Rowing is the oldest intercollegiate sport in the nation and continues to grow in size and speed at Colby. The primary goals of the Colby crew program are to compete at the highest level of collegiate rowing, and help their athletes become the best versions of themselves in their four years at Colby. The team rows on nearby Messalonskee Lake at the Colby-Hume Center. The Hume Center features a 3-bay boathouse and seven miles of beautiful rowable water.
The Colby Crew program, which gained varsity status in 1993, believes that a student-athlete’s education can be significantly enhanced outside the classroom and the lessons learned and memories created on the water will stay with students long after they leave Mayflower Hill. Our rowers accomplish this with the commitment they make to one another, to the team, and to the process of attaining athletic excellence. Through year-round training they maximize cardiovascular conditioning, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, rowing technique, and psychological preparation. The combination of training, racing, and team camaraderie provides our students with a rich collegiate experience.
To meet their goals the Colby crew team uses the fall to redefine technique, create a base of fitness, and gain valuable racing experience. The winter schedule consists of indoor training crucial to success in the spring. In February, the crews return to the water for the challenge of the spring racing season. Each weekend in April includes races against crews from across New England, including the New England Rowing Championships, the National Invitational Rowing Championships, with possible selection to the NCAA Rowing Championships and IRA Regattas.
Colby Crew, which has been led by Head Coach Stew Stokes since 2000, has found success in many ways over the years. In 2002, the women’s team finished second at the first-ever NCAA Division III Championship regatta. In 2003, the women’s team bettered their 2002 finish and became the first Colby team to win an NCAA championship. The women’s team also earned selection to the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championship in 2005 and 2006. In 2005 Colby sent their men’s team to the Henley Royal Regatta and the varsity men’s eight became the first men’s crew from Colby to win an international race when they defeated Isis Boat Club from Oxford University in the first round of the Temple Challenge Cup.
Most recently in 2025, the men's team earned its first ever spot in the IRA National Championship with the Men's 2V8 crew taking home the bronze medal.Â
Colby Crew has produced five U.S. National Team athletes and 14 All-Americans for 18 total awards including most recent two-time All-Americans Charlie Stevenson '24 and Tori Richards '23 as well as Charlie Anderson '25 to closeout the 2024-25 season. The team has also be awarded with over 61 CRCA/IRCA scholar-athletes.Â
Updated as of July 22nd, 2025
