San Diego State University’s waterski team is defending its Division II national championship this weekend with a largely rebuilt roster after losing most of last season’s competitive skiers.
The SDSU Waterski and Wakesports Club is competing in the 2026 National Collegiate Water Ski Association Championships, which began Thursday and concludes Saturday at Bell Acqua Lakes in Rio Linda, near Sacramento.
The Aztecs enter the competition seeded 10th among 13 Division II teams, with about 20 skiers representing a club of roughly 70 members. Despite roster turnover, team president James Foerster believes SDSU can finish in the top five again.
SDSU qualified after placing in the top five at the Western Regional Championships, held Oct. 3-4 at the same Bell Acqua venue.
“We are coming off a really strong year last year, but with that, we lost about 75% of our competitive side skiers,” graduate student Jake Hooper said, who’s been with the team since his freshman year. “And so, it’s just been a lot of teaching and learning and getting on the water. And then it’s really rewarding to then let that pay off and get us to nationals.”
The team also competed against Colorado at Laku Landing in September and, before regionals, against Arizona State at Ski West.
“Nationals has typically been something that we feel very secure in, but you know, having lost so many people, it definitely shook up what we were doing and what we were expecting,” Foerster said.
Unlike some collegiate programs that recruit experienced competitive skiers, SDSU builds much of its roster from students who have little or no experience on the water.
The National Collegiate Water Ski Association credits SDSU with national championships in 1979 and 2025. The team has competed in both Division I and Division II despite not offering athletic scholarships.
For many members, the journey begins at Mission Bay, where the club holds tryouts and practices through the Mission Bay Aquatic Center, about 15 minutes from campus.
Emilee Rosenstein, a junior journalism major who handles the team’s public relations, said the club attracts prospective members through Instagram and word of mouth. Its recruitment events, called “Day at the Bay,” can draw 50 or more interested students.
Rosenstein started waterskiing during the spring semester of her freshman year and qualified for nationals the following semester.
“It’s really cool to see how much you can improve by just, like, getting out on the water three, four days a week,” she said.
Team members often arrive at Mission Bay before sunrise, with practices beginning around 6 a.m. Some schedule afternoon or evening classes to leave their mornings open for training.
A skier typically receives only 10 to 15 minutes on the water during a practice session, despite spending several hours traveling to the bay, preparing equipment and waiting for a turn.
Students also complete assignments between events and during long drives home. Rosenstein said the team includes pre-medical and engineering students who regularly study on the road.
“You’ll just see people in the car rides doing homework on their computers,” she said. “But it’s also a great balance because you can close your computer and you’re just at a lake.”
Foerster said the club’s number of approved boat drivers dropped from about 12 last year to five this season, limiting the number of members available to lead practices. A sixth recently received approval.
The club is entirely student-run and funded, relying on membership dues and donations to cover equipment, boat access and travel expenses.
At nationals, competitors participate in slalom, trick skiing and jumping events. SDSU faces programs including Auburn, Kansas, Michigan State, Cal Poly and UC Davis in Division II.
Rosenstein said teammates gather to cheer for skiers coming off the water, regardless of whether they achieved their desired scores.
“Whether you do good or bad, we’re still all a team, still all a community, and we’re always there for each other,” she said.
The championships wrap up Saturday with individual and team awards at an evening banquet in Sacramento.
“At the end of the day, nationals is kind of the last big thing, so it’s all about being together, having fun, making the tournament and water skiing and the community that we’re in worth putting the time in,” Hooper said.
