Spotlight

2025 USRowing Youth National Championship

Another year, another record-breaking appearance for Litchfield Hills Rowing Club at the USRowing Youth National Championship. 8 boats and 27 athletes raced at this year’s regatta at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, from June 12th to June 15th.

Help us congratulate our athletes who represented LHRC on the national stage!

Girls’ 4- of Lily Scozzafava (4), Margaret Hudson (3), Brynja McGee (2), and Willow Schulde (B) - 22nd Place

Girls’ 2- of Abby Swansiger (S) and Melanie Rundall (B) - 23rd Place

Boys’ 4- of Andrew Grivner (S), Ian Zitzkat (3), Aubrey Duckworth (2), and Ethan Kane (B) - 25th Place

Boys’ 2- of August Thorpe (S) and Ethan Kane (B) - 19th Place

Girls’ U17 4x of Meghan Archibald (S), Tessa Paganini (3), Avery Mazzacane (2), and Allie McCarron (B) - 5th Place

Boys’ U17 4+ of Leif Sandberg (S), Brandon Negrea (3), Maxwell Haynes (2), Evan Cassone (B), and Bettina McGee (C) - 27th Place

Boys’ U17 2x of Cole Marcinko (S) and Nick Huffstetler (B) - 9th Place

Boys’ U16 4x+ of Zachary Stowe (S), Andrew VanOrmer (3), Thomas Green (2), Simon McLeran (B), and Ruth Salsbury (C) - 25th Place

LHRC wants to give a huge THANK YOU to our Championship Fund donors. The Championship Fund helps ensure that financial barriers never stand in the way of opportunities such as attending Youth Nationals. The fund is used to:

• Offset regatta expenses (including travel, trailering, and entry fees),

• Provide championship gear that allows our athletes to represent LHRC with pride,

• Ensure athletes are properly fueled and hydrated by supporting team-led efforts during their most demanding training and racing days.

2024 USRowing Youth National Championship

LHRC sent 24 athletes to Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, FL to compete at the 2024 USRowing Youth National Championship. LHRC athletes raced in six events (U17W1x, U17M1x, U16W4x+, M4-, W4x, & U16M8+).

Our Women’s U16 4x+ were the fourth fastest crew in the country, the best finish at the Youth National Championship in LHRC history! Congratulations to Meghan Archibald (S), Tessa Paganini (3), Allie McCarron (2), Lollia D’Urso (B), and Bettina McGee (C) for making LHRC history!

Also making history were the boys in the U16 8+; this was the first time LHRC has ever qualified an 8+ for Youth Nationals! Congratulations to Cole Marcinko (S), Maxwell Haynes (7), Brandon Negrea (6), John Heaney (5), Leif Sandberg (4), Evan Cassone (3), Nick Huffstetler (2), Orion Berman (B), and Evelyn Klug (C) for winning the C Final as the 16th fastest crew in the country!

Willow Schulde and Gabe Mazzacane represented LHRC in the U17 1x category for men and women respectively. Willow placed 5th in the B Final to be the 13th fastest WU17 1x in the country, while Gabe placed 2nd in the D Final to be the 26th fastest in the country.

Rowan Schulde (S), Gunnar Round (3), August Thorpe (2), and Ethan Kane (B) raced to a 3rd place finish in the B Final of the Men’s Varsity 4- to be the 11th fastest crew in the country.

Abby Swansiger (S), Brynja McGee (3), Lily Scozzafava (2), and Melanie Rundall (B) raced to a 5th place finish in the D Final of the Women’s Varsity 4x to be the 29th fastest crew in the country.

For the 3rd year in a row, Litchfield Hills Rowing Club has sent 10+ athletes to Youth Nationals, sending 24 athletes to the Championship in both 2023 & 2024. We have raced boats in 15 boat classes (U17W1x, U17M1x, U17W2x, W2x, M2-, M2x, M4-, U17M4x, W4x, M4x, W4+, U15W4x+, U16W4x+, U16M4x+, and U16M8+) and had 4 crews earn spots in the A Finals. Congratulations to all athletes who competed and helped their teammates get there. Thank you to our coaches and parents for helping make the success of LHRC possible!

Results
Women’s U16 4x+: 4th Place
Men’s 4-: 11th Place
Women’s U17 1x: 13th Place
Men’s U16 8+: 16th Place
Men’s U17 1x: 26th Place
Women’s 4x: 29th Place

2023 USRowing Youth National Championship

We sent 24 athletes to Sarasota, FL to compete at the 2023 USRowing Youth National Championship in seven events (U17M1x, W2x, U17W2x, M4x, W4+, U15G4x+, & U16B4x+). We are incredibly proud of our youth who worked hard all season to post up against some of the toughest crews in the country. 3 crews made the A Final (W2x, U17W2x, & U17M1x), the first Grand Final appearances for LHRC!

2023 USRowing Summer National Championship

We sent 27 athletes to Bethel, OH to compete at the 2023 USRowing Summer National Championship for a combination of 21 crews in 16 different events. Year-round LHRC athletes and athletes who join us for summers only helped make this the biggest LHRC Summer Nationals showing yet! 8 LHRC crews made the Grand Finals with our Women’s 2- (LHRC A) of Olivia Olsen (S) and Leighton Smith (B) winning a bronze medal!

Women’s 2- (LHRC “A”): Bronze
Women’s 2x: 4th Place
Men’s U17 1x (LHRC “A”): 5th Place
Women’s 2- (LHRC “B”): 6th Place
Men’s 2x (LHRC “A”): 6th Place
Women’s U17 2x: 7th Place
Men’s 4-: 7th Place
Women’s 4+ (LHRC “A”): 7th Place

Unfortunately, weather eliminated the opportunity for Semi-Finals sending the top 7 boats in each Time Trial to the Grand Final. Time Trial (TT) results for crews that did not make finals are as below:

Women’s 4x: 9th Place
Women’s U17 1x (LHRC “A”): 12th Place
Men’s 2-: 12th Place
Men’s U17 4x: 15th Place
Women’s U17 4+: 15th Place
Women’s 8+: 15th Place
Men’s U17 2x: 16th Place
Women’s 4+ (LHRC “B”): 21st Place
Women’s U17 1x (LHRC “B”): 23rd Place
Men’s 4+: 25th Place
Men’s 1x: 31st Place
Men’s U17 1x (LHRC “B”): 34th Place
Men’s 2x (LHRC “B”): 45th Place

C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints

LHRC sent five youth athletes to the 2023 World Indoor Rowing Championship C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints in Boston in March. We are so proud of our athletes for their dedication to our sport. They put in a lot of meters this winter, and their hard work paid off! LHRC took home our first two youth CRASH-B medals, and one included a hammer!

LHRC on ESPN

Did you hear?! Litchfield Hills Rowing Club’s Girls Youth 4+’s excellent finish at the 2022 Head of the Charles Regatta was featured on Monday Night Football! How cool!