Coach’s Spring 2026 Recap
- ethsrowingparents
- May 28
- 3 min read
Wow - what an incredible season! As we conclude the year and the final summer emails are sent out, I wanted to take a moment to reflect and highlight all we’ve accomplished over the last three months.
Varsity Status
After three and a half years as a club sport, we’ve achieved Varsity status at ETHS! This is a great honor and investment by the high school, earned in recognition of our dedication, competitive drive, and rigor. We are now peers with the high school’s suite of competitive teams, from football to track to volleyball and more. We also now receive letters, Varsity Senior recognition, seasonal operation stipend, and splash jackets every 4 years. We remain committed to and focused on our core mission to make competitive rowing and its life-changing impact accessible to all backgrounds.
Fleet Expansion
Thanks to the generosity of our 140+ donors, we were able to capitalize on a unique acquisition - doubling our fleet while maintaining our racing and travel schedule. The new (to us) 4+s and 8+s have already expanded our racing and training opportunities and moves us one step closer to no (or minimal) boat sharing between Novice and Varsity squads.
Fundraising
100% of our equipment, racing, and operations are funded by our generous donors. Being donation-based is what allows us to be dues-free, meaning athletes are able to join, participate, and compete without the financial barriers to entry faced at programs across the country. Dues at similar programs range from $800 to $2850, before additional selection-based regattas. Our Spring 2026 fundraiser is 78% of our $75k goal - we still need help to reach our goal and continue providing this unique opportunity to ETHS athletes! Every donation, every supporter makes a difference. Please see ethsrowing.com/support-us to learn more and donate!
Regatta Schedule
2025-2026 was the most robust regatta schedule ETHS Rowing has ever had. Our ability to get early exposure to big competition and race at larger events provides valuable racing experience that ultimately better prepares our athletes for the big stage. The bigger stages, the more important experience becomes. To go into MSRA with experienced crews is only possible with the support of our parent volunteers and donors - we cannot compete at this level without our donor support, parent committees, hotel chaperones, coaches, and day-of volunteers.
Top MSRA Finishes
This MSRA was one for the record books. Across all squads, all levels, Evanston boats showed up strong. In 2025, we ranked 22 / 48 in team points. This year, we jumped to 15 / 52 in team points. Out of our 10 entries, 5 were program best finishes. While we missed A finals and nationals by as little as 0.47 seconds, this was our strongest program finish to date. Our ‘Kits and coaches are proud of these results AND hungry for what’s to come.
Mens Novice 8+ - 4th in A final **program best
Mens Jr 8+ - 3rd in B final **program best
Mens Varsity 4+ - 5th in A final **program best
Womens Freshman 8+ - 4th in A final **program best
Womens Novice 4+ - 23rd in time trial
Mens Novice 4+ - 20th in time trial
Womens 2nd 8+ - 5th in A final **program best
Mens 2nd 8+ - 6th in semi 2
Womens Varsity 8+ - 7th in A final
Mens Varsity 8+ - 1st in B final **tie for program best
Summer Programming
We’re excited to offer our Summer Sprints camp for experienced rowers July 6-12. These are open to any athlete with at least one on-water season with ETHS Rowing. We will also have “drop-in” one-day rowing sessions July 27-August 5 - links for registration will be emailed and posted to our website at https://www.ethsrowing.com/rowing-summer-camp.
The register for the Sprints camp, please use:
Summer Sprints Rowing Camp (Practices) - Experienced Athletes
Summer Sprints Rowing Camp (Sprints Race) - Experienced Athletes
Gratitude!!
I leave this spring season with immense gratitude. For the effort of every athlete, for the countless parents who volunteer, for the donors who make this all possible, for the endlessly collaborative team of coaches, and for every person who believes in our mission and reimagining high school rowing.
Your continued support makes our program possible!
Cheers to 25-26 - and GO ‘KITS!
Luciana (Ruiz) Miller
Head Coach, ETHS Rowing
Boys Club/Novice Coach, ETHS Rowing
Almost there! -> www.ethsrowing.com/support-us
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