SARASOTA, FL, June 12, 2023: Three San Miguel Academy boats competed in the 2023 USRowing Youth National Championships at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, June 8-11. A total of 15 rowers represented San Miguel Academy in the Mens and Womens U15 division: one 5th grader, six 6th graders, four 7th graders, and four 8th graders. All three boat’s times were the best in the program’s history, and two boats are in the top 10 in the country. One boat advanced to the grand final on Sunday, which was SMA’s first time racing at the highest level.
The U15 division is relatively new for USRowing, currently with just one race each for boys and girls. As one of the largest middle school rowing programs in the country with 50 rowers training year-round, the depth of the San Miguel Academy Rowing program is helping to grow the U15 category. SMA rowers look forward to the addition of more races, including doubles, mixed doubles, and mixed 4x. San Miguel Academy Rowing, a scholastic program in Newburgh, NY., is one of the largest middle school programs in the country.
San Miguel Academy serves low-opportunity families who would typically not be able to access the sport of rowing without the assistance of SMA and our sponsors. SMA is currently under the sponsorship of the New York Giants Foundation, A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund, and the Head of the Charles/ Philadelphia Gold Cup Foundation. The mission of San Miguel Academy’s Rowing program is to increase educational opportunities for its student-athletes. It has proven to be significantly beneficial in helping our students to secure top-level educational opportunities in high school and college.
