Lily Wood of Great Britain won a gold medal and Victoria Grieder of Canada secured bronze at the U23 World Championships in Poznan, Poland, from July 23 to 27. Both athletes represented Rutgers rowing on the international stage.
The event featured four Scarlet Knights: Grieder, Wood, Chiara Saccomando of Germany, and Femke de Witt of the Netherlands. Saccomando competed for the third time at the U23 level, while Grieder made her second appearance. For Wood and de Witt, this was their first experience at an international U23 competition.
Wood contributed to Great Britain’s victory in the women’s eight (BW8+), with her boat finishing in 06:13.60 during the finals. The team finished ahead of Team USA by more than a kilometer; Team USA clocked in at 06:16.28.
Grieder was coxswain for Canada’s women’s eight crew, which finished third with a time of 06:19.37. Her efforts also helped Canada advance to the final after placing second in its opening heat.
Saccomando rowed in the seventh seat for Germany’s crew that placed fourth, while de Witt helped lead the Netherlands to seventh place overall and first place in Final B.
This season marked the program’s 50th anniversary and included several achievements for Rutgers rowing. The team made its sixth straight NCAA Championships appearance and finished eighth nationally. At the Big Ten Championships, Rutgers placed second overall and collected six silver medals.
Head coach Justin Price and his staff received recognition as CRCA Region 4 Coach of the Year and CRCA Regional Staff of the Year. Price was named 2025 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Rutgers rowing also captured its first Island Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta on England’s River Thames—its inaugural win at this event after competing against Newcastle University in the final.
Coach Price has overseen training for multiple Scarlet Knights who have joined national teams over recent years—including current competitors Wood and de Witt as well as past participants such as Grieder, Saccomando, Hannah Heideveld, Femke Paulis, Karin Brandner, Sarah Johanek, and Ella Toa.
“
