Pacific Lutheran University Crew

PLU Crew is the varsity rowing program for Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.^[1] The team was founded in 1964 as a joint program with University of Puget Sound. Today the team consists of Men's and Women's programs for both Varsity and Novice rowers, and competes as a member of the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference (NCRC) and Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA).

Modern Team Oar Design

This article features terminology unique to rowing. For further information see main article Glossary of Rowing Terms

History

Following the demise of the PLU-UPS rowing club, Pacific Lutheran rowers formed the Lute Varsity Rowing Club in 1965.

PLU Crew first received national notoriety in 1967, when University of Washington requested the return of their old shell the "Husky Clipper," which the Huskies had used to win at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In exchange, UW arranged for Green Lake Crew to donate a shell, the "Loyal Shoudy" to the PLU team. Faced with no means of transporting the boat from north Seattle to PLU's home course in south Tacoma, team Commodore/Captain Jim Ojala devised a plan for the team to row the shell from Lake Union, through the Ballard Locks and down Puget Sound to the Tacoma Narrows. After several months of endurance training, contacting the Navy and Coast Guard, and obtaining a parade permit to walk the shell through North Seattle from Green Lake to Lake Union, the ten team members prepared to embark on their journey. The stunt resulted in the team receiving coverage of the event from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper, as well as national rowing magazine Rowing News.^[2][3]

The team received a major setback after its boathouse burnt to the ground in Spring 1975.^[4]

In 1998 the team moved up the lake to its new boathouse, located at Harry Todd Park in Tillicum. The team shares the boathouse with UPS and Commencement Bay Rowing Club (CBRC), a Masters and Juniors program.

The team's last red cedar shell, the Marjory Anderson, was refurbished in 2004, and was located for display in the new college bookstore beginning in July 2007.

Meyer Cup (Men) and Lamberth Cup (Women)

April 13, 2013, marked the fiftieth annual Meyer-Lamberth Cup. The regatta between PLU and cross-town rivals University of Puget Sound Rowing is the oldest annual dual regatta on the west coast of the United States.

Meyer Cup Results (men's varsity eight)

• PLU: 29 wins
• UPS: 27 wins

Meyer Cup Results
Date	Winner	Series (PLU-UPS)
1964	Pacific Lutheran	01-00
1965	Pacific Lutheran	02-00
1966	Pacific Lutheran	03-00
1967	Pacific Lutheran	04-00
1968	Pacific Lutheran	05-00
1969	Pacific Lutheran	06-00
1970	Pacific Lutheran	07-00
1971	Pacific Lutheran	08-00
1972	Pacific Lutheran	09-00
1973	Pacific Lutheran	10-00
1974	Pacific Lutheran	11-00
1975	Puget Sound	11-01
1976	Puget Sound	11-02
1977	Pacific Lutheran	12-02
1978	Pacific Lutheran	13-02
1979	Pacific Lutheran	14-02
1980	Puget Sound	14-03
1981	Puget Sound	14-04
1982	Puget Sound	14-05
1983	Puget Sound	14-06
1984	Pacific Lutheran	15-06
1985	Pacific Lutheran	16-06
1986	Pacific Lutheran	17-06
1987	Pacific Lutheran	18-06
1988	Pacific Lutheran	19-06
1989	Pacific Lutheran	20-06
1990	Puget Sound	20-07
1991	Puget Sound	20-08
1992	Puget Sound	20-09
1993	Pacific Lutheran	21-09
1994	Pacific Lutheran	22-09
1995	Pacific Lutheran	23-09
1996	Pacific Lutheran	24-09
1997	Pacific Lutheran	25-09
1998	Pacific Lutheran	26-09
1999	Pacific Lutheran	27-09
2000	Pacific Lutheran	28-09
2001	Puget Sound	28-10
2002	Puget Sound	28-11
2003	Puget Sound	28-12
2004	Puget Sound	28-13
2005	Puget Sound	28-14
2006	Puget Sound	28-15
2007	Puget Sound	28-16
2008	Puget Sound	28-17
2009	Puget Sound	28-18
2010	Puget Sound	28-19
2011	Puget Sound	28-20
2012	Pacific Lutheran	29-20
2013	Puget Sound	29-21
2014	Puget Sound	29-22
2015	Puget Sound	29-23
2016	Puget Sound	29-24
2017	Puget Sound	29-25
2018	Puget Sound	29-26
2019	Puget Sound	29-27

Lamberth Cup Results (women's varsity eight)

• PLU: 27 wins
• UPS: 16 wins

Lamberth Cup Results
Date	Winner	Series (PLU-UPS)
1977	Pacific Lutheran	01-00
1978	Pacific Lutheran	02-00
1979	Pacific Lutheran	03-00
1980	Pacific Lutheran	04-00
1981	Pacific Lutheran	05-00
1982	Puget Sound	05-01
1983	Puget Sound	05-02
1984	Pacific Lutheran	06-02
1985	Pacific Lutheran	07-02
1986	Pacific Lutheran	08-02
1987	Pacific Lutheran	09-02
1988	Pacific Lutheran	10-02
1989	Pacific Lutheran	11-02
1990	Pacific Lutheran	12-02
1991	Pacific Lutheran	13-02
1992	Pacific Lutheran	14-02
1993	Pacific Lutheran	15-02
1994	Pacific Lutheran	16-02
1995	Pacific Lutheran	17-02
1996	Pacific Lutheran	18-02
1997	Pacific Lutheran	19-02
1998	Puget Sound	19-03
1999	Pacific Lutheran	20-03
2000	Pacific Lutheran	21-03
2001	Pacific Lutheran	22-03
2002	Pacific Lutheran	23-03
2003	Puget Sound	23-04
2004	Puget Sound	23-05
2005	Puget Sound	23-06
2006	Puget Sound	23-07
2007	Puget Sound	23-08
2008	Puget Sound	23-09
2009	Puget Sound	23-10
2010	Puget Sound	23-11
2011	Pacific Lutheran	24-11
2012	Puget Sound	24-12
2013	Puget Sound	24-13
2014	Puget Sound	24-14
2015	Puget Sound	24-15
2016	Pacific Lutheran	25-15
2017	Pacific Lutheran	26-15
2018	Puget Sound	26-16
2019	Pacific Lutheran	27-16

Lightweight Program

PLU's lightweight rowing program have achieved some successes in recent years. In 2002, the Men's Lwt 4+ traveled to the annual Dad Vails Regatta in Philadelphia, winning their event, and consequently a small college championship.^[5] Though the Men's team has not returned to Dad Vails since 2002, they have since won the NCRC title in 2005^[6] and 2007.^[7]

Not to be outdone, the Women's Lwt4+ won the 2004 WIRA Championships at Lake Natoma, California. They followed up their win with second-place finishes in the event in 2005 and 2006.

Head coaches

• Paul Meyer+ 1964-1965
• J.R. Goerke+ 1965-1966
• Jim Ojala 1966-1969
• Norm Purvis 1969-1970
• Ralph Neils 1971-1972
• ?? 1972-1973
• ?? 1973-1974
• Dave Peterson 1974-1985
• Bob Trondsen(M)/Elise Lindborg(W) 1986
• Jeff Glenn(M)/Elise Lindborg(W) 1987
• Doug Herland 1988-1991
• Doug Nelson 1991-2000
• Sarah Halstead 2001-2002
• Tone Lawver 2002-2011
• Thomas Schlenker 2012-2014 ++
• Tara Brunsfield(M)2014-2015 ++
• Lori Cark(M)2015-2016
• Dave Harvey(M)2016-2021 ++
• Andy Foltz(W) 2015-2022 ++
• Lizzie(W) 2022-2023 ++
• Sienna Mathes(W) Interim 2023-2024

++ denotes a non-PLU graduate

All-Americans

• 1993
• Brian Erstguard '93
• 2004
• Lauren Rutledge '04
• 2005
• Katie Schlepp '06,
• 2006
• Katie Schlepp '06
• Erin Wolf '06
• 2007
• Amber Iverson '09
• 2008
• Kat Jenkins '09
• 2009
• Kat Jenkins '09
• 2010
• n/a
• 2011
• Abby Smith '12
• 2016
• Hannah Peterson '19
• 2017
• Hannah Peterson '19
• 2018
• Hannah Peterson '19
• 2019
• Hannah Peterson '19
• Madeline Woods '20

National team members

• Sarah Jones '93, competitor in the Women's 8+ at the 2000 Summer Olympics and in the 2- at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
• Doug Herland '73, Bronze medalist coxswain in the M2+ at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
• Bjorn Larsen '03, Silver medalist in the ML4- at the 2007 Pan American Games.
• Elise Linborg '84, competitor at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Current Fleet

• Spirit of Olallia 8+ WV8 Pocock
• Beauty and the Beast: 2- -vespoli
• Lorraine: 2- -vespoli
• Grødprinsess Anne (aka "The Frog"): Novice 4+ vespoli ultralight series
• Scott Laio: Men's Lt4+ Pocock K series
• Paul Hoseth (aka "Våt Drøm"): Men's 8+ Vespoli Mill. series
• Doug "Herly" Herland: Women's Novice 8+ Pocock K series
• Kristin Shay Paulson: Women's 4+ Vespoli Mill. series
• Stille-Intensitet: Women's 8+ Pocock K series
• TNT: Women's Lt4+ (Prototype for the Pocock K4+ series of racing shells)
• Urokkelig Makt: Women's 8+ Pocock K series
• Valborg: Novice 8+ Pocock K series
• Valkyrie: Men's 4+ Pocock K series
• Idunn: Men's 8+ Pocock K series
• The Spirit of '02: Women's 8+ Pocock

Former Fleet

• Gracias San Pedro: 4+ (Prototype Pocock Shell with golf-ball style dimples. Never went into production.)
• Husky Clipper: 8+
• Lagprestajon: 8+
• Loyal Shoudy: 8+
• Marjory Anderson: 4+
• Parodi: 8+
• Return of the Sleipner: 8+
• Sleipner: 8+

References

1. PLU Athletics
2. PLU Crew in the Sixties
3. "Way Enough!" Recollections on a Life of Rowing by Stan Pocock, ISBN 978-0-615-11206-0
4. History After the Boathouse Fire
5. 2002 Dad Vail Results Archived 2003-04-23 at the Wayback Machine
6. NCRC 2005 Results
7. NCRC 2007 Results

External links

• Official website
• 2004-2005 Media Guide
• 2005-2006 Media Guide
• 2006-2007 Media Guide
• 2007-2008 Media Guide