Maitland native Francesca Raggi takes home top USRowing award

Fewer folks may be having a better year than Francesca “Fran” Raggi.

The Maitland native and Winter Park High alum has racked up accolades over the last few years, but her most recent accomplishment may be one of her biggest yet.

On Monday, Oct. 1, when USRowing announced the winners of its USRowing Under 19 Male and Female Athletes of the Year awards, Raggi’s name was called out.

“I was very, very shocked, because last year — I don’t know if they made a bigger deal out of it — but I didn’t even know I was nominated to begin with,” Raggi said. “I got the call Monday morning, and I was just, very shocked and kind of confused.

“I’m honestly still kind of in shock, because the people who have gotten this in the past I really looked up to, and I just never thought I was in the same class of athlete as they were,” she said. “Receiving this award was kind of eye-opening and motivating.”

Raggi — and men’s winner Cark Dean — will be recognized at the 2018 Golden Oars Gala Thursday, Nov. 15, at the New York Athletic Club’s Manhattan location.

Each athlete was voted on by athletes and coaches who were a part of the team that competed at the 2018 World Rowing Junior Championships in Racice, Czech Republic. 

For longtime Winter Park crew coach Mike Vertullo, it’s that recognition among her peers that really speaks about Raggi and her abilities in and out of the boat.

“I’m honestly still kind of in shock, because the people who have gotten this in the past I really looked up to, and I just never thought I was in the same class of athlete as they were. Receiving this award was kind of eye-opening and motivating.”

- Fran Raggi

“It’s obviously quite an honor for Fran,” Vertullo said. “The biggest thing for me is that it’s voted on by her fellow teammates, and that just says something — to me — about her character,” he said. “She was always a great leader on our team.”

The achievement is the latest for Raggi, who came out of a blossoming program at Winter Park — where she became just the fourth freshman to start for the varsity team, before going on to win three state titles.

Her success at Winter Park helped bolster the program and give it an added name recognition, Vertullo said.

“We’ve had some great success through all 20 years, but the past few years, we have really stepped it up and obviously Fran was a huge part of that,” Vertullo said. “She’s left some big shoes to fill for some of the younger athletes, but she helped us raise the bar.”

But the success didn’t stop there. Raggi picked up two second-place finishes with the varsity eight teams at the 2017 and 2018 SRAA National Championships.

At the international level, Raggi became the first rower from Winter Park to make it onto the U.S. National Team as a two-time member of the Under 19 National Team, where she achieved quite a lot.

That group of athletes and coaches — who awarded Raggi the Female Athlete of the Year award — is part of the same group with which she won a silver medal with as a part of the women’s eight crew. That ultimately led the U.S. to their first win in the overall medal count.

“It’s really inspiring to be around them, so getting to the Czech Republic, everyone was just so focused on their goal and everyone really worked together — especially in my boat,” Raggi told the Observer in August. “We really all pulled together to create such a good environment. We weren’t just teammates; we were all really good friends and took care of each other.”

Although she has aged out and no longer can compete at the U19 level, Raggi now races crew as a freshman at the University of Texas — where she hopes to make more splashes for years to come.

“It’s been a bit of an adjustment, of course — a lot of things are different from how they were in high school,” Raggi said. “But I love it and the team atmosphere is very encouraging and supporting. I’m very happy to be a part of it.”