Marquette University club rowing · Milwaukee, WI
Row for Marquette!
Most of our rowers had never touched an oar before college. Thirty-six years and 1,200 athletes later, that’s still how it starts — you show up, we teach you the rest.
Who we are
Milwaukee’s student rowing club since 1990
Marquette Crew is the student club rowing team at Marquette University, founded in 1990 by two women athletes, Liz Shanahan and Beth Ohmann. Today we field men’s and women’s squads, each with novice and varsity crews, racing fours and eights across the Midwest and beyond.
More than 1,200 rowers have come through the program — and nearly all of them started with no rowing experience at all. We’re currently the fastest-growing club sport on campus.
1990
Founded by two student athletes
1,200+
Rowers through the program in 36 years
Fastest-growing
club sport on Marquette’s campus
Everyone starts somewhere
No tryouts. No cuts. No experience required.
We don’t recruit high-school rowers and we don’t hold tryouts. If you’re an enrolled Marquette student and you’re willing to work, you’re on the team — it’s that simple.
Novices learn the stroke from scratch in their first season, and plenty of them are racing varsity boats a year later. The only required is a willingness to learn.
Welcome events · Fall 2026
Get started this fall
Come to any one of these — no signup needed for O-Fest, and Learn to Row is for anyone to check out if rowing is for them in a no-pressure environment.
Sept 5, 6 & 12
Learn to Row
Get in a boat with varsity rowers and take your first strokes. Three sessions — come to whichever fits.
Sept 10
O-Fest
Find our table, meet the team, and sign up to come learn more at Learn to Row.
Sept 13
Team Meeting
The season kickoff — schedules, squads, and what your first weeks will look like.
down by the water
two rivers, one lake
Home base is the boathouse on the Menomonee River. Most mornings we’re there headed to the Milwaukee River downtown — and when conditions are right, we head to Lake Michigan.
In winter the whole team moves indoors to the erg room in Humphrey Hall, where the Spring season is built one interval at a time.
Life on the team
Bonding beyond the boat
Team dinners, Thanksgiving together, Winter Formals, Intramural Volleyball — we’re not just teammates, many lifelong friendships have started with first being on Crew.
On and off the water
@marquettecrew →
Ready to row?
Your seat in the boat is open.
No tryouts, no cuts, no experience required. We look forward to meeting you!
Fill out the interest form