Jun 16, 2026
Team USA
U19 Trials Wrap Up in Sarasota on June 16
The 2026 U19 National Team Trials concluded Tuesday, determining who will represent the United States at the World Rowing U19 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, August 6-9. Racing began Monday with time trials that established lane assignments for the finals.
To qualify for the national team, crews are required to win their event and achieve or better the adjusted Competitive Standard Time. All winning crews were required to finish within 95 percent of the standard, which is adjusted to account for racing conditions such as wind and water temperature. Conditions were favorable for athletes to meet the competitive standard time with a building tailwind through the morning.
The men's single sculls featured one of the most exciting races of the day. Great Houston's Porter Collins, New York Athletic Club's Dean Burton, and Great Bay's Brogan Fernald remained closely matched through the first three quarters of the race. Entering the final 500 meters, Collins and Burton separated themselves from the field and battled stroke-for-stroke down the course. Collins made the decisive move in the sprint, crossing the line first in 7:08.41 to secure his place on the U.S. team. His performance was 96.32 percent of the Competitive Standard Time. Collins enters the summer after finishing second in the men's youth single sculls at the 2026 USRowing Youth National Championships and will represent the U.S. in Bulgaria.
“The goal of trials is to assess the athlete's speed and their competitiveness to compete at the U19 World Championships,” said Brett Gorman, the Fred L. Emerson Jr. Head Coach of High-Performance Pathways. “We had favorable conditions today that enabled us to make a fair assessment, and we are excited to support Porter Collins at the U19 World Rowing Championships. We are grateful to all of the athletes who showed up for a chance to compete for the U19 national team.”
While the men’s single sculls was the only boat to achieve the needed CST to qualify for the U19 World Rowing Championships, the morning saw several competitive races that battled down the course.
Fresh off her victory in the women's youth single sculls at Youth Nationals, Shay Tripel continued her form in the women's single sculls trial. Tripel established control of the race early and maintained her advantage throughout the course, crossing the finish line in 7:57.79.
The men's pair delivered a tightly contested race through the first 1,500 meters before the crews from Row New Jersey and Central Catholic Pittsburgh separated themselves in the closing stages. In the final sprint, William Kulikowski and Lawson Ucko of Row New Jersey surged ahead to claim the victory in 6:55.49. Kulikowski and Ucko finished fourth in the men’s four with coxswain this past weekend.
The women's pair was uncontested, leaving Saratoga's Sophie Sampanthar and Olivia Lill racing against the clock to meet the selection standard. They finished in a time of 7:53.64.
Click here for complete results.
USRowing also would like to thank HUDSON, the Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Under 19 and Under 23 National Team. Through the partnership, HUDSON supplies racing shells for selection and training domestically, with matched shells provided internationally for racing.
