St. Ignatius Athletics – Men's Crew
JV 8+ Captures Back-to-Back National Title at SRAA Championships

While most St. Ignatius athletic teams compete for league and section championships, and many earn the opportunity to represent the school at the state level, the Men's Crew program reaches even greater heights—literally rowing into national competition. This year, the St. Ignatius Rowing Program once again made its mark on the national stage, competing at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA) National Championships—the oldest high school rowing nationals in North America, dating back to 1935.

Held at Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, the regatta featured 163 schools from across the United States, with class-based competition in categories such as Varsity, JV, and Freshman. St. Ignatius proudly sent its largest contingent of entries ever, representing the West Coast with distinction.

The spotlight performance came from the Junior Varsity 8+, who dominated every stage of the event. The SI boat posted open-water victories in all three rounds—winning their heat by 5 seconds, the semifinal by 4 seconds, and the championship final by another 4 seconds. They blazed through the 1500-meter course in 4:28.5, the fastest time in St. Ignatius history.

This championship crew included five returning oarsmen from last year's national title team:
Brendan Ruane, Pierce Winters, Lucas Ibarra-Rivera, Ethan Smith, and Michael Arieta. They were joined this season by Kieran Devlin, Joaquin Rathgeb, and standout first-year oarsman Tai Morganson. At the helm, coxswain Michael Rawles—also new to the lineup—steered a flawless course and called a composed, aggressive race.

This win marks several historic milestones:

• 5th National Championship in the history of St. Ignatius Men's Crew

• 2nd National Title at the SRAA Championships

• Second time the program has won back-to-back national titles

• 5th overall national title for any St. Ignatius athletic program

With the SRAA title in hand, five rowers from the championship boat will now shift focus to the USRowing Youth National Championships, to be held June 12--15 in Sarasota, Florida. 

We send our heartfelt congratulations to our National Champion Wildcats and wish continued success to those advancing to Sarasota.

Go 'Cats!