WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg Boat Club athletes turned in a strong showing at the 2026 USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Fla., earning multiple top-20 finishes and marking one of the program’s most successful national outings to date.
The club sent a record number of boats to the national regatta, where junior crews competed against some of the strongest programs in the country.
Leading the way was Lauren Inge, who placed 12th nationally in the women’s (under-17) U17 single after advancing to the B final. Several other WBC boats also posted top finishes, including a 17th-place result in the women’s second varsity quad with Lilly Reuter, Annie Cornish, Evie Mortier and Seva Ananthram.
The men’s under-16 (U16) coxed quad of Andrew Grable, Jack Bulich, Grayson Johnson, Russell Hicks and Emily Imperial also finished 17th, while the women’s U17 quad of Penelope Thomas, Eleanore Fornshell, Jaya Ananthram and Estelle Miller placed 20th. The women’s varsity quad of Inge, Annabelle Shultz, Mary Kate Sabol and Brynn Spicer finished 22nd.
“These results are a testament to the commitment and perseverance of our athletes and coaches,” Executive Director Sharon Kriz said.
WBC also found success at the USRowing Youth Beach Sprint National Championships, where the boys double of Porter Redgate and Arden Aponte finished eighth nationally in the fast-growing discipline, which will debut at the 2028 Olympics.
The club will bring that discipline closer to home Aug. 1–2 when it hosts the inaugural Jamestown Coastal Clash at Jamestown Beach. The event will showcase beach sprint racing in a spectator-friendly format with athletes from across the region.
Club leaders said development remains the program’s core focus. Every WBC athlete competing at nationals first came through the organization’s Learn to Row program, underscoring its athlete pipeline and community-based approach.
Graduating seniors from the program will continue their rowing and academic careers at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Old Dominion University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, the University of Louisville, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Christopher Newport University and Virginia Commonwealth University.
For more information visit williamsburgboatclub.org.
