California Rowing Club Named Home of 2027 Men’s World University Games Program

Eastern Michigan University and Kemp Savage to continue leading women’s program

USRowing is pleased to announce a new partnership with California Rowing Club (CRC), which will host the men’s program preparing to compete at the 2027 FISU World University Games in Chungcheong, South Korea. Skip Kielt and Mike Teti will lead the program from CRC’s training base in Oakland, California.

The partnership is a natural fit given CRC’s established national team training and development program and its focus on helping collegiate athletes progress toward Under 23 and Senior National Team competition. CRC has built a strong track record of attracting leading Under 23 athletes and future Senior National Team prospects to its summer program, achieving significant success at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta and supporting and coaching multiple athletes competing at the Senior World Rowing Championships and Olympic levels.

“We are incredibly excited to establish a new home for the men’s World University program at California Rowing Club,” said Brett Gorman, USRowing’s Fred L. Emerson Jr. Head Coach of High Performance Pathways. “CRC’s proven high-performance environment, coaching expertise, and commitment to supporting athletes throughout their national team careers make this an ideal partnership. Skip and Mike have extensive experience coaching athletes at every stage of the pathway, including at the Olympic level, and we believe this program can become an important bridge between collegiate rowing and our Under 23 and Senior National Teams.”

USRowing thanks Kielt, the CRC coaching staff, and the Rogers Family for their willingness to take on the program and invest in its future.

USRowing is also pleased to continue its successful partnership with Eastern Michigan University, which will once again host the women’s World University program under the leadership of Director of Rowing and Head Coach Kemp Savage.

The women’s program has grown stronger with each World University cycle and has become an increasingly important component of the USRowing High Performance Pathway. Through its partnership with Savage and Eastern Michigan, USRowing has been able to provide athletes with meaningful international racing opportunities while preparing them for future Under 23 and Senior National Team participation.

“Our partnership with Kemp and Eastern Michigan continues to provide exactly the type of developmental experience we want for athletes progressing through the pathway,” Gorman said. “Kemp has built a strong and competitive program while creating an environment in which athletes from a variety of collegiate backgrounds can come together and pursue international success. We are excited to continue building on that foundation in 2027.”

Both the men’s and women’s programs will conduct selection processes to determine the crews that will represent the United States at the World University Games. Athletes selected for each program who are not named to the World University Games roster will continue training and compete at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

This structure will allow both programs to prepare competitive crews for Korea while providing a larger group of developing athletes with high-quality summer training and racing opportunities.

The 2027 FISU World University Games will take place August 1–12 in Chungcheong, South Korea. USRowing is pleased to continue including World University competition within its High Performance Pathway and to expand the program through its new partnership with California Rowing Club.

Applications for both programs will open no later than January 1, 2027. Additional information regarding eligibility, selection procedures, program dates, costs, and the application process will be announced before applications open.