On March 28, 2026, the Saint Thomas Aquinas High School Rowing team made waves at their Southeast District competition, The Miami International Regatta. The team traveled to Key Biscayne for the weekend; results were crucial in determining what boats would be going to the state regattas on April 10-12 and April 24-26. The boys’ and girls’ teams came to the course with determination and made it clear that they are a force to be reckoned with. They entered the competition with 18 boats, 11 sweeps, and seven sculls, and left with 10 medals!
Group shot (Alana Fernandes)
Bright and early at eight a.m., the girls’ 1st Varsity 8+ put up a fight and managed to get second place! The second Varsity 8+ fought the whole race to eventually open up at the end, which allowed them to get the gold! This was a great way to start the day of races and motivated the girls to improve to make their other races even better. The first Varsity 4+ put up a fight; despite the collision with one of the competitors, they did not let that stop them and brought it all the way to earn third place by only three seconds! The second Varsity 4+ completely dominated the field and showed that they were a threat; due to being aggressive, it allowed them to win their race by open water! Both of the varsity doubles put up a fight and managed to get fourth. Due to their determination, the freshman double pulled through with second place. The team took three quads, a junior, a varsity, and a lightweight; these were all competitive races, and they ended up getting second, third, and fourth! Coming towards the end of the competition, the girls took home gold in the Lightweight 8+ with lengths of open water!
Photo Courtesy of Emily Zgrzemski
The Saint Thomas Aquinas Rowing team recently added a boys’ team three years ago. They have been determined to make a name for themselves as well. They started off the day with getting third in the Junior 4+ and the first Varsity 8+ placed fifth in their very competitive race. They entered a varsity quad, just starting to scull and earned seventh. The freshman eight got sixth, and the freshman four got fourth! The lightweight Varsity 4+ brought back a medal by earning third and putting up a fight, proving to be a crew that shouldn’t be looked over. Ending the day, the boys raced a lightweight 8+ and got fourth!
This regatta officially ends the regular season, and now the team will begin to train for states. Gianna Attento, sophomore and varsity rower, states that “This was a fun time and great way to end the regular season, although it was hard with racing four times in the sun. I’m proud of everyone’s hard work! I can’t wait to see what happens next!” Both of the teams will be sacrificing their spring break mornings to improve and become even tougher for the FSRA Sculling and Sweep states!
