The Montclair High School rowing team members clutched the state championship titles on April 29 at the Garden State Scholastic Rowing Championship in Camden, winning both men’s and women’s points trophies and sweeping gold across all women’s categories entered.
The rowing championships are the largest scholastic athletic event in the state.
With the load of medals brought home this season, Montclair High School added to its legacy, having won 62 state championship titles and simultaneously capturing both points trophies three times since the program started.
In Montclair rowing tradition, the competitors dominated the space, with 10 out of 12 boats walking away with medals, including 7 more state championship golds and 3 silver finishes.
This strong showing on the Cooper River puts them in prime position for nationals on May 24.
“This is a huge achievement by our team,” said head coach Jeremy Michalitsianos. “We are extremely proud of all our athletes. … They’ve trained hard and sweeping gold across all the women’s categories they entered, including the varsity 8, and securing both men’s and women’s points trophies for another state championship makes us very happy. But our jobs are not done. Now we set our sights on Philadelphia Cities, Stotesbury and SRAA Nationals.”
The Montclair High School rowing team has a history of winning national and international championships – a huge feat for a public high school rowing team that competes against prestigious, privately funded prep schools and clubs.
The program, which celebrated its 20-year anniversary last year, is rich in diversity, talent, and spirit and comprises high achieving student athletes who are consistently recruited and accepted into some of the top colleges and universities in the country.
This year, the team has athletes who have been recruited by such major universities as MIT, Duke, Northeastern, Villanova, and Miami.
Under the guidance and training of the internationally experienced coaches Michalitsianos and Lorna Rundle, Montclair Rowing has won many championships and is considered one of the most respected scholastic rowing programs in the country.
In the 2021-22 season, the team was Stotesbury Champions, SRAA Champions and Philadelphia City Champions. Montclair Rowing is hoping to those results in 2023.
Given the recent success at the Garden State Scholastic Championships, Montclair is is well positioned going into the Philadelphia City Championships, Mid-Atlantic Junior Regional Championships, Scholastic Rowing Association of America’s National Championship, the Stotesbury Cup, and U.S. Rowing’s Youth National Championship. The team closes its season in June.
To follow the Montclair crew schedule, learn more or sign up for any of their rowing programs, visit www.friendsofmontclairrowing.com.
Registration is open for Montclair Rowing’s Summer Camp program, open to all Montclair public school students interested in learning more about the sport.
For questions, please reach out to Rundle at lornarundle@hotmail.com.
Montclair High School Team Results at Garden State Scholastic Rowing Championship:
Women’s First Varsity 8-plus – 1st place
Men’s First Varsity 4-plus – 1st place
Women’s Lightweight Varsity 4-plus- 1st place
Women’s Junior Varsity 8-plus – 1st place
Men’s Junior Varsity 4-plus – 1st place
Women’s Junior Varsity double – 1st place
Women’s Freshman 8-plus – 1st place
Men’s First Varsity 8-plus – 2nd place
Men’s Freshman 8-plus – 2nd place
Men’s Novice 8-plus – 2nd place
Men’s Lightweight Double – 5th place
Men’s Junior Varsity Double – 14th place