Radcliffe Crew, the oldest women's rowing program in the Ivy League, has a history of excellence. The program was founded in 1971 when a group of inspired athletes formed a team, mastered the basics of rowing, and went on to claim third place at Nationals in the spring of 1972. Two years later the Radcliffe 1973 crew won the National Championship and represented the United States at the World Championships in Moscow.

That success continues today at Radcliffe. As a member of the competitive Eastern Sprints League, Radcliffe races against the top crews in the nation. Radcliffe's Heavyweight Varsity captured the 1987, 1989, and 2003 Sprints crown, and has been a constant presence on the medal dock for the past decade. In 1997 Radcliffe competed at the inaugural NCAA Women's Rowing Championships, and has competed at the NCAA Championships, as a team, every year except one since the championships were established. Most recently, in 2003 Radcliffe won both the NCAA Team Points Trophy and the NCAA National Championship title in the first varsity eight, and in 2005 the Radcliffe first varsity eight finished third in the country.

The Lightweight team has long been established as a powerhouse in intercollegiate lightweight crew. The oldest program in the Ivy League, members of the 1982 crew recently reconvened to compete in the lightweight eight at the Head of the Charles. In 1995, 1996 and 1997 the Radcliffe Lightweights won three consecutive National Championships, with the gold in 1997 capping off an undefeated regular season. More recently, the 2004 Radcliffe Lightweights won Sprints and took third at the IRA National Championships, and the 2005 and 2006 Radcliffe lights took the bronze at IRAs and silver at Sprints.

The Radcliffe Novice squads provide racing opportunities to both recruited rowers and inexperienced athletes. The winning precedent of the novice squad is long established. In 1997 both first and second novice boats went undefeated in the regular season and won Eastern Sprints, with the First Novices going on to win at Nationals as well. More recently the 1999 Youth Eight won the gold medal at the Head of the Charles, and in 2000 and 2001 the First Novices earned silver medals at Sprints.

Radcliffe rows on the Charles River out of Weld Boathouse. The Charles River has long been home to competitive rowers of all ages and levels. High school, collegiate and masters rowing programs all flourish on the Charles, with the additional presence of U.S. National Team and Olympic athletes. Built in 1906 in memory of George Walker Weld, Weld Boathouse is one of the most beautiful boathouses in the country. Conveniently located, Weld is a short walk from Harvard's undergraduate campus.

Under the guidance of Head Coach Liz O'Leary and with strong commitment from the Harvard Department of Athletics, Radcliffe crew is in its fourth decade in the same place it started: at the top.

Why are we called "Radcliffe"?

The question is common and understandable -- if our students apply to, take classes at, and graduate from, Harvard – then why are they called "Radcliffe"?

To best answer the question, it is important to understand the unique and deep history of Radcliffe and Harvard Colleges, and the beginning of Radcliffe Crew.

Radcliffe College, founded in 1879, was the female counterpart to the all-male Harvard College. A series of steps towards merging into one coed institution began in the 1960s, when Radcliffe students were first allowed to take classes at Harvard. This process was finally completed in 1999 with the transformation of Radcliffe from an undergraduate college to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, a graduate center for interdisciplinary scholarship; meaning that all current undergraduate students apply to, take classes at, and graduate from, Harvard.

Radcliffe Crew, the oldest women's rowing program in the Ivy League, was organized in the fall of 1971 by a group of enterprising Radcliffe athletes. The progress of the newly formed team was phenomenal and in 1973 Radcliffe won the National Championship and represented the United States in the World Championships in Moscow. In 1974 the Eastern Sprints League (EAWRC) was formed, and in 1974 and 1975 Radcliffe won consecutive Sprints titles.

In 1976, two years after Harvard's Department of Athletics took over administration of Radcliffe athletics, the captains of the women's teams took a vote on whether they should be called Harvard or Radcliffe, and compete in crimson or black and white. When the voting was done, all but one team had chosen to adopt the name Harvard. The respect gained for women's athletics at Harvard by those early Radcliffe crews carried over to the 1976 vote, and it is carried today by the Harvard women who race for Radcliffe in black and white. The members of the varsity women's rowing team at Harvard, who compete as Radcliffe racing in black and white, remain part of the unique heritage and tradition begun in 1971.