The finals for the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia are set for most of the current and former Washington rowers. A total of 13 Huskies are in contention for medals, and five are still competing for a chance to qualify their country for the 2024 Olympics. The championships serve as the first qualification event for the Paris Games next summer.
Among the finalists, six Huskies will race in the eights finals for the United States, three in the men’s crew and three in the women’s crew. The American women’s team, led by Nina Castagna ’22 and featuring Jessica Thoennes ’18 and Brooke Mooney ’18, finished first in their heat and will compete for a medal on Sunday. The top five crews in the eights final will qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
In the men’s eight final, Americans Ezra Carlson ’16, Chris Carlson ’19, and Pieter Quinton ’21 will compete for a medal and Olympic qualification for the U.S. They will face at least two other UW rowers in the final, with Jacob Dawson ’16 rowing for Great Britain and Gert-Jan van Doorn ’22 rowing for the Netherlands.
Other Huskies still in contention include Simon van Dorp ’20, who will race in a men’s single sculls semifinal, hoping to secure a spot in the final and qualify for the 2024 Olympics for the Netherlands. Will Crothers ’09 and Joel Cullen ’23 from Canada will compete in the men’s eight grand final repechage, aiming to secure a place in the A final along with the U.S., Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Australia.
Several current and former Huskies have already achieved Olympic qualification. Evan Olson ’19 of the United States qualified for the A final in the men’s pair, securing a spot in the Paris Games. Similarly, Logan Ullrich ’23 from New Zealand qualified for both the A final and has the Kiwi men’s four headed to Paris. Tabea Schendekehl ’21 from Germany and Valentina Iseppi ’19 from Italy will meet in the women’s quad sculls B final, with the top finisher earning an Olympics spot. Aisha Rocek ’25 will compete in the women’s pairs B final and is also part of the Italian women’s eight, which will race in a repechage.
In the women’s four semi, Ella Cossill ’22 and Phoebe Spoors ’17 from New Zealand finished fourth and advanced to the B final, with the winner also qualifying for the Olympics. Ben Davison ’18 won his C/D semifinal and will compete in the C final.
The full list of Washington rowers at the 2023 World Rowing Championships, along with their upcoming events, can be found on WorldRowing.com. The schedule is subject to change.