Rutgers Crew

Boston University, California, Cornell, Harvard, Navy, Princeton, Syracuse, Yale, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and many others are regular opponents. In 2003, the Rutgers Varsity 8 was invited to England, where the crew reached the Grand Final of the Royal Henley Regatta, finishing 2nd.

More than 80% of Rutgers oarsmen never rowed before entering college, yet many of these athletes become top college and Olympic oarsmen. Proper size and a willingness to apply yourself are far more important than previous experience. Crew is the only intercollegiate sport in the country that still has separate freshmen and varsity teams. The freshmen team travels with the varsity to race their counterparts at the other universities, including the Eastern and National Championships.

In the Fall semester of your freshman year, we will create a practice schedule that accommodates your class schedule. In the Spring semester, you will build your class schedule around your practice time.

In the fall semester we practice six days a week for 1 to 1.5 hours. In the spring we practice six days a week for 2 hours. All athletics at the top level require time, but they do not prevent you from doing well academically. All fields of study are represented on the crew, including Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Pre-Law, Pre-Med, Business, ect.

(except for coxswains) College oarsmen are generally between 6'2" and 6'8" tall, and weigh between 170 and 220 pounds.

Coxing is an opportunity for smaller athletes that are less than 130 pounds to be an important part of a major sport. The coxswain steers the shells, is the eyes, ears, and voice of the crew, helps coach the oarsmen, and has primary responsibility for race strategy during competition.

Rutgers Crew is the oldest intercollegiate sport at Rutgers, dating back to 1864. Rowing at Rutgers pre-dates football by five years. 

Email Coach Specca: david.specca@rutgers.edu