Xavier College Prep Crew Shines on the National Stage: A Look Back at Southwest Regionals and Youth Nationals

Each year, 11 major events across the country serve as qualifiers for the prestigious USRowing Youth Nationals. For our Xavier rowing team, that event is the USRowing Southwest Youth Championships, held in early May on beautiful Lake Natoma near Sacramento, California.

This regional regatta is one of the most competitive in the country, drawing over 600 entries from powerhouse club programs across Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, and California. Many of these teams—like Los Gatos Rowing Club and Marina Aquatic Center Junior Rowing—boast massive rosters of 80 to 120 athletes, recruited from multiple high schools with large budgets and extensive support systems.

In contrast, Xavier is a true scholastic program. Our rowers are all students at the same high school, and we aim to balance competitive excellence with inclusive participation. We train around 40 athletes and strive to engage everyone in the sport. But, as with any competitive team, some rowers rise to the top—and it’s those athletes who represent us at Regionals.

The Road to Regionals

At the Southwest Championships, not every athlete makes a racing boat. It's a careful balance of commitment, skill, and opportunity. We brought seven boats to Regionals this year, each the result of hard work and months of training:

• 1 Youth Quad: Miranda Papez, Madailein Erskine, Sydney Hertzberg, Norah Dentz

• 2 U17 Quads:

  • Cara Boyle, Julia Green, Izzy Castro, Sienna Goforth

  • Shelsia Alcaraz, Baylor Wand, Ella Baker, Sofia Carbajal

• 2 U17 Doubles:

  • Alayna Zimmerman, Izzy Castro

  • Sophie Robaina, Ella Boyle

• 1 U16 Double: Raphy Capozzi, Kate Reckers

• 1 U16 Coxed Quad: Ava Yparraguirre, Lauren Aldrete, Emma Perry, Madison Minnitti, Olivia Moshiri(This crew went on to win the Southwest title!)

  
  

How Regionals Work

Each event begins with time trials, where boats race one by one against the clock. The fastest 14 boats advance to semi-finals, where they race head-to-head. From there, the top 3 boats in each semi go on to the Grand Final. With as many as 15 to 20 boats per event, it’s no small feat to make it to the final round.

Of our 7 boats, 5 made it all the way to the Grand Final, and 2 crews placed in the top 4, earning them a coveted spot at Youth Nationals! The U16 Coxed Quad even won their entire event—an incredible accomplishment.

Unfortunately, due to summer school conflicts, our championship-winning U16 Coxed Quad was unable to attend Nationals. However, thanks to some creative lineup shifts and roll-down bids, three boats proudly represented Xavier on the national stage.

Youth Nationals: Sarasota, Florida – June 12–15

Competing against the top 20–30 boats in the country—each selected from a pool of 150–175 crews per event—is a huge honor. Our athletes didn’t just participate, they excelled:

• U17 Quad: Cara Boyle, Julia Green, Emma Perry, Sienna Goforth — 14th in the Nation

• U17 Double: Sophie Robaina, Ella Boyle — 17th in the Nation

• U17 Double: Izzy Castro, Olivia Moshiri — 8th in the Nation

  

  

  
  
  

A Proud Season

To qualify for Nationals, let alone place in the top 10 in the country, is an extraordinary achievement—especially for a program like ours, built on teamwork, determination, and school pride rather than size or resources.

We’re incredibly proud of all our athletes—not just those who raced at Nationals, but everyone who worked hard throughout the season, supported teammates, and represented Xavier with grit and grace. Here’s to an amazing year of rowing, and to the bright future ahead!