Coach’s Fall 2026 Letter
Fall season is underway and ramping up, and it’s a very exciting time for ETHS Rowing. After a summer of cross-training, our athletes are back on the water and gearing up to compete across the Midwest.
We head into this season and year with a strong squad of about 110 athletes, including the expansion of the Girls Varsity team and the sustained 40+ size of the Novice squad. After only 5 years, our growth and size positions us well to cultivate both serious speed and a uniquely Evanston rowing culture.
A central focus of ours for the 26-27 year is to compete - across all squads, all levels. After some incredible racing highlights from last year, experienced athletes are going into this season hungry. The novice class is already demonstrating strong potential on and off the water. And, for the first time, we’ll race at Blake Haxton in October, getting us Fall season exposure to many teams we’ll race against at Midwests in May.
As we set our competitive ambitions high, we continue to focus on recruitment and retention of a diverse pool of athletes. This partnership between the leadership vision and active athlete investment is necessary and invaluable, and we remain committed to increasing our visibility across the Evanston community.
New this Fall, we are also excited to welcome five coaches to our staff. Our new coaches bring incredibly rich experience and insight to ETHS Rowing, and we are excited to welcome them to our Evanston rowing community.
Charles Richardson - Associate Head Coach
Magda Vidal - Varsity Assistant Coach
Adam DiPasquale - Varsity Assistant Coach
Phil Bogdanov - Novice Assistant Coach
Pia Cruzalegui - Novice Assistant Coach
We are encouraged by the potential we see across the team and know that achieving our fullest potential requires a steadfast commitment to excellence every day. All things, big and small, need to align for us to achieve what we are truly capable of. From the routine of our daily practices to academic discipline to the evolution of our equipment fleet - every detail counts. Coming together to embrace that challenge is what makes ETHS Rowing special.
To all our current athletes, our alumni, and our families and friends of ETHS Rowing, thank you all for your dedication to our success. Every donation, every hour of practice, every volunteer hour, and more. It takes a crew, and we are thankful for your support along the journey.
Let’s have a great season, Wildkits.
- Coach Luciana Miller and Coach Charles Richardson
Luciana (Ruiz) Miller
Head Coach, ETHS Rowing
Boys Club/Novice Coach, ETHS Rowing
Almost there! -> www.ethsrowing.com/support-us
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