Finals Complete at U.S. Senior and Para World Rowing Championships Trials

August 3 – Finals concluded this morning for the Senior and Para World Rowing Championships Trials on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J., where athletes competed for the opportunity to represent the U.S. at the 2025 World Rowing Championships taking place September 21-28 in Shanghai, China. 

Olympian Jacob Plihal of the Green Racing Project won the men’s single sculls final, crossing the line in 6:49.61, 1.2 seconds ahead of Sam Melvin of the New York Athletic Club, who had posted the fastest time in the semifinals yesterday. Cedar Cunningham of the USRowing Training Center, Sarasota, and Olympic bronze medalist Peter Chatain of California Rowing Club battled for third, with Cunningham edging ahead in 6:58.09, just 0.57 seconds in front of Chatain’s 6:58.66.

Olympian Lauren O’Connor of ARION won the women’s single sculls final, finishing in 7:31.29, with Maggie Fellows of the Cambridge Boat Club in second with a time of 7:36.58. ARION’s Audrianna Boersen claimed third in 7:40.43, with ARION bringing three athletes finishing in the top four spots.

In the men’s pair, Jacob Hudgins and Nathan Phelps of the California Rowing Club maintained their speed shown in time trials to win the final in 6:32.47. Olympian Alexander Hedge and Olympic bronze medalist Christian Tabash of the USRowing Training Center, Sarasota finished just over half a second behind in 6:33.10. Kai Hoite and Olympic bronze medalist Evan Olson, who had placed second in the time trial, rounded out the top three with a time of 6:35.23.

The women’s pair was a tight race, showcasing multiple USRowing Princeton Training Center teammates. Etta Carpender and Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson took first with a time of 7:07.29. Holly Drapp and Olympian Jess Thoennes, who had the fastest time trial, finished second in 7:11.06. Olympian Charlotte Buck and Kaitlyn Kynast finished third in 7:12.35, holding off Mia Levy and Anna Jensen at 7:12.91. The second through fifth places were separated by just 1.12 seconds.

Andrew Mangan of Texas Rowing Center won the PR1 men’s single sculls in 10:04.74, finishing ahead of Max Lyman of CRI.

The lightweight men’s single sculls ended in a photo finish, with Justin Schmidt of Conshohocken edging out Cooper Tuckerman of the Green Racing Project by just 0.16 seconds, 7:04.25 to 7:04.41. Jamie Copus (Unaffiliated) secured third in 7:07.35.

Olympian Michelle Sechser of the USRowing Princeton Training Center dominated the lightweight women’s single, crossing in 7:39.72, ahead of Riona McCormick of Penn AC in 8:10.56.

Aislinn O’Brien and Claire Friedlander of Conshohocken won the lightweight women’s double final uncontested, with a time of 7:22.61.

Complete results can be found here. USRowing will name the team that will represent the United States at the 2025 World Rowing Championships taking place September 21-28 in Shanghai, China, in the next week. 

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 Center.