St. Xavier Cross Country

St. Xavier Invitational Main Cross Country

A Tradition of Excellence - Magis! That's what St. Xavier represents to the educational community of the Greater Cincinnati area. Since its founding in 1831, St. Xavier's mission has been to provide full development in all areas of each student's life: religious, academic, extra-curricular and athletics.

St. Xavier, originally named the Athenaeum and located on Sycamore Street, officially became St. Xavier College in 1840 when Reverend John A. Elet S.J. became the first Jesuit president. The school suffered difficult times in its early years and nearly closed because of the financial depression and the cholera epidemic of 1849. The gallant efforts of a handful of Jesuits saved the school and helped it prosper on the Sycamore Street campus where three buildings were constructed next to St. Xavier Church.

In 1912, another branch campus was opened in Avondale on what is now the campus of Xavier University. In 1919, the formal separation of the high school and college occurred with the high school returning to the downtown campus. With the enrollment growing, a 61-acre tract of land on North Bend Road was purchased in 1955. After five years of planning and construction, St. Xavier moved into its new building in 1960.

Today, St. Xavier has a vibrant and comprehensive faculty which, along with administration, hold degrees including seven doctorates and 68 Masters degrees. Faculty members number 100, providing a 16:1 ratio of students to teachers. The faculty has an average of 22 years of teaching experience.

The current enrollment of 1,453 students is close to the school's capacity. St. Xavier's the third largest of the 46 Jesuit schools. Although the school is Roman Catholic, enrollment is not limited to those of the Catholic faith. Admission to St. Xavier is on a competitive basis as measured by the entrance examination and past performance.

St. Xavier students consistently display high levels of academic St. X achievement. Over the past 20 years, St. Xavier has been among the nation's academic leaders with an average of 24 National Merit semifinalists annually. In the 2002-2003 school year, 32 St. Xavier students received this honor. In addition, over 49% of the graduating seniors were offered scholarships and awards.

For the competitive minded, a wealth of spots are available on both the interscholastic and Intramural levels. On the Interscholastic level, teams compete in 10 sports throughout the year - football, golf, soccer, cross country, swimming, wrestling, basketball, track, tennis and baseball. St. Xavier competes in the Greater Catholic League (GCL) and has won the GCL All Sports Trophy 21 times in the past 38 years and 12 out of the past 18 years. Also, Lacrosse, Volleyball, and Rowing have been added as Club Sports.

"Men For Others" is the school motto. A St. Xavier student is to be motivated by the love of God, the love of neighbor and the commitment to justice. Currently, one-third of the students are involved in service projects through the school's Community Service, Community Action and Junior Big Brothers' programs.

With its proud heritage, a deeply-committed faculty, an exceptional student body, and the support and accomplishments of its 13,000 living alumni... St. Xavier will continue its distinguished tradition of contributing to the education and character development of young men.

Page designed and maintained by Tim King '01