2025 World Rowing Championships: U.S. Boat-by-Boat Preview

The U.S. will send 15 boats to compete at the 2025 World Rowing Championships, taking place September 21–28 in Shanghai, China.

The U.S. will have boats racing in the men's and women's lightweight single sculls, double sculls, quadruple sculls, four, and eight, as well as the women's single sculls, women’s pair, PR3 mixed four with coxswain, mixed double sculls, and mixed eight. 

Last year, the U.S. captured one medal, a silver in the lightweight men’s quadruple sculls. At the 2024 Olympic Games, the U.S. brought home two medals: gold in the men’s four and bronze in the men’s eight.

This year’s roster features 49 athletes, 21 of whom represented the U.S. at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Athletes hail from 22 states, with California and New York leading the way with five each. The University of Washington is the most-represented program, with seven athletes competing.

In total, 734 athletes from 56 delegations are expected to race. Competition begins Sunday, September 21, with heats in the men’s and women’s quadruple sculls and the women’s pair. The schedule and results can be found here.

Women's Single Sculls

Three-time national team member Lauren O’Connor (Madison, Wis./University of Washington/Arion) makes her World Championships debut in the single sculls after competing in the quad in 2023 and at the 2024 Olympic Games. She will face a strong field of 20, including Olympic bronze medalist Viktorija Senkute (Lithuania), Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Anna Prakaten (Uzbekistan), and Great Britain’s Lauren Henry, who dominated the 2024 European Championships and World Cups.

Lightweight Women's Single Sculls

Two-time Olympian Michelle Sechser (Folsom, Calif./University of Tulsa/Cambridge Boat Club) brings over a decade of experience to this event. A 13-time national team member, Sechser is a three-time World Championships medalist, with back-to-back silvers in 2022 and 2023 in the lightweight double sculls. She also won the Champ single sculls at the 2024 Head of the Charles. The 20-boat field features Mexico’s Kenia Lechuga, the 2023 silver medalist.

Lightweight Men's Single Sculls

Justin Schmidt (Westport, Conn./University of Delaware/Conshohocken Rowing) makes his senior World Championships debut after finishing fourth in the lightweight single at the 2022 U23 World Championships. Among the 16 entrants are Uruguay’s Felipe Kluver, who made history as his country’s first World Cup winner, and Germany’s Fabio Kress, a three-time Worlds medalist in the lightweight quad.

Women's Pair

Jess Thoennes (Highlands Ranch, Colo./University of Washington/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) returns to the pair with new stroke Holly Drapp (Tampa, Fla./University of Washington/Craftsbury Green Racing Project). Thoennes is a two-time Olympian and finished fourth in the pair at the 2024 Olympics. Drapp previously competed on the U23 national team and is making her senior team debut. With the reigning Dutch champions absent, the 16-boat field is wide open, but Romania’s Olympic champion duo Maria Magdalena Rusu and Simona Radis remain favorites.

Women's Double Sculls

Grace Joyce (Northfield,Ill./University of Wisconsin/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Isa Darvin (Madison, Wis./University of Wisconsin/California Rowing Club) form a new duo. Joyce competed at the 2024 Olympics in the quadruple sculls, finishing ninth. She raced in the double sculls this summer; her highest finish was fourth with Katy Flynn in Varese. Isa Darvin is competing on her first Senior national team, having previously raced on the 2023 Pan American team, winning four medals. China’s Chen Yunxia and Zhang Ling, winners of both 2025 World Cups, are favorites to lead the 12-crew field.

Men's Double Sculls

Andy LeRoux (Venice, Fla./Princeton University/Boston Rowing Federation) and Sam Melvin (Huntington Beach, Calif./Columbia University/New York Athletic Club) team up after the 2025 Senior Trials. Melvin, a five-time national team member across the under 23, and senior levels, moved from lightweight to heavyweight this past year. He finished second in the men’s single sculls at Senior Trials, and he finished fourth in the lightweight men’s single sculls at the 2024 World Championships. LeRoux is a six-time national team member and was part of the men’s quadruple sculls that won bronze at the 2025 World Cup-Lucerne. The 19-boat field includes Romania’s Olympic champions Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache, and European Champions Miroslaw Zietarski and Mateusz Biskup of Poland.

Women's Quadruple Sculls

The crew of Sera Busse (Tufts University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Alina Hagstrom (Seattle, Wash./Oregon State University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Sophia Calabrese (Shaker Heights, Ohio/University of Texas/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Katy Flynn (Churchville, N.Y./University of Virginia/ARION) take on 11 other boats. Busse is making her worlds debut, while Alina Hagstom is a four-time national team member with a silver medal in the eight at the 2023 World Championships. Sophia Calabrese and Katy Flynn previously competed on the U23 national team. 12 crews are entered in the event, with Great Britain, the reigning World and Olympic champions, headline the field.

Men's Quadruple Sculls

Chris Carlson (Bedford, N.H./University of Washington/USRowing Training Center-Boston), Cedar Cunningham (Renton, Wash./Washington State University/USRowing Training Center-Sarasota), Jacob Plihal (Vashon Island, Wash./Northeastern University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Nathan Phelps (Ridgefield, Conn./Princeton University/California Rowing Club) make up the U.S. men’s quad in a 14-boat field. Carlson, Cunningham, and Plihal won bronze at the 2025 World Cup-Lucerne in this event. Chris Carlson moves from sweeping to sculling after winning bronze at the 2024 Olympics. Plihal trades in his single for the quadruple sculls after winning silver at World Cup-Varese this summer. He finished 13th overall in the men’s single sculls at the 2024 Olympic Games. Nathan Phelps and Cedar Cunningham are competing in their first senior world championships. Phelps previously competed on the U19 and U23 teams. 14 crews have the opportunity for a World Championship since the reigning world and Olympic champions from the Netherlands have no entry this year. 

Women's Four

Kate Knifton (Austin, Texas/University of Texas/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas/University of Washington/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Azja Czajkowski (Imperial Beach, Calif./Stanford University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), and Camille VanderMeer (Elmira, N.Y./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) represent the U.S. in a 13-crew field. The stern three are returning athletes from the 2024 Olympic team. Knifton competed in the four, finishing fifth, Cohen in the quad, finishing ninth, and CZajkowski in the pair, finishing fourth. Camille VanderMeer makes her first senior national team; she previously competed on the U19 and U23 teams and won gold in the U23 eight in 2022. The U.S. four won gold at both World Cups this season and will challenge Olympic champions the Netherlands for gold.

Men's Four

The men's four of Pieter Quinton (Portland, Ore./Harvard University), Gus Rodriguez (Rye, N.Y./Brown University/California Rowing Club), Alexander Hedge (Morristown, N.J./Columbia University/USRowing Training Center-Sarasota), and Christian Tabash (Alexandria, Va./Harvard University/USRowing Training Center - Sarasota) are one of 19 boats entered in the event. All four rowers were members of the 2024 Olympic team. Pieter Quinton and Christian Tabash won bronze in the men’s eight in 2024, while Rodriguez and Hedge were alternates. The U.S. won gold in the four with Liam Corrigan, Michael Grady, Justin Best, and Nick Mead at the 2024 Olympics. The event is expected to be highly competitive, with many nations debuting new lineups.

PR3 Mixed Four with Coxswain

The PR3 four with coxswain of Emelie Eldracher (Andover, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Ben Washburne (Madison, Conn./Williams College), Max Allemeier (Marietta, Ga./Oregon State University), Annabelle Miller (Kansas City, Mo./Wesleyan University), and Eli Margolin (New Orleans, La./Stanford University/Vesper Boat Club) includes two returnees and three newcomers. Eldracher and Washburne were members of the 2024 Paralympic silver medalist crew, while Allemeier was an alternate for the team. Miller and Margolin are first-time national team members. The crew won silver at the 2025 World Cup-Varese. The U.S. will look to challenge Great Britain, which holds a 14-year unbeaten streak.

Women's Eight

The crew of Nina Castagna (Cincinnati, Ohio/University of Washington, USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Megan Lee (Natick, Mass./Duke University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson (Corvallis, Ore./Naval Academy/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Etta Carpender (Denver, Colo./University of Texas/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Anna Jensen (Midland, Mich./University of Texas/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Mia Levy (Des Moines, Iowa/Yale University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Charlotte Buck (Nyack, N.Y./Columbia University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Kaitlyn Kynast (Ridgefield, Conn./Stanford University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), and Hannah Heideveld (Amsterdam, The Netherlands/Rutgers University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) includes two members of last year's Olympic crew in Buck and Castagna. Carpender, Lee, Jensen, Levy, and Heideveld are first-time senior national team members. Lee, Heideveld, and Levy won gold in the U23 eight in 2023, while Jensen won gold in the eight in 2021 and gold in the four in 2023. Kynast is a seven-time national team member with five world championship medals between U19 and U23. The U.S. eight won silver at both World Cups this summer. Great Britain and Romania are expected to lead the 10 crews in the event. 

Men's Eight

One of 10 crews entered, the U.S. men's eight includes Rachel Rane (Glencoe, Il./University of Texas), Pieter Quinton, Gus Rodriguez, Billy Bender (Norwich, Vt./Dartmouth College/California Rowing Club), Madison Molitor (Moses Lake, Wash./University of Washington), Alexander Hedge, Michael Herman (Washington, D.C./University of San Diego/USRowing Training Center-Sarasota), Jacob Hudgins (Andover, Mass./Dartmouth University/California Rowing Club), and Christian Tabash. Quinton, Rodriguez, Hedge, and Tabash are doubling up in the men’s four and eight. Bender competed in the men’s pair at the 2024 Olympics, finishing 10th overall. Rane, Molitor, Herman, and Hudgins are making their senior national team debut. Molitor previously won gold in 2018 at the U23 World Championships, while Hudgins has won four silver medals in the eight at U19 and U23 World Championships. Rachel Rane coxed the women’s U23 eight to gold in 2022. With many nations fielding new lineups, the race could be wide open. Great Britain, the 2024 Olympic champions, are not returning any athletes from their winning boat.

Mixed Double Sculls

Jacob Plihal and Isa Darvin will compete in the field of 11 in the mixed double sculls event. Both athletes competed on the 2023 Pan American Games team together. The crew from the Netherlands, Roos de Jong and Melvin Twellaar, is bringing 10 world and Olympic medals to compete in this event. Romania will have a married couple, Andrei and Ioana Cornea, competing. 

Mixed Eight

In the U.S. mixed eight, Nina Castagna, Chris Carlson, Nathan Phelps, Jacob Hudgins, Billy Bender, Azja Czajkowski, Teal Cohen, Camille VanderMeer, and Kate Knifton will join forces to compete. The U.S. mixed eight did well this summer, winning at World Cup-Varese against Germany and Italy. The event is debuting for the first time at the World Championships, expect fireworks from the event, which came down to .33 seconds this summer.

USRowing would like to thank Filippi Lido, the Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Senior and Para Rowing National Teams. Under the agreement, Filippi is providing USRowing a fleet of boats for international competitions, including the World Rowing Cup regattas, World Rowing Championships, Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games, as well as a domestic training fleet for the USRowing Training Centers.