Racing at the 2023 World Rowing Under 19 Championships Gets Underway Thursday

With the cancellation of Wednesday's racing due to adverse weather conditions, the 2023 World Rowing Under 19 Championships are now scheduled to get underway Thursday with heats in all 14 events. The regatta is taking place at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium outside of Paris, France, site of the Olympic and Paralympic rowing events in 2024.

The U.S. will have 12 boats hitting the water Thursday in the men's and women's single sculls, quadruple sculls, pair, four with coxswain, and eight, as well as the women's double sculls and men's four.

In the men's single sculls, Henry Davison (New York, N.Y./Oak Neck Rowing Academy) will be making his national team debut Thursday. Davison will take on scullers from Poland, Slovenia, Brazil, and Moldova in the second of five heats. The top four finishers will advance to the quarterfinals. The U.S. finished 15th in the event last year.

Women's single sculler Annelise Hahl (Cary, N.C./Triangle Rowing Club) won a bronze medal last year in the junior women's double sculls at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals and will be making her flat-water national team debut here in France. Racing in the second of five heats, Hahl will take on scullers from Belgium, Thailand, Spain, Chinese Taipei, and Paraguay. The top four finishers will advance to the quarterfinals. Last year, the U.S. finished 12th in the event.

With only three entries, the women's four with coxswain of Lucy Herrick (Chicago, Ill./Chicago Rowing Foundation), Carly Brown (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Detroit Boat Club), Rosie Lundberg (Westport, Conn./Saugatuck Rowing Club), Ella Wheeler (South Orange, N.J./Northfield-Mount Hermon), and Rebecca Stelmach (Alameda, Calif./Oakland Strokes) will take on Australia and Italy in a race for lanes. Wheeler is the lone returnee from last year's gold-medal crew.

The men's four with coxswain of George Bentley (Fairfield, Conn./Saugatuck Rowing Club), Leo Shetler (Saratoga, Calif./Los Gatos Rowing Club), Keenan Heinz (Orinda, Calif./Oakland Strokes), John Salvi (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier Rowing Club), and Kyle Fox (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier High School) will race South Africa, Australia, and Italy in the first of two heats, with the winner advancing directly to the final. Australia won gold last year and returns two athletes from that boat. The U.S. finished seventh last year.

The women's pair of Caroline Krantz (Darien, Conn./Connecticut Boat Club) and Annika Nelson (Darien, Conn./Connecticut Boat Club) will race against Brazil, Chinese Taipei, Romania, and Greece in the third of three heats, with the top two finishers moving on to the semifinals. Greece won gold last year but has a new lineup this year. The U.S. finished ninth in 2022.

The men's pair of Max Burget (Buffalo, N.Y./RowBuffalo) and James Dodman (Buffalo, N.Y./Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association) will race against Poland, South Africa, Turkey, and Canada in the third of four heats. The top two crews will advance directly to the semifinals. Turkey finished fourth at last year's world championships and won the 2023 European Rowing Under 19 Championships earlier this year. The U.S. finished 14th in the event last year.

The U.S. men's four of McKeane McBrearty (Oakland, Calif./Oakland Strokes), Jack Hume (Alameda, Calif./Oakland Strokes), Mattis Hevin (Alameda, Calif./Oakland Strokes), and Cosmo Hondrogen (Alameda, Calif./Oakland Strokes) will take on Italy, Croatia, and Switzerland in the third of three heats, with the top three finishers moving on to the semifinals. Italy won gold in the event at the 2023 European Rowing Under 19 Championships. The U.S. finished 10th in the event last year.

The women's quadruple sculls crew of Lila Henn (Palo Alto, Calif./Redwood Scullers), Lindsey Williams (Riverside, R.I./Narragansett Boat Club), Sumner Kerr (Richmond, Va./River City Crew), and Vivi Sun (Atherton, Calif./Redwood Scullers) will race against Netherlands, Germany, and Italy in the third of three heats, with the top three advancing to the semifinals. Italy won gold earlier this year at the under 19 European championships. The U.S. finished fourth last year.

The men's quadruple sculls crew of Edward Achtner (Marin County, Calif./Molesey Boat Club), Cole Bruen (Charlottesville, Va./Albemarle Rowing), Henry Cooper (Seattle, Wash./Pocock Rowing Center), and Charles Boldt (Zionsville, Ind./Indianapolis Rowing Center) will race against Czech Republic, Italy, New Zealand, Japan, and Belgium in the second of three heats. The top two crews will move on to the semifinals. Czechia won the gold medal as last year's worlds, with the U.S. finishing 10th.

With 24 entries in the women's double sculls, the U.S. crew of Avery Packard (Brookline, Mass./Cambridge Boat Club) and PJ Balazy (Carlisle, Mass./Cambridge Boat Club) will take on Ireland, Belgium, Australia, Germany, and Norway in the fourth of four heats, with only the winner advancing directly to the semifinals. Both Packard and Balazy are first-time national team members. The U.S. finished 17th in the event last year.

The U.S. women's eight of coxswain Ella Casano (Fairfield, Conn./Saugatuck Rowing Club), Joely Cherniss (San Francisco, Calif./Marin Rowing Association), Sofia Simone (Miami, Fla./Sarasota Crew), Kennedy Housley (Sarasota, Fla./Sarasota Crew), Ava Schetlick (Charlottesville, Va./Virginia Rowing Association), Charlotte Jett (San Carlos, Calif./Norcal Crew), Audrey Leurck (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club), Ellie Smith (Rye, N.Y./RowAmerica Rye), and Lizzie Hedeman (Concord, Mass./Community Rowing, Inc.) will take on Romania, Italy, and Great Britain in the first of two heats, with the winner advancing directly to the final. Romania won gold at the 2023 European Rowing Under 19 Championships, while the U.S. won gold at last year's World Rowing Under 19 Championships. Simone is the lone returnee from that boat, while Casano coxed the women's four with coxswain to a gold medal last year.

The U.S. men's eight of coxswain Gabrielle Zammit (Princeton, N.J./Princeton National Rowing Association/Mercer), Lucas Liow (New York, N.Y./RowAmerica Rye), Jack Skinner (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier Rowing Club), Tyler Murphy (Orlando, Fla./Orlando Area Rowing Society), Nathan Fineman (Orinda, Calif./Oakland Strokes), Cole Thomas (Rye, N.Y./RowAmerica Rye), Sandro Scalfi (Chester, N.J./Atlanta Junior Rowing Association), Christian Lawrence (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis Rowing Club), and Luke Meisenbach (La Jolla, Calif./San Diego Rowing Club) will take on Romania, New Zealand, and Italy in the first of two heats, with the winner moving on to the final. Romania won silver at the 2023 European Rowing Under 19 Championships. The U.S. won bronze at last year's U19 worlds.

Racing gets underway Thursday at 8:30 a.m. local time with heats, followed by repechages in the men's and women's single sculls. The remaining repechages and quarterfinals will take place Friday. Saturday's racing will feature semifinals and some of the placement finals. Sunday's racing will feature the medal races, as well as the remaining placement finals.

Live streaming will be available on Saturday and Sunday on www.worldrowing.com.

Complete press coverage, athlete bios, and links to event information are available at www.usrowing.org and www.worldrowing.com. Follow along with the U.S. U19 National Team by using the hashtags #WRU19Champs.

USRowing would like to thank HUDSON, the Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Under 19 National Team. Through the partnership, HUDSON supplies racing shells for selection and training domestically, with matched shells provided internationally for racing.