Following a successful season for men’s and women’s rowing, five Drexel student-athletes and two Drexel coaches were chosen to participate in the U23 World Rowing Championships. The event, which took place from July 23 to 27, in Poznan, Poland, celebrated nearly 700 elite rowers from around the world.
Andrei Axintoi competed for Romania in the Men’s Quadruple Sculls. Axintoi previously competed in the 2023 European Rowing U23 Championships for Romania. This year, his team raced in Heat 2, finishing in fourth, with a time of 5:55.80. Unfortunately, this was not fast enough to advance to the semifinals, however the team was able to compete in the Final C, placing second with a time of 5:57.78.
On the women’s side, Sarah Ghazaz represented Morocco in the Lightweight single event. She finished with a time of 8:30.02, which placed her in fifth place in Heat 1. Ghazaz moved on to Final B, rowing 2000 meters in 8:24.74.
Matthew Kennedy and incoming freshman Ryan Miller were selected for the Men’s Double Sculls for the United States. Their time of 6:46.17 placed them fifth in Heat 2. In their second race, the duo rowed in 6:33.46, finishing in sixth place in Final C.
Representing the host country, Poland, Bartek Socha was the most successful of the Drexel athletes, competing in the Men’s 4. Socha participated in Heat 3 with a time of 6:18.74 and a second-place finish. The boat advanced to the Semifinal 2, rowing in 6:16.41 and earning sixth place in their heat. Finally, the team competed in Final B, achieving a PR of 6:07.33 and taking home fourth place.
In addition to the five Drexel athletes, men’s rowing head coach Matt Weaver and assistant coach Gary Wielgus had the opportunity to coach Kennedy and Miller in Double Sculls for the United States. Previously, the pair coached the US Lightweight team in 2024.
The U23 World Rowing Championships provided athletes and coaches a unique opportunity to represent Drexel on the world stage. These experiences will allow the rowing program to improve and become more successful in the upcoming season, which begins on Oct. 13th.