Heats Get Underway Wednesday at 2021 World Rowing Under 23 Championships

Nine U.S. crews will be in action on Wednesday as racing gets underway at the 2021 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.

In the lightweight women's pair, Lindsey Rust (Roslyn, N.Y./Stanford University) and Bonnie Pushner (Fairfield, Conn./Princeton University) will race in the first of two heats against crews from the Czech Republic, Italy and Peru. The U.S. won a silver medal in the event in 2019. Rust and Pushner were both members of the Under 19 National Team in 2019, with Rust finishing fourth in the four with coxswain. The winner of the heat will advance directly to the final, with the remaining crews going to the repechage.

The lightweight men's pair of Collin Hay (Shrewsbury, Mass./University of Delaware) and Nathaniel Sass (Buffalo, N.Y./Boston University) will race against crews from Moldova, Italy, Mexico, Germany and Chile in the first of two heats. Hay competed in the event in 2019, while Sass will be racing internationally for the first time. Italy and Moldova's crews both raced at the 2021 European Rowing Championships, winning silver and bronze medals, respectively. Italy then went on to earn a bronze medal at World Rowing Cup III. The heat winner will advance directly to the final.

After winning a silver medal in the women's pair at the 2018 World Rowing Junior Championships, Lucy Koven (Greenwich, Conn./Princeton University) and Caitlin Esse (Fairfield, Conn./University of Michigan) will be looking to translate that success to the U23 level. Racing in the first of two heats, the duo will take on crews from Lithuania, Austria, Ukraine, Spain and Germany, with the winner advancing directly to the final.

In the men's pair, William Purtill (Villanova, Pa./University of Pennsylvania) and Michael Wilson (Braintree, Mass./University of Pennsylvania) will take on crews from Germany, Great Britain, Uzbekistan, Greece and Italy in the second of three heats, with the top two finishers advancing to the semifinals. Wilson finished fourth in the lightweight men's quadruple sculls at the 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, while Purtill is competing on his first national team. Great Britain raced at World Rowing Cup III, winning the silver medal.

The lightweight men's quadruple sculls crew of Jack Stone (Providence, R.I./Dartmouth College), Cooper Tuckerman (Bozeman, Mont./Dartmouth College), Christopher Stich (Old Greenwich, Conn./Dartmouth College) and Sean Ward (Downingtown, Pa./Dartmouth College) will race in the second of two heats against crews from Germany, Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic, with the top two finishers advancing to the final. Tuckerman finished fourth in the event at the 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, while the others are making their international debut. Italy is the defending champion but only has one member of the crew returning from that 2019 boat.

In the women's quadruple sculls, Clare Naughton (Burlington, Mass./Yale University), Susan Cook (Portland, Ore./Boston University), Margaret Hedeman (Concord, Mass./Yale University) and Samantha Henriksen (Chicago, Ill./University of California) will take on Denmark, Germany, Ukraine and Estonia in the first of three heats, with the top three advancing to the semifinals. Hedeman and Henriksen have U19 National Team experience, while Naughton and Cook are competing for the first time internationally. Germany won silver in the event in 2019 but has a new crew this year, which includes two silver medalists from their 2019 junior quad.

In the men's four, Andrew Michael Curry (Dallas, Texas/Dartmouth College), Jordan Backer (Sacramento, Calif.), Louis Gallia (Sacramento, Calif./University of Washington) and William Roesler (Oakland, Calif.) will face off against Switzerland, Belarus, Romania, Brazil and Austria in the first of three heats. The top two finishers will advance to the semifinals. All four rowers are making their national team debuts.

Lightweight men's single sculler Nicholas Aronow (Laurel Hollow, N.Y./Oak Neck Academy) will race against rowers from Azerbaijan, Mexico, Bulgaria and Estonia in the third of four heats. Aronow raced the single at the 2019 World Rowing Junior Championships. The heat winner will advance to the semifinals, with the rest of the scullers going to the repechage.

In the men's single sculls, Will Legenzowski (Vista, N.Y./Brown University) will take on scullers from Italy, Romania, Belarus and Portugal in the fifth of five heats, with the top four moving on to the quarterfinals. Legenzowski is making his national team debut.

The U.S. will have crews competing in all 22 events in Racice. Racing continues on Thursday with the remaining heats, as well as repechages. Finals will be held Saturday and Sunday

Complete press coverage, athlete bios and links to event information are available here. Follow along with the U.S. Under 23 National Team as it competes at the 2021 World Rowing Under 23 Championships by using the hashtag #WRU23Champs.