The Stotesbury Cup Regatta is the world’s oldest and largest high school rowing regatta. This year, the 1500 metre races will occur on May 16th and 17th of May. The boy’s varsity eights event has 23 entries this year, meaning that competition to make it to the final will be very tough. That said, there are certainly favourites going into the regatta.
St. Joseph’s Preparatory School
A big name in the high school rowing scene, St Joseph’s are the favourite to win as we get ever closer to the regatta. Winners of the 2024 Stotesbury Cup Regatta by a large margin of 5.68 seconds, they will be hungry to defend their title come Friday and Saturday. They have had consistently strong performances this year, including a fifth-place finish at the Head of the Charles. This was the best result out of all the crews in this category, so St Joe’s will certainly have some confidence going into the time trial and later races. They also put together a strong performance at the King’s Crown Regatta, coming third and going 5:48 in heats. Another notable factor to consider is that the regatta is held on St Joseph’s home course, meaning that they will be familiar with the waters and their surroundings.
Montclair High School
Hailing from New Jersey, Montclair High School returns to the Stotesbury Cup Regatta as last year’s fourth-place finishers. That said, they are definitely in good shape to stand on the podium this year. Despite a less-than-ideal finish at the Head of the Charles, coming 33rd, Montclair High School have been very successful so far through their spring season. Their boys’ varsity men’s eight secured gold at the 2025 Garden State Championship Regatta. Soon after, they also won the Cooper Cup Regatta. All of this experience leading races will put them in good stead come Saturday, but they will need to have an aggressive race for a chance to overturn the likes of St Joseph’s Preparatory School.
La Salle College High School
Perhaps slight underdogs going into the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, La Salle College High School nevertheless comes into this race looking strong. A 27th place at the Head of the Charles sees them well in the mix with other top national crews. Furthermore, they have beaten other strong entries such as St Peter’s Preparatory School in the races leading up to this one. A strong performance could see them clinch their spot on the podium.
Other Entries
With the size of this category, there are bound to be other crews close to the podium position. This year, these crews include St Peter’s Preparatory School, Gonzaga College High School, and Yorktown High School. Each of these programs has had success in the past, with multiple state and even national medals between them. Gonzaga have an especially good chance going into the weekend, as they placed third in last year’s competition.
Prediction
The time has come for the podium predictions in one of the regatta’s premier races. It isn’t easy to see anyone but St Joe’s Prep take the gold medal on Saturday. Their depth and results far surpass those of the other crews. The ranking after that is much more blurred, however. Montclair High School have a strong chance, but so do La Salle and St. Peter’s. Ultimately, I think Montclair High School will come second, and La Salle third.
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