Gainesville Area Rowing boats place 5th and 19th in the nation at Youth Nationals

Press release from Gainesville Area Rowing

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville Area Rowing (GAR) concluded the year with two boats and six athletes competing at USRowing Youth Nationals in Sarasota. The club qualified two boats for the national competition at USRowing Southeast Youth Competition in May.

Taking the gold at SE Regionals in the Women’s Youth 2- event, with a time of 8:10.06 and a commanding lead of 12.55 seconds, were Sophie Goldstein (Forest High School) and Addison Mathews (Gainesville High School).

The Men’s Youth 4- qualified with a 4th-place finish at SE Regionals in a time of 7:18.10. The crew was composed of Matthew Krzykowski (P.K. Yonge High School), Miles Loyd (Buchholz High School), Mason Turek (homeschool), and Eli Wells (Buchholz High School) representing GAR.

Sophie and Addison had an exemplary run at nationals, qualifying for the A final and ultimately finishing 5th in the nation. This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work and dedication they demonstrated all season. Addison joined GAR as a 6th grader, and Sophie just completed her first year of rowing. Rowing requires crews to be in perfect harmony to achieve top results. This requirement is heightened in the pair, where the rowers must be evenly matched throughout the race. Their commitment to training and each other was evident throughout the event. They are in an excellent position to start the season strong next year, as Sophie is a rising senior and Addison is a rising junior.

The Men’s Youth 4- posted a season-best time at Nationals with 6:48.190, placing 19th in the nation. The crew is composed of one rising senior, Krzykowski, and three rising juniors – Loyd, Turek, and Wells. The crew showed tremendous growth between SE Regionals in mid-May and Nationals, improving their time by nearly 30 seconds.

The women’s and men’s crews showed extensive growth from the fall to the spring under the coaching of interim head coach Garrett Bauer. Garrett previously served as men’s coach and middle school coach for GAR. Bauer started his rowing career at GAR as a youth rower.

Additional Noteworthy Mentions for the spring season include:

• Florida Scholastic Rowing Association (FSRA) North District Championship
  • 1st Place Finishes – Womens 2-, Mens Lightweight 2x, Womens Lightweight 1x, Middle School Boys 4x, Mixed Middle School 4x, Mens 2V 4+, Mens Varsity 4+, Mens Junior 1x
• Florida Scholastic Rowing Association – State Sculling Championships
  • 4th Place – Mens Junior 1x
  • 4th Place – Mens 2V 4x
• Florida Scholastic Rowing Association – State Sweep Championships
  • 2nd Place – Womens 2-
  • 2nd Place – Mens 2V 4+

The growth that the team saw through the spring season is a direct result of not only the training plan but also the camaraderie and the shared passion for the sport that these young athletes have demonstrated. They showed what it truly means to strive for excellence.

The excellence of GAR can also be seen in the recruitment of our rowers to competitive college teams. This past spring, Caroline Pulliam signed with the University of Tennessee as a coxswain and will begin rowing with The Vols in August. In the previous two years, 5 GAR alumni were signed to D1 or D2 programs. Athletes are currently competing at Syracuse University, Rutgers University, La Salle University, Gonzaga University, and Rollins College.

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