertson '03 will use their three years of experience in the varsity eight to lead the team on to continued success.

In 2001-02 Colby crew was the only small-college rowing program in New England to maintain both first and second freshmen men's and women's crews. This depth helped Colby finish ninth among the 41 competing schools (third of all Division III schools) at the AVAYA Collegiate Championships in May. The men's team finished 11th out of 41 schools and was the highest finishing NESCAC school, while the women finished sixth out of 41 schools.

We are excited to have almost 90 student-athletes on the 2002-03 roster who will represent Colby in this spring's racing.

About the Colby-Hume Center