History
The first crew is thought to have set out on Lake Mendota in 1874, though the only evidence of this is a letter written in 1912 by a Wisconsin alumnus. By 1878 rowing had become an intramural sport at the university. Wisconsin's first national championship was won in 1900 by the men's freshman eight team. Since then, the Wisconsin crew has won 48 Intercollegiate Rowing Association titles.
The men's varsity eight won their first IRA national championship in 1951, the first of eight such titles. The 1990 win brought an invitation to the Henley Royal Regatta, the fourth visit for Wisconsin. The Wisconsin varsity eight has placed in the top three at the IRA National Championship Regatta 20 times since 1950. Only the University of Washington has won more medals in that time. The Badgers won the 2008 Intercollegiate Rowing Association Title over second-place Washington, capping off an undefeated season.
Wisconsin's women first began actively competing in the early 1970s, and at that time, the National Women’s Rowing Association Championship served as the national championship for collegiate boats. The women's varsity eight won the club title in 1975, and was the highest placed collegiate boat in 1976, 1977, and 1978. In 1986, the Wisconsin women won the National Collegiate Championship, which first began in 1981. In 2009 the Varsity Four were runners up at the D-1 NCAA Championships. This was the highest ever finish for a Wisconsin boat in the history of the NCAA Championships.
During the 2010 season, the openweight women won the schools first Big Ten Conference Rowing Championship. The team won 4 of the 6 events (1st and 2nd novice 8, varsity 4, and second varsity 8) and finished 2nd in the varsity 8 and 3rd in second varsity four.
Read more about this topic: Wisconsin Badgers Crew
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