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        NEW ORLEANS — The Xavier University of Louisiana Rowing Club, which launched in September 2023 in a partnership with New Orleans Rowing Club (NORC), is thrilled to announce that XULA rowing is being elevated to varsity status for the 2025-26 academic year. This milestone breaks barriers as the first-ever varsity-level rowing program for men and women at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), bringing equality and access to the sport at the collegiate level.
        NORC members Elizabeth Manley, Ph.D., professor of history and chair of Xavier's history department, and Chloé Jobin, the club's head of community outreach and diversity initiatives, lead the fast-growing sport at Xavier.
        Since its formation, the club has immediately attracted attention nationally from leaders in the rowing community. It has also earned sponsorships and donations from the sport's national governing body, USRowing, Mr. Cooper's A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund, and other major players in the sport, including Vespoli USA, JL Athletics and Concept2.
        In a joint statement, Dr. Manley and Ms. Jobin said: "We could not be prouder to work with Xavier Rowing as we launch this historic debut as an official varsity sport. The passion and dedication of our athletes, combined with the support from esteemed national figures including Olympic rower David Banks, former Division I coach Kevin Harris, rowing luminary Arshay Cooper, and Brannon Johnson of BLJ Rowing, who have all visited to inspire and coach our students, truly exemplifies the spirit of Xavier. Launching this team of athletes onto the competitive national stage is not just about rowing — it's about building a community, inspiring our students, and creating opportunities for growth both on and off the water."
        "The Xavier Rowing Club has offered me the opportunity to find a family outside of my Xavier family and get involved in a sport that allows me to be part of a team and also work on my own individual goals. . . [and] it allows us to shatter negative stereotypes and false perceptions," said rower and junior political science major Kamryn Days.
        Olympic rower David Banks said: "It's truly impressive that the push to start the first co-ed HBCU varsity program was initiated internally by the Xavier students, staff, and faculty. It's another testament to the outstanding students at Xavier; in that they seek out new challenges and opportunities and strive for excellence in whatever they do. It's not easy being the first few to do something that may seem so very different and even daunting. But I'm confident and hopeful that these students will realize that this sport is theirs to make their own and that they will be an inspiration to many people to take their own new steps. I can't wait."
        Arshay Cooper said: "For so many young people in our rowing community, Xavier has the potential to enhance their lives both academically and athletically and to provide an opportunity that has not existed before now. Excitement for the program has been building around the country as young men and women are realizing that they may soon be able to fulfill their dreams of attending an HBCU and rowing in college."
        Brannon Johnson, founder of the sport's first black-owned and operated club, said: "Rowing can be a vehicle to a better life. It certainly was for me. But rowing can also be a vehicle for change. Xavier, like so many other HBCUs, is steeped in the rich tradition of creating change for its students. Xavier's rowing team is a wonderful example of what that looks like now, and it's vital that we lean in and support this program and the students at its center."
        Said Pat Kendrick, Xavier's executive director of athletics and recreation: "This is an exciting time for Xavier Athletics in welcoming the rowing team to our family. We are so proud of each and every one of these athletes and look forward to seeing them excel in their sport and bring the spirit of Xavier to the water and beyond."

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About Xavier University of Louisiana
Since its founding a century ago by St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Xavier remains the nation's only Catholic HBCU. It is ranked among the top HBCUs in the nation. Recognized as a national leader in STEM and health sciences, Xavier has historically produced more African-American students who graduate from medical schools than any other university in the United States. Additionally, Xavier's College of Pharmacy is among the country's top producers of African-American pharmacists.

Established in 1925 by St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament as a place for African-Americans and Native Americans to receive a quality education, Xavier has since expanded its programs in nearly every industry, including the arts, sciences, business, education, pharmacy and political science. More recent additions in STEM-based master's programs and undergraduate options in robotics, bioinformatics, engineering, data science, neuroscience and genetics, have provided Xavier students an unbeatable experience of traditional classroom study, hands-on research, service-learning opportunities and life experiences. Xavier students collaborate with world-renowned faculty and experts in their fields to produce award-winning research and notable work. The winning Xavier formula provides students with a well-balanced curriculum and an environment that nurtures their intellect and feeds their souls, developing all who choose to learn at the institution into the next generation of leaders and agents of positive change. Blessed with a mission to promote a more just and humane society, Xavier is leading the way to a brighter future for all. For more information about Xavier University of Louisiana, visit www.XULA.edu or contact XULA University Communications at (504) 520-5214 or XULANews@XULA.edu.