RowAmerica Rye once again delivered an outstanding performance at the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Fla.
The team qualified 21 boats for the regatta and brought a total of 126 athletes to compete. Of the 21 events entered, 11 crews advanced to the finals, and the Women’s Youth Eight Plus Coxswain won the gold medal for the third straight year.
The Women’s Youth Eight is the premier and most competitive event for girls at the youth national championships.
“Our crew and the second-place boat from Chicago quickly separated ourselves from the rest of the field, with RowAmerica Rye maintaining a clear advantage throughout,” said the club’s director of rowing, Marko Seramifovski. “The Chicago crew made several attempts to challenge and overtake us, but our athletes responded exceptionally well each time. Not only were we able to defend our position, we actually extended our lead whenever they made a move. By the finish, we had opened up a margin of nearly 10 seconds, securing a convincing victory in a highly competitive race.”
The Boys Varsity Eight came up short of winning a fourth straight national title, but RowAmerica Rye had several boys crews compete in championship finals in Florida.
“While we did not bring home any medals on the boys’ side, this has been a significant rebuilding year for the program and we are very pleased with the team’s overall performance and progress,” Seramifovski said.
“It is important to note that our Boys Varsity Eight won three consecutive national championships from 2023 through 2025, making this year a transition period following one of the most successful stretches in program history. The depth and competitiveness displayed by our boys this season give us great confidence in the future of the program.”
Three other girls’ crews took silver medals at the regatta. The Second Varsity Eight, the Four Without Cox, and the Under-16 Eight all finished second in a highly competitive field, demonstrating the strength and speed emerging from the team’s younger athletes.
The three-time national champion Women’s Youth Eight got a terrific hometown send-off before traveling to England, where the crew will face many of the top British, European, and Australian programs June 30-July 5 at the Henley Royal Regatta in Henley-on-Thames.
