USA Claims Victory at 2026 Lenny Peters Cup

Rowers from the U.S. national team delivered a commanding performance at the 2026 Lenny Peters Cup, defeating the World Team with a series of impressive results across multiple sculling events. The annual competition, known for its head-to-head racing format, once again highlighted the depth, speed, and versatility of the U.S. roster.

The U.S. set the tone early in the single sculls. Olympian Grace Joyce opened racing with a dominant, open-water victory over Brazil’s Beatriz Tavares. Isa Darvin followed with another decisive win, pulling away from Dutch Olympian Martine Veldhuis to add valuable points to the U.S. total. Olympian Sophia Vitas, racing alongside Evan Park in the double sculls, capped the women’s sweep in dramatic fashion, edging Canada’s Clark and Wasteneys by just 0.005 seconds.

On the men’s side, Cedar Cunningham delivered a statement win for the United States, pulling away from Great Britain’s Olympic gold medalist Sholto Carnegie to take the win by a substantial margin. Sam Melvin kept the momentum rolling with an impressive victory over Olympic champion James Rudkin of Great Britain. In the men’s double sculls, Olympian Jacob Plihal and Calleb Nollenberger put up a strong fight but were ultimately outpaced by the Serbian Olympic duo of Macovick and Pimenov.

The United States found success in the mixed quadruple sculls sprint, where the crew of Vitas, Cunningham, Plihal, and Darvin secured a dramatic win, edging the World Team by just 0.024 seconds. A second U.S. mixed quad was unable to match the World Team’s pace, marking one of the few setbacks for Team USA on the day.

With victories in six of eight events, the U.S. secured the overall title and claimed its first-ever Lenny Peters Cup, showcasing both the emerging talent within the program and the continued development of American sculling on the international stage.