On September 26, 1987 Harry Printz noticed a crew race happening downtown and began a conversation with Don Schock of the Three Rivers Rowing Association (TRRA), who expressed interest in having a Carnegie Mellon student row for them.  Soonafter, Printz founded the team that is now called Tartan Crew. When the club first formed, there were eight members and they competed in their first race in the spring of 1988.

Since then the club has grown considerably -- today the team has over 50 members across the Varsity and Novice Squads. We row on all three of Pittsburgh's rivers, but spend most of our time on the Allegheny. Our boathouse is located on Washington's Landing, an island accessed from the 31st St. Bridge near downtown Pittsburgh and the Strip District, which is just a few miles from campus.

In collegiate rowing programs, all rowers have a full year of novice rowing. This is when members learn to row and begin to bond with teammates. After a year, they move up to varsity crew. Rowing also requires coxswains, who are charged with steering and leading crews during races.

After a hiatus due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Tartan Crew came back strong racing competitively. The 2022-23 school year marked our best season yet (Results). We are committed to furthering our goals this coming season, and are excited to see what Fall 2023 has in store!