College rowing in the United States

Rowing is the oldest intercollegiate sport in the United States.^[1] The first intercollegiate race was a contest between Yale and Harvard in 1852.^[1] In the 2018–19 school year, there were 2,340 male and 7,294 female collegiate rowers (on 57 and 148 teams, respectively) in Divisions I, II and III, according to the NCAA.^[2] The sport has grown since the first NCAA statistics were compiled for the 1981–82 school year, which reflected 2,053 male and 1,187 female collegiate rowers (on 48 and 43 teams, respectively) in the three divisions.^[2] Some concern has been raised that some recent female numbers are inflated by non-competing novices.^[3]

Men's rowing has organized collegiate championships in various forms since 1871. The Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) has been the de facto national championship for men since 1895.^[4] Women's rowing initially competed in its intercollegiate championships as part of the National Women's Rowing Association Championship in 1971.^[5] From 1980 through 1996, the women's national championships races were conducted at the National Collegiate Rowing Championships in Cincinnati. In the 1996–97 season, most women's intercollegiate rowing programs elected to join the NCAA as a "Championship" sport.^[6] Men's rowing declined to join the NCAA, but virtually all colleges abide by NCAA regulations. Other governing bodies of college rowing in the United States include the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA).^[7]