At St. Paul Academy and Summit School, we have plenty of athletic achievements to be proud of. The legacy of SPA sports teams demonstrates excellence dating back to the birth of the Minnesota State High School League tournaments in 1913. The Academy boys’ teams enjoyed success through the early 20th century, but private schools weren’t allowed to officially compete in MSHSL State tournaments until 1975. Since then, SPA teams have accumulated 27 State Championship Titles in SEVEN different MSHSL sanctioned sports.
This number is quite extraordinary when you consider the fact that there are over 600 member schools in Minnesota. Even more impressively, SPA now ranks amongst the TOP TWENTY of all-time Team State Championship Titles. Our two soccer championship wins this fall propels us ahead of our IMAC counterpart, Breck (25), and brings us to a 19th-place tie with Minneapolis Southwest. You can find the rank order on the MSHSL website tournament archives HERE (updated through spring 2023).
St. Paul Academy and Summit School MSHSL Team Championship Wins:
Boys Cross Country: 1990, 1991, 1992
Football: 2018
Girls Soccer: 2023
Boys Soccer: 1986, 1987, 1991, 1994, 2022, 2023
Girls Tennis: 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1992, 1983, 1986, 1988
Boys Tennis: 1993, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2022, 2023
Boys Track & Field: 1993
Team Championships Beyond the MSHSL
The 27 Championships doesn’t include years prior to 1975. SPA teams have enjoyed championship success long before private schools were accepted to the Minnesota State High School League tournaments in 1975.
In boys’ hockey, SPA competed with other Minnesota private and Catholic schools in tournaments of their own from 1949-1974. During this time, the SPA boys earned three State Championship titles.
St. Paul Academy Boys’ Hockey Championship Wins:
MN Prep School Tournament (1949-1964): 1961 & 1962
MN Independent Tournament (1970-1974): 1974
Our fencing program has a long history of being one of the strongest sports at SPA. Although fencing is not a fully-sanctioned MSHSL sport, our team competes in a State Tournament with many other Minnesota schools. Since the St. Paul Academy and Summit School merger (1969), the fencing team has earned 15 State Championships of their own!
St. Paul Academy and Summit School Fencing Team Championship Wins: 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018
