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Jesuit High School Sacramento’s ROVOTICS team continued one of the most remarkable traditions in international student engineering competition by earning second place overall at the 2026 MATE ROV World Championship, outperforming nearly every college and university team in the world while competing in the event’s highest-level division.

Held June 23-24 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, the championship brought together the world’s top underwater robotics teams for the culmination of the 2026 MATE ROV competition season. Jesuit finished second overall behind Eastern Edge Robotics, representing Memorial University and the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Canada, and ahead of third-place City University Robotics of Hong Kong.

The finish marks Jesuit’s 14th World Championship podium appearance and adds another milestone to a legacy that began in 2006, when the program first entered the competition’s advanced Explorer Class division. As of 2026, Jesuit has competed in the collegiate-level Explorer Class for 21 consecutive years, making it one of the longest-running and most successful high school teams ever to compete at that level.

While most Explorer Class competitors are college and university engineering programs, Jesuit students have spent more than two decades proving they can compete with and often outperform undergraduate and graduate teams from around the globe.

“This team competed with incredible heart, discipline, and professionalism,” said Cheryl Kiyama, head coach and mentor of Jesuit Robotics. “To see our students stand on the podium after competing against some of the best university robotics teams in the world is an extraordinary achievement. What makes me most proud is how they represented Jesuit through teamwork, resilience, humility, and technical excellence.”

In addition to its second-place overall finish, Jesuit earned first place in the Marketing Display category, demonstrating excellence not only in engineering and underwater operations, but also in technical communication, project management, and professional presentation.

The 2026 MATE ROV World Championship, hosted by the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University and the National Research Council Canada, welcomed 86 teams from 16 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond.

This year’s competition aligned with the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences, challenging students to address real-world engineering problems in cold-water and Arctic environments.

Teams were tasked with mapping and documenting cold-water coral ecosystems, deploying and maintaining subsea monitoring technologies, supporting offshore energy systems, and conducting under-ice data collection missions. Competitors completed these missions in some of the world’s most advanced marine research facilities, including the Fisheries and Marine Institute’s 1.7-million-liter flume tank and specialized testing environments operated by the National Research Council Canada.

Jesuit’s custom-built Hydra ROV and Triton float system successfully met the demands of these challenging missions, showcasing the team’s engineering skill, innovation, and adaptability.

For members of Jesuit Robotics, however, the achievement represents something larger than a single season.

Since entering the Explorer Class in 2006, the program has built a culture centered on mentorship, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Veteran team members pass technical knowledge and leadership experience to younger students, creating a self-sustaining tradition of excellence that has endured for more than two decades.

“Our greatest accomplishment isn’t a robot or a trophy,” Kiyama said. “It’s the culture that generations of students have built together. Every team works to leave the program stronger than they found it, and that commitment is what allows Jesuit Robotics to compete at the highest level year after year.”

That culture has helped produce one of the most successful records in MATE ROV competition history. Over the past 21 years, Jesuit has captured seven International MATE ROV World Championship titles in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, and 2023, while earning 14 overall podium finishes.

Recent World Championship results include:

• 2026: 2nd Place Overall, 1st Place Marketing Display
• 2025: 2nd Place Overall, 1st Place Marketing Display
• 2024: 2nd Place Overall, 1st Place Product Demonstration
• 2023: 1st Place Overall (World Champion), 1st Place Product Demonstration
• 2022: 1st Place Overall (World Champion), 1st Place Technical Documentation, 1st Place Product Demonstration
• 2021: 1st Place Overall (World Champion), 1st Place Technical Documentation, 1st Place Marketing Display

Additional World Championship titles were earned in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

For a high school program to maintain that level of success in a division designed for collegiate competitors is exceptionally rare. Jesuit’s sustained performance has established the program as a global leader in student underwater robotics and a model for STEM education built on teamwork, innovation, leadership, and real-world problem solving.

The team is already preparing for the 2027 MATE ROV World Championship, scheduled for June 24-26, 2027, at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington.

About Jesuit ROVOTICS

ROVOTICS is Jesuit High School Sacramento’s underwater robotics program. Through hands-on engineering, environmental stewardship, leadership development, and international competition, students design, build, and operate remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) while tackling real-world challenges facing the marine technology industry. The program prepares students for future STEM careers through innovation, teamwork, and experiential learning.

About Jesuit High School Sacramento

Jesuit High School Sacramento is a Catholic, Jesuit college-preparatory school that provides young men with a life-building educational experience rooted in academic excellence, leadership, faith, and service. Founded in 1963, Jesuit serves a diverse student body from across the Sacramento region and offers rigorous academics, extensive arts and athletics programs, and a wide range of opportunities that prepare graduates to become Men for Others.