U.S. Advance All Crews on Day 1 of World Rowing Cup III

The United States enjoyed a successful opening day at the 2026 World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland, with multiple crews winning their heats and every American boat advancing through the first round of racing. Strong sprint finishes, commanding wire-to-wire victories, and several narrow battles highlighted Friday's racing as the U.S. positioned itself for a busy weekend of semifinals and finals.

Men's Single Sculls

Sam Melvin continued his impressive international campaign in the men's single sculls, winning his heat in 6:58.51. Melvin spent much of the race in third place behind Switzerland and the Netherlands before unleashing a powerful sprint over the final meters to edge Olympic bronze medalist Simon van Dorp of the Netherlands by just 0.12 seconds. Later in the afternoon, Melvin placed second in his quarterfinal, chasing reigning world champion Oliver Zeidler of Germany. Zeidler built nearly a six-second advantage through the middle of the race, but Melvin closed the gap to just 0.75 seconds at the finish to secure a place in Saturday's semifinal.

Men's Pair

Olympian Pieter Quinton and Madison Molitor dominated their men's pair heat, taking control early and never looking back. The Americans crossed the line in 6:35.84, finishing 2.69 seconds ahead of Great Britain to advance comfortably to the semifinals.

Women's Pair

The United States swept both heats of the women's pair. Etta Carpender and Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson claimed Heat 1 after one of the closest races of the morning. The Americans led early, but Germany, France, and South Africa remained within striking distance throughout. The U.S. held off Germany by just 0.04 seconds, winning in 7:14.19 as the top four crews finished within 0.60 seconds.

In Heat 2, Mia Levy and Olympian Regina Salmons controlled the race from start to finish. The Czech Republic stayed close through the opening half, but the Americans pulled away over the final 750 meters to win in 7:10.16. Both U.S. crews advance to Saturday's semifinals.

Men's Double Sculls

Cedar Cunningham and Olympian Jacob Plihal battled Spain and Portugal throughout their men's double sculls heat. The three crews traded positions over the 2,000-meter course before Spain took the win in 6:21.50. Cunningham and Plihal finished just 0.28 seconds back in second after holding off Portugal to earn a semifinal berth.

Women's Double Sculls

The United States also advanced both entries in the women's double sculls. Olympians Emily Kallfelz and Sophia Vitas won their heat in 7:06.87 after pulling away from Switzerland and Ireland during the third 500 meters. In the other heat, Evan Park and Isa Darvin finished second behind the Netherlands in 7:08.18 after separating themselves from the remainder of the field early. Both crews move on to Saturday's semifinals.

Men's Four

The United States fielded two men's fours, with both crews finishing second in their respective heats. In Heat 1, Olympians Peter Chatain and Chris Carlson joined Sam Sullivan and Nathan Phelps to finish second behind France in 6:00.32 after fending off a late challenge from Ukraine. In Heat 3, Josh Diggons, Gus Rodriguez, Jacob Hudgins, and Mike Herman mounted a late charge against Great Britain, closing to within 0.74 seconds at the finish to take second. Both crews advance to Saturday's semifinals.

Women's Four

The U.S. women's four left little doubt in their heat. Olympians Kate Knifton, Teal Cohen, Azja Czajkowski, and Molly Bruggeman built nearly a four-second lead over Great Britain by the halfway point and continued to extend the margin, winning in 6:26.52 by more than seven seconds. The crew advances directly to Sunday's A Final.

PR3 Mixed Four with Coxswain

The PR3 mixed four with coxswain delivered another commanding American victory. Hannah Diaz, Paralympian Alex Flynn, Max Allemeier, Paralympian Skylar Dahl, and Elizabeth Margolin led from the opening strokes and steadily increased their advantage over Ukraine, crossing the finish line in 6:54.23 to win by more than seven seconds. The crew races for gold in Saturday's A Final.

Women's Eight

In the women's eight, members of the U.S. pairs and women's four combined for the event. Australia established an early lead while the Americans separated themselves from Germany to finish second in 6:02.55 behind Australia's winning time of 6:00.01. The lineup of Olympian Nina Castagna, Kate Knifton, Teal Cohen, Azja Czajkowski, Mia Levy, Regina Salmons, Etta Carpender, Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson, and coxswain Molly Bruggeman advances to Sunday's final.

Lightweight Men's Single Sculls

The lightweight men's single sculls featured an all-American battle between Justin Schmidt and Sean Richardson. Schmidt led early while trading the lead with Hungary's Benace Tamas through the middle 1,000 meters. Richardson made his move over the final 500 meters, steadily reeling in the leader, but Schmidt held him off to claim the heat victory in 7:19.51, with Richardson crossing just 0.55 seconds later in 7:20.06.

PR3 Mixed Double Sculls

In the preliminary race for lanes in the PR3 mixed double sculls, Henry Billington and Sarah Menefee settled into fourth place and maintained that position through the finish. Germany won the race, while the Americans finished fourth and will compete in Sunday's final.

Racing continues on Saturday and Sunday with semifinals and finals across events. Results and information can be found here.