Jaguars Qualify Three Boats to Grand Finals at SRAA National Championship

The Jaguar Navy competed last weekend at the SRAA National Championship Regatta held on Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, TN. The team qualified three crews (Senior 4, Junior 8+, Junior 4+) to race. 

The Junior 4+ competed in the largest event at the regatta with 28 entries. The crew finished 2nd in their heat behind Montclair High School (Montclair, NJ) to progress to Saturday’s Semi Finals. In the Semi Finals, the Jaguars finished 2nd, beating Montclair High School to secure a spot in the Grand Finals. This was the first time SJA sent a Junior 4+ to the Grand Finals. In the Grand Finals, the Junior 4+ raced hard and finished 5th in the country. 

The Senior 4+ had a strong race in Friday’s Heats placing 2nd behind the Academy of Notre Dame de Namu (Villanova, Pennsylvania) and qualifying for Saturday’s Semi Finals. The Senior 4+ raced hard in the Semi Finals, finishing 4th behind Ann Arbor Huron (Ann Arbor, MI) by 0.3 seconds. The Senior 4+ raced in Saturday afternoon Petite Final finishing 12th in the country.

The Junior 8+ began the regatta with a strong 2nd place finish behind eventual national champion Mount Saint Joseph Academy (Flourtown, PA). In Saturday’s Semi Finals, the crew edged out Northville High School (Northville, MI) to secure a lane in the afternoon Grand Final. The Junior 8+ raced strong and finished as the 6th fastest Junior 8+ in the country! 

All three crews raced strong at the National Championship Regatta. The team returned to Cleveland with a lot of great racing experience and excitement to continue the success for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 Seasons. A full roster of the Crews who raced at the National Championship is listed below:

Senior 4+: Ella Kowalski ‘26, Clare Grady ‘26, Abby Campbell ‘26, Maya Velez ‘26, and coxswain Anna Hullman ‘26

Junior 8+: Brigid Savage ‘27, Riley DelVecchio ‘29, Stella Becher ‘27, Emily Williams ‘28, Madeline Semersky ‘29, Mary Kilbane ‘27, Emmi Hecock ‘28, Ellie McAlister ‘27, and coxswain Jenna Alaedeen ‘27

Junior 4+: Mary Metallinos ‘28, Hadley Basinski ‘28, Vivienne Diaquila ‘27, Lucy Oldfield ‘28, and coxswain Megan Doubler ‘27

Recap Written By: Head Coach Rob Zdankiewicz

Interested in experiencing Jaguar Crew this summer? Registration for summer camp is still open! Visit https://www.sja1890.org/athletic-adventures to learn more!