Canisius College Director of Athletics Bill Maher announced today that the College added women's rowing to its NCAA Division I sports offerings. The team will begin varsity competition in the fall of 2011. The search for a full-time head coach is underway.

 "The strength of participation and support of rowing in the Western New York community and throughout the northeast makes this a natural fit for Canisius," Maher said. "The sport is a wonderful addition to our athletic program and it provides substantial participation opportunities for student-athletes."

Rowing will be the ninth women's varsity sport offered at Canisius and will bring the total number of varsity programs to 17. The team will compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, joining Fairfield, Iona, Loyola (Md.), Manhattan, Marist and associate conference members Drake, Robert Morris and Sacred Heart.

The men's rowing program will also realize increased emphasis, however it will remain at the club sport level. The men's team will also compete in the MAAC Championships, which are held annually at Mercer Lake in Princeton Junction, N.J.

The Canisius rowing programs utilize the West Side Rowing Club (WSRC) as its base of operation. The club, which was formed in 1912 with the purpose of teaching rowing to the youth of Western New York, is one of the nation's largest rowing clubs. Located on the Niagara River, with Canada as its backdrop, the WSRC has produced 10 Olympians, 34 U.S. National team members and hundreds of collegiate rowers.

"The West Side Rowing Club will not only serve as an outstanding home base for the Canisius teams, but thanks to its outstanding pool of female high school rowers, we expect the club to serve as a place for the College to recruit exceptional student-athletes as well," Bill Cotter '52, former President and current Trustee of the West Side Rowing Club said.

The Canisius rowing team will utilize the Frank Lloyd Wright Fontana Boathouse, a state-of-the-art 5,000 square foot space that was designed by the famed architect nearly 100 years ago and erected in 2007.