For more than four decades, most of that time as
a club sport, Pacific Lutheran Crew has been synonymous
with success. It is, however, about much more than
that: From early morning workouts in the dark to
team breakfasts and bus trips to regattas, crew
at PLU is also about tradition and working together.
Rowers credit those who came before them with inspiring
them. Alums come talk to the team about the early
days of the Lute Rowing Club and the efforts to
make it a varsity sport.
“We definitely admire the alumni,”
said Amy Hildebrandt, a 2005 graduate who served
as a women's team co-captain. “Without them
we wouldn’t have a program.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams have
represented the university well at the conference,
regional and national levels. In 2002, the women’s
team finished fourth at the NCAA Division III national
regatta, and in 2003, the women won the conference
championship for the second straight year.
The men’s lightweight 4 won the James J.
Lynch Trophy at the Dad Vail Regatta, the largest
collegiate regatta in the United States, in Philadelphia
in 2002. Both teams have consistently performed
well at regionals.
Going back to 1970, the Varsity 4 with coxswain
won the Western Sprints Championship and later placed
third at the IRA National Intercollegiate Rowing
Championships in Syracuse, N.Y.
The men’s program started in the winter of
1964. The women took to the water six years later.
Because the Northwest Conference doesn’t sponsor
crew as a sport, PLU competes in the Northwest Collegiate
Rowing Conference along with the University of Puget
Sound, Willamette University, Lewis & Clark
College and several schools along the West Coast.
A total of five former rowers have been inducted
into the PLU Athletic Hall of Fame: Doug Herland
’72, who became PLU’s only Olympic medalist
when he won a bronze as a coxswain in the 1984 Los
Angeles Games; Pam Knapp Black ’84, who became
the first PLU rower to win a gold medal at nationals
and went on to compete for the U.S. national team;
Dave Peterson ’74, a rower from 1971-74 and
coach from 1975-85; and teammates Ruth Babcock (1976-80)
and Paulette Bergh (1977-80), part of the Senior
4 squad that qualified for the national championships
three seasons, placing sixth in 1978 and fifth in
1980. They also won a bronze medal in varsity pairs
at the national championships as seniors.
Contact Info:
Head Coach Tone Lawver
Olson Auditorium
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
Phone: (253) 535-8504
Email: lawverat@plu.edu
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