OUR TEAM
The Rutgers Climbing Team is a club sport sponsored by Rutgers Recreation at Rutgers University New Brunswick. We compete in the USA Climbing Collegiate Mid Atlantic Series at local, regional, and national competitions. We also compete in community competitions held by gyms across the East Coast.
We also have a Rec team which is a more casual commitment for annual dues of $20: they run monthly trips, social events for people of all abilities and interests, and it is a great and fun way to break into climbing!
Comp Team membership is open to any full-time undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at Rutgers University. Members must commit to attending weekly practices on Friday and Sunday, training on their own time, attending USA Climbing competitions, and paying annual dues of $70.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
HISTORY
In 2014, the team placed third in the CCS Northeast Region marking a strong start for Rutgers entering the climbing comp scene. The team then went on to sweep the regional title in 2017 for all three disciplines, boasting the largest and strongest team in the region. In recent years, our team has soared to new heights (no pun intended) as we have sent 3 athletes to USAC Nationals in 2023 and have had 5 athletes qualify for Nationals in the 2026 season. Over the years the Rutgers CAG rockwall has also seen immense improvements with the implementation of bouldering and in home competitions which gather 100+ competitors each semester. In the 2025/2026 season our amazing setting team has truly transformed our rockwall with the help of TUFF Climbing volumes to be a fully dynamic wall that garners 100+ visits daily.
MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDERS
In the fall of 2013, a group of friends who loved rock climbing founded the Rutgers Climbing Team. At the time, the climbing wall in the College Ave Gym was not very well known, especially among undergrads. Anne (President), Justin (Vice President and Risk Manager), and Alex (Treasurer) came together to sort out the paperwork: getting at least fifteen people to sign up, making an agreement with the Rock Wall, and drafting the constitution. This culminated in a meeting with Rec Sports where we laid out a rock solid case for the team and emerged victorious. Soon after, Isabel (Secretary/Social Media), Patrick (Captain), and Greg joined to get us off the ground. Yay, climbing! That fall, practices had an average about 10 people on a good day. About 8 of us went to NJ Rock Gym to compete in the Brawl that semester, making that our unofficial debut in the comp scene. At the final practice before winter break, it was very exciting to have 15 people show up!
The following spring, over 50 people appeared at the wall wanting to get involved. We had to scramble to get t-shirts! With help from a Mason Gross intern and a vote on possible designs, we settled on the same logo that is still in use today. We only needed 1 or 2 cars to get to our first several competitions, but by the end of the semester, coordinating 4-5 carpools was a full fledged logistic operation! We always had fun competing with other schools and celebrating afterwards when back on campus. It was exciting that by the end of the semester we were already one of the top teams in the region! We quickly established a competitive and a recreational team so that everyone could have an opportunity to learn about rock climbing.
Over the first few years of the Rutgers Climbing Team, many students found their way to the Rock Wall. Experienced climbers joined the team to find a like minded community, and shared their skills with others. New climbers joined to learn about the sport, and became experienced athletes by the end of the semester. Year after year, we watched the “new” climbers become experienced leaders themselves by the end of their time at Rutgers. This is the proudest tradition of the Rutgers Climbing Team. Those of us who were part of the team’s beginning have enjoyed watching it flourish, and hope it will continue to do so for many years to come.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where and when are practices?
How do I join and pay dues?
Do I need any equipment?
When are CAG Rockwall open hours?
Does CAG Rockwall only have ropes?
What is the difference between Rec Team and Comp Team?
The Rutgers Comp Team is a sanctioned club sport here at the university, so we have dedicated team members that attend weekly practices, train together, and represent the University at national-level competitions with annual dues of $70.
The Rec team has a more casual commitment: they run monthly trips, social events for people of all abilities and interests and is a great and fun way to break into climbing with annual dues of $20.
What is the time commitment?
What are climbing competitions?
There are two types of competitions: USA Climbing comps and local comps.
There are Qualifying Events (QEs), a Collegiate National Qualifying Event (CNQE), and Nationals; each level requires you to qualify for the next.
We host two local competitions each semester right here at CAG for the local community and these are very casual and community-oriented, with things like raffles, prizes, and finals for the top competitors.