Conestoga Crew Earns Two Medals and Four National Qualifying Bids at 2026 Mid-Atlantic Youth Championships

Conestoga Crew Club brought home two medals and secured four national qualifying bids during a strong showing at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Youth Championships in West Windsor, New Jersey this weekend.

Leading the day for Conestoga was the Women’s Youth Novice 4x. The crew of Lin Lai, Seraphina Preston, Aurora Hagerman, and Katie He finished first overall with a commanding time of 8:10.87, finishing more than forty seconds ahead of the second-place crew from Nereid Boat Club.

Conestoga’s second medal came in the Men’s U17 2x, where William Simon and Petras Vainius earned silver medals with a second-place finish. The duo secured one of the region’s qualifying spots for USRowing Youth Nationals after finishing ahead of crews from Ridgewood Crew Foundation and Malvern Prep.

The club’s third national qualifying boat came in the Men’s Youth 4x. The crew of Kaden Murray, Sebastian Jodzio, Ethan Borst, and Jack Sauder finished fourth overall in a highly competitive final. Racing against some of the strongest programs in the country, the quad earned a bid to Youth Nationals.

In the Women’s U17 2x, the crew of Aurora Hagerman and Lin Lai finished fourth overall, to secure a qualifying spot for Youth Nationals.

In the Men’s Youth 2V 4x, the crew of Hudson Dunkle, Kieran Engel, Avi Verma, and Oliver Carr placed fifth overall in one of the closest races of the day, with just over five seconds separating first through fifth place. The quad earned a bid to Youth Nationals.

Conestoga placed several additional crews into championship finals throughout the regatta.

The Women’s Youth 4x crew of Lara Laursen, Sophia Daams, Maizy Jacobson, and Emma Reiter finished fifth overall against a strong field that included Conshohocken Rowing Center, Cooper Junior Rowing Club, and Nereid Boat Club.

In the Women’s Youth 2V 4x, Hannah Grossman, Maggie Ng, Letizia Martinez, and Sydney Ramrath finished seventh overall.

The Women’s Youth 2x crew of Olivia Olcese and Tabitha Hawkins placed sixth overall.

“Very proud of the girl’s team and their performance this weekend,” said Coach Austin Burke. “The freshmen in the U17 2x secured their spot to Sarasota with a fourth-place finish in the A Final. Overall, we had four boats in the A Finals this year with results that outpace what we were able to do last year at this regatta. This is a step forward in the right direction and we are looking to build on the success of this year heading into Stotesbury and Scholastic Nationals.”

Conestoga’s novice crews also gained valuable championship racing experience. In the Men’s Youth Novice 4x, Matthew Durkin, Nicolas Fernandez, Luca Berenbroick, and William Wenstrup finished sixth overall.

The club’s four national qualifying entries — the Women’s U17 2x, Men’s U17 2x, Men’s Youth 2V 4x, and Men’s Youth 4x — will now prepare for the 2026 USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida.

“This weekend has been the focal point of our team goals and was what we pointed to as the measure and purpose of the work these athletes put in starting in August,” said Head Coach Bailey Chick. “I couldn’t be more proud to see the quantifiable growth across the entire squad from 2025 to 2026 and am grateful they all got to see what 12 months of commitment can translate to. It bodes well for the remainder of this season and the future of Stoga Crew.”

The 2026 USRowing Youth National Championships marks the 31st anniversary of the event, now considered one of the premier youth sporting competitions in the country. Held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, the four-day regatta attracts more than 5,000 spectators.

Conestoga will now gear up for this weekend's 99th annual Stotesbury Cup Regatta, the world’s largest and oldest high school rowing competition. Held each May in Philadelphia, the prestigious event draws more than 800 boats from over 160 schools across the United States and Canada.