Women’s Eight Wins Silver, Men’s Crews Battle to Fifth and Tenth at U23 World Championships

The women’s eight won their second consecutive silver medal at the U23 World Championships. The men’s eight finished fifth, while the men’s quadruple sculls finished tenth. The U.S. U23 team concluded the regatta with three medals, including one gold and two silvers, with five crews advancing to the A Finals at a record-breaking U23 World Championships.

In the women’s eight, the U.S. crew found themselves in the middle of the pack off the start, holding their composure as the field charged through the opening 500 meters. Refusing to be rattled, they stuck to their race plan. Great Britain took an early lead, while the Americans started to edge away from the rest of the field with a powerful, steady base pace. As the race progressed, the U.S. continued to gain speed, locking into their rhythm with every stroke. Coming into the final 500 meters, coxswain Honor Warburg called for the sprint, and the crew, Joely Cherniss, Áine Ley, Ella Wheeler, Natalie Hoefer, Kathryn Serra, Annica Ford, Taryn Kooyers, and Maeve Heneghan, responded with everything they had. The U.S. crossed the line in 6:16.28 to claim a silver medal.

“That was a super solid race from us, I think we have a lot to be proud of,” said Stanford University’s Honor Warburg. “We’ve come such a long way this summer, and there’s no one else I’d rather do this with. Friendship moves boats!”

“We’ve talked about putting the pieces together for the last few weeks, and I just think this group has come so far, and I’m so proud of all of us,” said Dartmouth College’s Áine Ley. “We just did it for each other, for Coach Gia Doonan.”

“The theme of the boat was to get better every single day, and I really commend everyone in the boat for taking that on,” said Coach Gia Doonan. We stayed away from worrying about other teams, worrying about specific speed, and because of that, the athletes in the boat stepped up and got better and better every day and made the most of this experience. I am very proud of Joely Cherniss for leading the boat down the course. She did an awesome job, and everyone in the boat backed her up. It was great to watch.”

“It’s amazing to see how this group has come together,” said Head Coach Sarah Trowbridge. “I think that’s what’s shown through is that these athletes have taken strides to come together and be stronger as one, and they have really committed to taking those steps forward, and that commitment got them such a strong finish today. I’m proud of their mentality and character, and they had great spirit, I would say that for the whole team. They embodied the Olympic spirit we aim to develop for the national team. The whole team was willing to take on challenges and understood that it’s challenges that make you better. They leaned into that, and each other, and that’s all you want from a group. I am very proud of them and impressed by the grittiness of the group and the love that they’ve displayed for each other and the sport.”

In the men’s eight, the U.S. lined up against one of the deepest and most competitive fields in U23 history, with more entries than ever before. Great Britain surged into an early lead, while the American crew settled into fifth position through the opening 500 meters. Refusing to back down, the U.S. dug in and established a strong base pace, staying in striking distance as the race unfolded. Through the middle 1,000 meters, they launched multiple moves, trying to reel in the Australian crew that held fourth place, but despite their best efforts, they could not get their bow ahead. The crew of Louis Gagnon, Beck Honebein, Kian Aminian, Braden Porterfield, Andrew Wilkinson, Matthew Lexa, Declan Fry, Finn Griskauskas, and coxswain Elenna Seguin crossed the line in 5:36.95, finishing fifth in a fiercely contested race that showcased the depth of the event at this year’s U23 World Championships.

“This group of young men has done a tremendous amount of work to accomplish what they did this week. I am tremendously proud of them for their willingness to push themselves and learn every single day and the amount of grit they had through this summer,” said Head Coach Sergio Espinoza. “They maintained their composure in the intensity of international racing and never stopped pushing. The results of the whole team are a testament to the dedication they’ve shown all summer. A big thank you to the coaching staff, to Trevor Michelson for his energy, Bryan Volpenhein for his wealth of experience, and Noah Axford for bringing enthusiasm to every session.”

The men’s quadruple sculls faced a powerful field in the B Final, where the battle for positions was intense from start to finish. The race was incredibly tight, with just 1.5 seconds separating second through fourth place. In the first 1000 meters, there was almost no distance between the leading crews, Belgium holding only the slightest advantage, mere inches ahead. By the third 500 meters, Belgium and Australia began to edge away, creating a slight lead while the crews from the United States, Slovakia, and Greece fought fiercely stroke for stroke. As the sprint to the line approached, the Americans managed to pull clear of Greece and set their sights on Slovakia, launching a final push that came up heartbreakingly short, just one-hundredth of a second away from ninth place. In the end, Davis Kelly, James Fetter, John Patton, and Timmy Parsons secured a tenth-place overall finish for the U.S. after a summer of steady progress, gaining valuable speed, resilience, and experience on the world stage at these Championships.

Timmy Parsons, two-time national team member from Yale University, said, “I think we were not totally content with the result in the B Final. We wanted to go out there and win, to show the rest of the world what we know our speed is. At the end of the day, I think we had a good piece, and I think the piece yesterday in the Semifinal was really good and representative of our skill. I know for me, Davis Kelly and John Patton, returners for next year, we’re super excited to keep getting after it next year. I appreciate the new system, and I’m looking forward to really coming back.”

“The quad had a tough battle today, narrowly missing ninth place, coming in tenth in a really great field,” said Coach Trevor Michelson. “I think this whole summer and especially this regatta, those four guys who spent all year sweeping did a nice job adjusting to a very fast and difficult boat class. They came here and held their own in a stacked event, and I’m just really proud of their efforts and excited for them to continue on their national team journeys. I’m sure it’s not the last time we’ve seen any of these guys.”

The U.S. High Performance Pathways is focused on making the U19 and U23 experiences more reflective of the senior national team training model, nurturing long-term development in sculling and sweeping, and keeping athletes in the pipeline for the senior national team. 

“Overall, we had a really great regatta and took some positive steps forward in terms of the development of these athletes and pushing them towards becoming contributing seniors,” said Brett Gorman, Fred L. Emerson Jr. Head Coach of High Performance Pathways. “We set ourselves the challenge of selecting the athletes into boats that fit their skill set and challenging everybody to compete at the highest level. I think we definitely achieved that objective."

The U19 World Championships begin on August 6 and run through August 10 in Trakai, Lithuania. The U.S. will have crews competing in seven events, including the men's and women's four, quadruple sculls, and eight, as well as the men’s single sculls. Lineups can be found here. 

USRowing would like to thank and acknowledge key partners 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.