Nine Ontario University Rowers to Compete at Junior Pan Am Qualifiers
With files from RCA
Nine of Ontario’s brightest university rowers will compete this week in Asunción, Paraguay with the goal of securing boat qualifications for the 2025 Junior Pan American Games. RCA recently announced the team for the qualification regatta, which is scheduled for March 19-22, 2025. The event will be a key step in Canada’s pathway to the second edition of the Junior Pan Am Games, taking place August 9-23, 2025.
Five Ontario university programs will be represented at the event. The Ontario university rowers named to the team include Oliver Baker and Kyland Mels-Williams (Western University), Maddox Harrison, Euan Coulson and Riley Watson (Brock University), Kaija Erickson and Jacquie Groenewegen (Queen’s University), Tess Friar (Trent University), and Roksolana Nazar (University of Toronto). Brock University Head Coach Katie Bruggeling was also named as one of the coaches of the team.
Following the success of the inaugural Junior Pan Am Games in Cali, Colombia, in 2021, the upcoming event promises to be an exciting showcase of emerging talent. A total of 4,206 athletes from 41 countries will compete in 27 sports and 43 disciplines, making it a significant multi-sport event for young athletes across the Americas.
Canadian rowers heading to Paraguay will be tasked with competing in multiple boat classes over the four-day qualification regatta. RCA is focusing on qualifying the men’s and women’s coxless fours (4-) and quadruple sculls (4x), as securing spots in these events will grant automatic qualification for the pairs (2-), double sculls (2x), and single sculls (1x) events at the main Games in August.
Athletes selected for this qualification regatta were identified through RCA’s NextGen Assessment and Monitoring program, as well as their performances at key 2024 events, such as the National Rowing Championships, Canadian University Rowing Championships, Ontario University Athletics Championships, and the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.
The Canadian team departs for Paraguay on March 12 and will have a five-day training period from March 14-18 to acclimate to the conditions before racing begins on March 19. The regatta will conclude on March 22, at which point, RCA will assess its qualification results and plan for the next steps leading into the 2025 Junior Pan Am Games.
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For general information about the Junior Pan American Games this August, click HERE.
For more information about the number of athletes, disciplines, and countries competing at the Junior Pan American Games, click HERE.
TEAM ROSTER
Oliver Baker – University of Western Ontario
Euan Coulson – Brock University
Maddox Harrison – Brock University
Kyland Mels-Williams – University of Western Ontario
Riley Watson – Brock University
Kaija Erickson – Queen’s University
Tess Friar – Trent / Peterborough
Jacquie Groenewegen – Queen’s University
Kate Kulig – NorthStar Rowing Club
Roksolana Nazar – University of Toronto
Ellie Sousa – University of Victoria
COACHES
Katie Bruggeling – Brock University
Joe Rochon – Montreal Rowing Club
Chuck McDiarmid – Team Lead Rowing Canada Aviron
Photo is property of RCA.
