Finals Set for Sunday at the 2025 Youth National Championships

The A and B finals are set after tight racing decided the top eight in the country. The semifinals proved challenging, as ten races were decided by less than a second for the final spot for a shot at a national championship. 

In the men’s single sculls, Community Rowing, Inc.’s Simeon John got off to a blistering start in his semifinal without letting up on the rest of the field. He took first in a time of 7:13.12. Fellow Charles River rower, Oscar Spencer from Cambridge Boat Club, took second. In the second semifinal, Potomac Boat Club’s Michael Madigan won the semifinal in a 7:15.68, followed by Goose Faynsod from Marina Aquatic Center Junior Rowing. They will kick off the race for a national title tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m.

Enya Krathaus from the Rowing Club of the Woodlands set the fastest time in the semifinals, winning the second semifinal in a time of 7:58.97. North Palm Beach Rowing Club’s Viktoria Ekstrand won the first semifinal in 8:00.54. The second-place finishers of both semifinals finished in 8:03. Expect a tight battle for medals between the winners and CRI’s Mariia Prodan and RowAmerica’s Clare Junius. 

The men’s youth pair will be close racing between all eight crews, as only five and a half seconds separate all of the crews. Miami Rowing and Watersport Center, Inc. and Newport Aquatic Center won each of their semifinals. On the women’s side, Triangle Rowing came out on top in their tough semifinal, where only two seconds separated the top three crews. Capital Crew won their semifinal by 2.98 seconds over Parati Competitive Rowing.

Future roommates at Temple will face off tomorrow in the men’s double sculls. Y Quad Cities’ Eamon Matlock and Indianapolis Rowing Center’s Jack Foltz battled in the second semifinal, with Y Quad City taking the victory in a time of 6:37.38 and Indianapolis Rowing Center finishing in second, 3.70 seconds back. Miami Beach Watersports Center won their semifinal in a time of 6:45.29. Ridgewood Crew found themselves just outside of the top four, missing out on the final by just .1 seconds. The women’s double sculls national title will be hotly contested as last year’s winner, River City Crew and Redwood Scullers, posted nearly identical times in the semifinals.

The men’s quadruple sculls should be one of the races to watch, as the first semifinal ended in heartbreak for Haddon Township High School, who missed the A final by .09.h place were Second and fift separated by .44 seconds. Los Gatos and Nereid won their semifinals, but the race for bronze may be the closest fight on Sunday. Los Gatos and Waterford Crew won the semifinal in the women’s quad with a large margin over their second-place finishers. 

The men’s eight is still up for grabs from multiple crews. Last year’s winner, RowAmerica Rye, finished second in their semifinal to Marin, a crew with five U19 national team members. St. Joseph’s Prep, the silver medalist of 2024, won their heat by just .47 seconds over Deerfield Academy. Make sure to save a spot on the beach for this battle.

The women’s eights was a clear statement from last year’s winner RowAmerica Rye, who finished their semifinal in a time of 6:19.20, 11 seconds ahead of second-place finishers, Newport Aquatic Center. Crew Boosters of Winter Park also dominated their semifinal, winning by 6.08 seconds over Greenwich Crew. 

The men’s U16 quadruple sculls will be the ones to watch in the U16 category on Sunday as the top three crews in the semifinal were separated by .40. Los Gatos took the win with St. Andrew Rowing Club finishing only .18 behind them. North Bay Rowing Club closed out the tight field in a 6:51.46.

Click here for today's complete results.

Racing continues Saturday with the B finals in the U17 and U16 boat classes, as well as the C and D finals. Sunday's racing will feature the A finals (medal races) for all boat classes and the B finals for the youth boat classes. Click here for a complete schedule and here for the heat sheet.

The event will be streamed live on Overnght.