Michigan Men's Rowing Team

Michigan Men's Rowing
Image showing the rowing club's emblem
Image showing the rowing club's blade colours
LocationAnn Arbor, Michigan
Home waterArgo Dam Reservoir, Huron River
Founded1976 (1976)
Key people
Gregg Hartsuff (Head Coach)
UniversityUniversity of Michigan
AffiliationsAmerican Collegiate Rowing Association
Websitehttps://michiganrowing.org/

The Michigan Men's Rowing Team is the men's rowing team that represents the University of Michigan. The team was founded in 1976 by Robert Verbrugge and competes as a varsity club team as a member of the American Collegiate Rowing Association.[1][2] Since 1994, Gregg Hartsuff has served as head coach and under his leadership, the team has been recognized as the most successful collegiate club rowing team in the United States, winning more than 140 medals at the Dad Vail Regatta, Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges regatta, and American Collegiate Rowing Association championship.[3][4] The team has produced four Olympians and has won 15 ACRA National Championships.[5][6]

History

The team was founded in 1976 by Robert Verbrugge, who had been surprised by the lack of a rowing team affiliated with the University. In 1984, a boathouse was built by the team on the shores of the Huron River, along the Argo Dam pond.[1]

In 1994, head coach Gregg Hartsuff was hired by the team. Since then, the team has become one of the most successful collegiate rowing clubs in the country.[3] The Michigan Varsity 8 consistently had the highest finish at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association championship of any club team and in 2002, the Freshman Eight placed second, which is the best eights finish by a club team at the varsity national championships.[7][4]

In 2007, after collegiate club rowing programs were excluded from the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, Hartsuff led the effort to form the American Collegiate Rowing Association.[8] Michigan Men's Rowing was one of the founding members of the organization, and since then, Michigan's Varsity 8 has placed first at ACRA eight times, and the team has won a number of men's team points trophies, including a series of consecutive wins from 2008 until 2023.[6][9] In 2025, they once again won a record fifteenth men's team point trophy.[10]

The Michigan Men's Rowing 2nd Freshman eight returning to the dock after placing first at ACRA in 2023.[11]

As a varsity club sport, the team is reliant on fundraising and donor support instead of direct university funding, with significant support from the Michigan Rowing Association (MRA) alumni organization.[12] In 2018, the MRA purchased an indoor training facility for the team. In 2023, the team moved to a new, larger facility.[13][14]

A Michigan Men's Rowing eight during spring training on Lake Lanier in 2023.

Notable results

American Collegiate Rowing Association Championship

  • 69 medals in total[5]
  • Men's Varsity Eight (First Place): 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018[6]
  • Men's Points Trophy: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025[6]
  • Overall Team Points Trophy: 2018, 2019, 2023[6]

Dad Vail Regatta

  • 75 medals in total[5]
  • Men's Heavyweight Eight (First Place): 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014[15][16][17][18]
  • Men's JV Eight (First Place): 1995, 2012, 2013[19][17][20]
  • Kerr Trophy Men's Points: 2009 (tied with Delaware), 2012, 2014, 2016[21][22]

Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship

  • Men's Freshman Eight (Second Place): 2002[23]
  • Men's Varsity Four (w/ coxswain) (Third Place): 2004[24]

Head of the Charles Regatta

  • Collegiate Eight (First Place): 2014, 2018[25][26]
  • Collegiate Eight (Second Place): 2012, 2013, 2016[27][28][29]

Personnel

The team consists of roughly forty experienced "varsity" rowers and a similar number of freshman athletes, as well as a dozen coxswains.[30] Roughly 80% of recruits have no experience rowing before joining the team.[13]

Team members practice on the Argo Dam Reservoir in 2023.

Coaches

  • Gregg Hartsuff (Head Coach)
  • Maggie Zimmer-Parsons (Assistant Varsity Coach)
  • Jerry Hoffman (Assistant Freshman Coach)[5]

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 "MRA - How it all began". Michigan Rowing Association. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  2. ↑ "Club Sports • Michigan Recreation". recreation.umich.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  3. 1 2 "USRowing". USRowing. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  4. 1 2 Christie, Frank (2023-07-04). "Michigan's Gregg Hartsuff Added to RowOn Coaching Conference". Row Ontario. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Michigan Men's Rowing - Official Athletics Website". michiganrowing.org. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "ACRA". ACRA. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  7. ↑ "Championship Races: Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships, June 1, 2002 - Rowing Regatta Results | row2k.com". row2k. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  8. ↑ "Oklahoma City Hosts Inaugural ACRA National Championship". row2k.com. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  9. ↑ Tully, Madeline Davis (2024-06-25). "The Continuing Rise of Club Rowing: ACRA National Championship". Rowing News. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  10. ↑ "Henley Royal Regatta 2025 – The Prince Albert Challenge Cup Preview". JRN | The World's Leading Rowing Platform. 2025-06-23. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  11. ↑ "HereNOW". legacy.herenow.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  12. ↑ Record, Patrick (2013-11-01). "Video: Behind the scenes on the water and road with the Michigan men's rowing team". mlive. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  13. 1 2 Hickey, Jenna (2024-04-18). "Photo Essay: Uncovering the University of Michigan Men's Rowing Team". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  14. ↑ Dodge, Samuel (2024-03-12). "Building next to Ann Arbor park now housing University of Michigan Men's Rowing". mlive. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  15. ↑ "2009 Dad Vail Regatta Schedule". results.regattatiming.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  16. ↑ "2011 Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta Schedule". results.regattatiming.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  17. 1 2 "2012 Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta Schedule". results.regattatiming.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  18. ↑ "2014 Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta Schedule". results.regattatiming.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  19. ↑ "Scoreboard: Dad Vail Regatta". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 14, 1995. pp. C 11.
  20. ↑ "2013 Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta Schedule". results.regattatiming.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  21. ↑ "Dad Vail 2012: Big Field, Big Finishes". row2k.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  22. ↑ "Dad Vail Regatta – The largest collegiate regatta in the United States". dadvail.org. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  23. ↑ "Championship Races: Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships, June 1, 2002 - Rowing Regatta Results | row2k.com". row2k. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  24. ↑ "Collegiate Men & Women: IRA Regatta, June 5, 2004 - Rowing Regatta Results | row2k.com". row2k. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  25. ↑ "Men's Collegiate Eights 50th Head Of The Charles". www.regattacentral.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  26. ↑ "Men's Collegiate Eights 54th Head Of The Charles". www.regattacentral.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  27. ↑ "Men's Collegiate Eights 48th Head Of The Charles". www.regattacentral.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  28. ↑ "Men's Collegiate Eights 49th Head Of The Charles". www.regattacentral.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  29. ↑ "Men's Collegiate Eights 52nd Head Of The Charles". www.regattacentral.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  30. ↑ "Michigan | row2k College Rowing Teams HQ". row2k.com. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  31. ↑ "Michigan in the Olympics - 2004 University of Michigan Athletics". bentley.umich.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  32. ↑ "Michigan in the Olympics, 2008 University of Michigan Athletics". bentley.umich.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  33. ↑ "row2k Starting Five: Matt Hughes". row2k.com. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  34. ↑ "MRA - Tom Peszek Testimonial". Michigan Rowing Association. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  35. ↑ "U-M Student Burns Wins Silver Medal at Rio Paralympics". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  36. ↑ "Wesley Vear". www.teamusa.com. 2025-08-01. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
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