The University of Saint Francis announces the formation of the city’s first collegiate crew program – Cougar Crew.
USF announces launch of city’s first collegiate crew program
Fort Wayne, Indiana (August 12, 2021) – The University of Saint Francis announces the formation of the city’s first collegiate crew program.
USF Athletics will partner with Fort Wayne-based Glorious Gate (G2) Rowing to launch the program. USF will field men’s and women’s crew teams, informally referred to as “rowing,” beginning this fall. Charlie Clark will serve as coach.
“After one conversation with G2 Rowing, Charlie Clark and their vision for rowing in the city of Fort Wayne, we knew we wanted to be a part of it,” USF Athletic Director Mike McCaffrey said. “If it wasn’t for the expertise of G2, the foundation they already have in the city, and the future partnership with the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department at Shoaff Park, we would not have been able to pull the trigger this quickly.”
G2 Rowing will serve as the training partner of the teams and will provide equipment for team members to train year-round. The teams will practice and compete at Shoaff Park. G2 Rowing continues to work on plans for constructing a permanent boat house, in conjunction with Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation, at the park’s boat ramp entrance.
Clark, a board member of G2 and the director of the Summit City Sprints race, was a championship high school oarsman for famed United States Rowing Hall of Fame coach Jim Barker at Undine Barge Club at fabled Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row. As a junior, he won City, Stotesbury Cup, and Schoolboy national championships and was a member of the U.S. junior national quad. Clark rowed for Hall of Fame coaches Bill Sanford and Drew Harrison at Syracuse University during their championship years where his crews won silver and bronze medals in his four years.
The USF Crew team is open to all current and incoming USF students. Anyone interested in joining the team for the 2021-22 season should contact Coach Charlie Clark at cclark@sf.edu.
About the University of Saint Francis
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences, and Business and College of Adult and Distance Education. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis campus experience includes 18 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,200 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.
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