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Spring Season 2026 Summary - May 18, 2026
The 2026 spring racing season has concluded, and Rutgers Crew has much to be proud of. The team demonstrated tremendous dedication and depth throughout the year, retaining 49 athletes through the end of the season, including 16 novice rowers. Every member of the squad showed significant improvement, and with only five athletes graduating, the program is well positioned for continued success.
The novice group faced a challenging spring marked by injuries and demanding schedules, yet they persevered and produced impressive results. During the regular season, the Freshman 8 posted strong performances at the GW Invite and Susquehanna Duals. The crew was competing effectively against varsity-level crews through the season, including pushing ahead of George Washington’s 3V. Despite racing the same lineup only once all season, the Freshman 8 improved its margin over Virginia’s freshman crew by nine seconds and closed the gap to Michigan by three seconds. The crew capped its year with a third-place finish in the Petite Final at the ACRA Championship in one of the strongest freshman fields in recent years. More importantly, the group demonstrated resilience and determination that will strengthen the varsity ranks for years to come.
The Third Varsity also battled lineup inconsistency but continued to improve steadily throughout the season. Composed primarily of second-year rowers with one first-year athlete, the crew earned strong victories over Notre Dame and George Washington. At ACRA, the 3V improved its margin over Michigan’s Championship 3V by five seconds and closed five seconds on Bucknell’s 3V compared to earlier spring racing. The crew concluded the season by reaching the Grand Final at ACRA—the first Rutgers Third Varsity crew ever to achieve that milestone.
The Second Varsity experienced perhaps the greatest development of any crew this season. With five second-year athletes, one first-year athlete, and a sophomore coxswain, the boat was exceptionally young for its category. During the regular season, the 2V earned decisive victories over Lehigh, Minnesota, Bucknell, and Notre Dame. The crew continued to improve throughout the spring and delivered an outstanding performance at ACRA, narrowly missing the Grand Final after staying with the leading crews through 1,800 meters. More importantly, this group learned how to race beyond the sum of its parts—an essential characteristic of championship-caliber crews. The 2V finished 11th overall at the ACRA Championship.
The Varsity 8 entered the season with five new members from the previous year’s top boat and showed dramatic improvement throughout the spring. Rutgers opened the season by defeating defending champion Virginia at the Susquehanna Duals and later earned victories over George Washington, Lehigh, Michigan, and Minnesota. At the ACRA Championship, Rutgers defeated third-ranked Notre Dame in the heats—the first time Rutgers has beaten Notre Dame at ACRA in the Varsity 8. In the semifinal, while positioned to qualify for the Grand Final, the crew suffered equipment failure when a seat came off its slide approximately 1,250 meters into the race. Although the crew recovered and fought through the remainder of the piece, Rutgers narrowly missed advancing. In the Petite Final, the Varsity finished just 0.6 seconds out of third place in a fiercely contested race.
Despite narrowly missing the Grand Final, the Varsity’s performance throughout the championship demonstrated the tremendous potential of this young group. With only two graduating oarsmen and the coxswain departing, the core of the Varsity returns with significant momentum heading into the offseason.
More than anything, this season reinforced the direction and potential of Rutgers Crew.
The team now turns toward a summer of training with high expectations and excitement for what can be accomplished in the coming year.
UPSTREAM RED TEAM!
George Washington Dual Recap - Apr 25, 2026
Rutgers hosted its final dual race of the season this past Saturday, welcoming George Washington to New Brunswick. GW traveled with three eights to face the Red Team’s five entries in a competitive day of racing on the Raritan.
The Second and Third Varsity crews took to the water first, lining up against GW’s Second Varsity. After a challenging start, the Rutgers 2V steadily worked its way back into contention, drawing level with GW as the crews passed under the Albany Street Bridge. GW responded with a late push, increasing their rate to finish just three seats ahead of the Rutgers 2V, with the Rutgers 3V close behind.
The Varsity 8 race followed in similarly challenging conditions. Rutgers faced a difficult start in rough water, allowing GW, racing in Lane 2, to make up the stagger early in the piece. However, once through the opening strokes, the Rutgers Varsity found its rhythm and began to move decisively ahead. The crew maintained that momentum throughout, ultimately finishing 11 seconds clear of GW.
The final race of the day featured the Rutgers Freshman and Second Freshman eights against GW’s Third Varsity, a lineup composed largely of novice rowers. Demonstrating strong composure in the conditions, both Rutgers crews delivered impressive performances, finishing well ahead of their competition.
It was an excellent day of racing for Rutgers to close out the regular season. The team will now turn its focus to several weeks of training and final exams before traveling to Oak Ridge for the ACRA Championship.
Results: https://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=4951D10354016CA64F4026B340E01C8E&cat=1
Lehigh Dual Recap - Apr 18, 2026
Rutgers hosted the second Raritan dual of the Spring on Saturday, matching up with Lehigh for a morning of racing. Lehigh brought two varsity eights and a four, matching up against the top Rutgers eights and a novice four.
Racing started with the second varsity eights as Lehigh took an early lead off the stake boats. The Rutgers eight began to inch back towards the lead at the railroad bridge, eventually overtaking the Lehigh boat and closing out ahead.
Next up, the Rutgers novice four put together a great start to take an early lead against their Lehigh opponents. Rowing a strong body of the race, Rutgers took a lead through the Albany Street Bridge, eventually succumbing to a strong Lehigh Spring.
In the varsity eight, Rutgers took an early lead off the start, holding a narrow advantage over Lehigh. As the boats came through the railroad bridge and Albany Street, the Rutgers boat gradually built the lead. Both boats sprinted well, but Rutgers preserved a four second advantage through the finish line.
The Rutgers third varsity and first novice eight, without Lehigh boats to race, tested their speed against one another. The 3V got out to a strong start, leading the freshmen through the railroad bridge. The novices challenged through the middle of the race, taking the lead out of the Albany Street bridge. Displaying some veteran savvy, the 3V closed hard and took a three second win over their novice opponents. Results: https://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=CDF35E0E43472E716A372815ECCE7EA9&cat=1
Team Travels to DC for George Washington Invite - Apr 11, 2026
The Rutgers Crew enjoyed its second travel day of the Spring, heading down to the nation’s capital to meet top ACRA opponents on the Susquehanna River. Four Rutgers eights and a four made the trip, testing speed in an afternoon and evening session on the Potomac.
Racing amidst the bustle of the capital city, the Rutgers crews developed some racing experience early in the Spring season. Highlights included finishes ahead of Michigan and Minnesota in the Varsity eight.
Results can be found here: https://crewtimer.com/regatta/r15745
Delaware Dual Opens Racing on the Raritan - Apr 4, 2026
To kick off the spring racing season, Rutgers traveled to Shamokin Dam, PA for an outstanding day of competition at the Susquehanna Duals. The Red Team faced a stacked field that included Bucknell, Virginia, Notre Dame, and Michigan—featuring multiple top finishers from last year’s ACRA Championship regatta across the Varsity, 2V, 3V, and Novice events. Needless to say, it was a formidable early-season test.
Rutgers opened the day with a strong showing in the Varsity 8. In the morning race, the crew made an impressive move in the third 500 meters, surging past defending champion Virginia and closing to within open water of a very strong Notre Dame crew. In the afternoon, the Varsity 8 continued to build speed, delivering another competitive performance against what appear to be two of the top ACRA boats this season in Bucknell and Notre Dame.
The 2nd Varsity delivered the highlight performance of the day. Historically a crew that has taken time to find its rhythm early in the season, the 2V turned that narrative around with a statement win in the afternoon, defeating both Bucknell and Notre Dame. This result signals that the 2V is shaping up to be a true championship contender this year—and earned some well-deserved shirts in the process.
Spring racing returned to the banks of the Raritan for the first time since 2022 as Rutgers faced off against Delaware. Warm weather and a big crowd welcomed the return to competition in New Brunswick.
The two programs enjoyed a competitive day across all five races in the eight, with Delaware taking a narrow 1.2 second victory in the varsity eight.
Results can be found here: https://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=105BB971ED277EF040938DE5C02A580F&cat=1
2026 Susquehanna Duals Recap – Spring Racing Begins - Mar 28, 2026
To kick off the spring racing season, Rutgers traveled to Shamokin Dam, PA for an outstanding day of competition at the Susquehanna Duals. The Red Team faced a stacked field that included Bucknell, Virginia, Notre Dame, and Michigan—featuring multiple top finishers from last year’s ACRA Championship regatta across the Varsity, 2V, 3V, and Novice events. Needless to say, it was a formidable early-season test.
Rutgers opened the day with a strong showing in the Varsity 8. In the morning race, the crew made an impressive move in the third 500 meters, surging past defending champion Virginia and closing to within open water of a very strong Notre Dame crew. In the afternoon, the Varsity 8 continued to build speed, delivering another competitive performance against what appear to be two of the top ACRA boats this season in Bucknell and Notre Dame.
The 2nd Varsity delivered the highlight performance of the day. Historically a crew that has taken time to find its rhythm early in the season, the 2V turned that narrative around with a statement win in the afternoon, defeating both Bucknell and Notre Dame. This result signals that the 2V is shaping up to be a true championship contender this year—and earned some well-deserved shirts in the process.
The 3rd Varsity faced a challenging start to the day, as their morning race was stopped early due to a collision between Notre Dame and Virginia just as Rutgers was finding its rhythm. In the afternoon, however, the crew responded in a big way—finding their stride and overtaking a Notre Dame boat that had beaten them earlier, improving their margin by 12 seconds.
The Novice 8, racing in their first full regatta of the season, went up against deep and experienced lineups from Virginia and Bucknell. Despite missing several athletes, the crew showed significant improvement across their races. With no prior rowing experience in the boat, they held their own against crews featuring six or seven experienced oarsmen—a strong indication of their potential as the season progresses.
The Novice 4 may have faced the toughest conditions of the day. Comprised of four novice rowers and a novice coxswain with just three days of experience in the smaller boat, they battled a strong head current and headwind. In the face of adversity, they showed resilience and grit in their first-ever races. That experience will prove invaluable as they continue to develop speed and rejoin the 2nd Freshman 8 lineup with the return of absent teammates.
Overall, it was an excellent weekend of racing and an important early benchmark for Rutgers’ boat speed.
Full results can be viewed here:
AM Racing Results: https://tinyurl.com/AM-Results
PM Racing Results: https://tinyurl.com/PM-Results
Next up is a week of hard training before hosting the University of Delaware in our first home race in over three years.
UPSTREAM RED TEAM!
Spring Break and St. Joes Scrimmage Kick of Racing in 2026!
Spring Break 2026 started off with a bang. We had an outstanding turnout from alumni at our Annual Spring Banquet, kicking off the spring racing season in a memorable way. During the event, we also honored Coach Wagner for his remarkable contributions to the team and his 38 years as Head Coach. Many of his former teammates and athletes were in attendance, including multiple Olympians and two Major Generals from the Armed Services.
On the water, the momentum built quickly. The team put together a strong performance on the Friday before break with a 2k erg test, followed by a 3x2k session on the water the day of the banquet. Spirits were high, with numerous personal records and boats moving well.
By Monday, however, classic New Jersey weather had arrived, bringing frigid mornings on the Raritan. Icicles on the riggers and frozen shirts couldn’t slow down the men of Rutgers Crew. They pushed forward, continuing to build on the speed developed indoors and refine their work on the water.
After 11 practices, the team was feeling the workload but eager to host St. Joseph’s University for the first scrimmage of the year on the Raritan. Four Rutgers eights lined up against three St. Joe’s crews for a 2k, followed by two 1k pieces. All Rutgers boats were highly competitive against a strong St. Joe’s squad—an encouraging sign of early-season speed for the Red Team.
The highlight of the day came from the Rutgers 3V, featuring two first-year oarsmen, who raced side-by-side with a St. Joe’s boat the entire length of the course and secured a decisive win.
Next up, Rutgers travels to Shamokin Dam, PA for the Susquehanna Duals, where they will face Virginia, Bucknell, and Notre Dame. Michigan will also be in attendance, though they will not race Rutgers directly. As always, strong competition is expected among these fast ACRA rivals.
Upstream Red Team.
Crew Returns From Florida, Announces Schedule - Jan 23, 2026
The Rutgers Crew returned from Tampa this weekend, ready to begin the Spring semester after the annual Florida training trip. The team brought forty-four rowers and seven coxswains to the Sunshine State, practicing twice each day on the water. After training in fours and eights throughout the week, the trip concluded with an exciting sprinting workout amongst five eights.
Back on campus in New Brunswick, the group will return to indoor training at the Tanks.
The Spring racing schedule, featuring a scrimmage and two dual races on the Raritan, can be found below:
Sunday, March 22 (PM) -St. Joseph's (Scrimmage)- New Brunswick, NJ
Saturday & Sunday March 28 & 29- Bucknell/ Michigan/ Virginia- Shamokin Dam, PA
Saturday, April 4 (10:30AM)- Delaware- New Brunswick, NJ
Saturday, April 11th- GW Invitational- Washington, DC
Saturday, April 18th (9:30AM)- Lehigh- New Brunswick, NJ
Friday-Sunday, May 15-17- ACRA National Championship- Oak Ridge, TN
Rutgers Closes Fall Racing Season ~ Nov 1, 2025
The Rutgers Crew hosted Bucknell to close out the fall racing season on Saturday 11/1, enjoying a breezy day with more than a dozen boats on the water. Bucknell brought six eights to race, featuring four varsity crews and two freshman/novice crews. The Rutgers coaches were excited to launch seven eights, with four varsity crews joining Bucknell’s top four boats. This top group dueled throughout six 1,000-meter pieces between Route 1 and the Turnpike. Amidst windy conditions and a current moving out to the bay, the two teams enjoyed a competitive workout, with Rutgers boats winning many of the pieces.
The freshman/novice group included two Bucknell boats and three Rutgers crews that competed across a 500-meter stretch between Route 1 and the Donaldson Park boat ramp. The Rutgers freshman crews showed encouraging signs of early speed while lining up for the first time against an opposing team.
During the prior weekend, the team traveled to Philadelphia to test their mettle at the Head of the Schuylkill. Rutgers brought three boats eager to race after the cancellation of the Navy Day Regatta. The first Rutgers boat stepped up into the Championship Eight division, with an encouraging placement for the team’s opening race. After countless head race-style workouts this fall, the second varsity put their practice to the test, passing eight crews en route to a solid finish in the Collegiate Eight category. The third varsity boat demonstrated the depth of this fall’s team, showing great improvement from last year’s racing.
The team looks forward to three more weeks on the water this fall. The varsity will jump into the “Points” system, with two groups of four boats rowing randomized lineups each day. The individuals in the winning crews will accumulate points, ideally yielding data on the best boatmovers before Thanksgiving.
The novice group will look to build upon their strong showing with Bucknell in preparation for the spring racing season. With three boats of promising athletes, the group is set for a great month ahead. The team looks forward to upcoming race pieces between the novices and the varsity.
2025 Fall Kickoff ~ Sept 16, 2025
After what seemed like ages the Men of Rutgers Crew are back on the Raritan and off the races already with Fall training. With the biggest group of returning athletes in recent years, (44 oarsman and 5 coxswains) the oarsmen were excited to get back into the shells and start competing. The first weeks of practice have been filled with practices working on refining technique and pushing your bow in front on low rating, long workouts. The highlight of the fall so far was 5 even lineup boats the first day back, racing between Rt. 1 and the Turnpike bridge. All 8s trying to push ahead of the other even boats and remembering how good it is to be back on Campus. Training is now kicking up a notch as we enter the second half of September in preparation for fall races. The Coaches are pleased with the progress everyone is making and look forward to testing the speed of the shells in Philadelphia this Fall.
The team also held tryouts on September 7th for the new novice oarsman. A great turnout, of more than 60 attendees, at tryouts has lead to a competitive group of novices who have been refining the rowing stroke on the rowing machines and in the Barge. This week marks the first time they will get to be in the racing shells. The group looks to have some oarsmen who could be future Varsity 8 mainstays. We look forward to watching their progress and success with their scrimmage in November with ACRA rival Bucknell University.
The Fall Schedule has now been updated and is available on the schedule tab above. For quick reference
Navy Day - October 12th - Philadelphia PA
Head of the Schuylkill - October 25th - Philadelphia PA
Fall Scrimmage with Bucknell University - November 1st - New Brunswick NJ
We hope to see many of our Alumni on the banks at some of the fall racing.
Upstream Red Team!
2025 ACRA ~ May 18, 2025
Rutgers Raced at the American College Rowing Associate Championship Regatta this past weekend. The team was represented by 4 8s of athletes which is more than the team has ever fielded at the championship race.
The Novice 8 had a great weekend challenging themselves against other very strong Novice 8s. The Rutgers men were able to advance to the A/B semi finals but with a tough headwind conditions were not able to advance into the Grand Final against the crews with more horsepower. After a great season of racing the Novices dug deep in the Petite final to put their bow in front from 500 meters on though the finish line, finishing 7th at the Regatta. (Pictured above is 700m in to the final)
The 3V had a very tough heat and just missed advancing to the Grand Final by less than 2 seconds. However with determination and grit they were able to race to the front of the field in the beginning of the race (very unusually for this crew) in the Petite Final and were able to keep their bow in front of everyone except a very strong Washington State University Crew who was able to just edge them out in the last 3 strokes. The 3V finished 8th at the Regatta.
The 2V had a very strong showing at the regatta. They were able to also advance to the A/B semifinal and were just edged out of the Grand Final during that Semi. During the Petite Final the 2V had a rough start but were moving on the field though the 1000-meter mark. At the 1k mark the Notre Dame crew really took off and Rutgers and Orange Coast were able to try and hang on to the very strong leading crew. The 2V came across the line in 3rd with their best race to date. They finish 9th at the Regatta.
The Varsity 8 had a dominate performance in the heats finishing with Open Water ahead of the field. They came into the Semi-Finals with a lot of confidence but were struggling to settle into their natural rhythm, even with a bad race they were still able to advance to the Grand Final. In the Final the Rutgers Men had a great start but the horsepower of the Virginia Crew proved to be too much. The Varsity finished 5th in the Regatta, the same place as last year's result.
The team finished 6th in the team points this year, tied with the Notre Dame. The best finish the team has had to date, improving on last years 9th.
The Coaches are very happy with the results of all the boats and are excited about the grit, determination and racing speed all crews showed. The Seniors will be missed especially Captains Luke Tilton and Jack Corliss who have been racing in the Varsity 8 for the past 4 years.
Full Race Results Can be found here:
https://legacy.herenow.com/results/#/races/21330/results
Slow Conditions But Fast Racing for Kerr Cup ~ April 19, 2025
Rutgers raced at the Kerr Cup for the last regular season race of the Season. 1V, 2V 3V & N8 all had strong competition between some Dad Vail and ACRA Competitors. With a strong head wind the teams were in store for some long races and rough conditions on the Schuylkill.
The Varsity made it through to the final from the morning heats. After a rough start and some choppy conditions in the first 500M the Varsity showed a lot of grit and boat speed to row back though the field to claim 3rd ahead of Michigan and Drexel. With a clean race the boat is confident to have the speed to keep up with the front runners.
The Freshman had some tough racing in some of the worst conditions of the day. Michigan brought their A game and was able to stay out in front of the freshman even though the Rutgers boat was charging in the last 500 meters. While getting 2nd in a tough field was encouraging about the speed of the boat the freshman are hungry to catch the Michigan crew by ACRA.
The 2V and 3V had tough morning races with the 3V getting eliminated by some very fast crews and the 2V making the Petite final. The 2V was able to put together a great afternoon race where they kept the boat ahead of GW and within a length of Delaware.
Now that the regular season is over the boys on the banks are buckling down for a few hard weeks of training before finals. Then it is off to ACRA for the National Championship!
UPSTREAM RED TEAM
GW Invite Goes Well for Rutgers ~ April 13, 2025
The team travelled to the nations capital this weekend for the third running of the George Washington Invite. There was some great competition and great racing from all crews this weekend. This was a great test of speed against many ACRA rivals to see how the boats are shaping up while there is still time to work on thing before the championship season.
The Varsity had some great results on Saturday but had some issues for their Sunday race in the rougher water, unfortunate timing as this was against #1 ranked Virginia.
The 2V had a massive improvement against opponents they saw a few weeks ago and is showing some of the speed the coaches knew was in the boat. This crew is looking boat who can be very competitive towards the end of the season.
The 3V has been struggling to put together racing to the capacity they show during practices. A combination of some inexperience from novice rowers in a tough category for them and some other technical issues has been preventing these guys from getting the results they should be. This weekend was a big step in the right direction and showed that they should be competitive with the other ACRA 3Vs.
The Freshman 8 had the best weekend of the group. They went undefeated through the weekend, winning each race by open water or more. The crew is shaping up to have a great run at ACRAs later in the season.
Full Race Results can be found here: https://www.crewtimer.com/regatta/r14538
Next up the team travels to Philadelphia for the Kerr Cup against some ACRA teams and Dad Vail rivals.
UPSTREAM RED TEAM
2025 Collins Cup Recap ~ April 5, 2025
Rutgers Traveled to long time rival Columbia's home race course at Overpeck Park to compete for the Collins Cup. Much improved conditions (compared to last year) lead to some fast racing and great competition between the two Varsity boats.
Both Rutgers boats fell to the Columbia rivals but improvements over last weeks racing were noted for both the Varsity and 2V. The Coaches are pleased with how the team raced and looks forward to applying the lessons in the coming weeks.
Full results can be found here https://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=B39DBBC5450BD19ECB32AA73A3B82BF7&cat=1
The other Rutgers boats had a intra-team racing practice back on the Raritan to try and fine tune lineups and improve race speed for the upcoming battle at the George Washington Invite.
Upstream Red Team