POZNAN, POLAND – Lily Wood (Great Britain) earned a gold medal and Victoria Grieder (Canada) captured bronze for their respective countries to highlight action for Rutgers rowing at the U23 World Championships, held July 23-27 in Poznan, Poland.
 
Four Scarlet Knights – Grieder, Wood, Chiara Saccomando (Germany) and Femke de Witt (the Netherlands) – competed at the championships. It marked Saccomando's third time competing at U23s, while Grieder made the second appearance of her international career. It was the international U23 debuts for both Wood and de Witt.
 
Wood helped Great Britain retain its U23 title in the women's eight (BW8+), clocking in with a time of 06:13.60 in the finals. The boat finished more than a kilometer ahead of Team USA, which finished second with a time of 06:16.28.
 
Grieder served as the coxswain for Canada's women's eight, helping her boat fend off Germany to finish third with a time of 06:19.37 in lane two. Grieder also assisted Canada with a second-place finish in its opening heat of the championships to advance to the final.
 
Saccomando helped Germany finish fourth in the event in 7 seat, while de Witt assisted the Netherlands to a seventh-place finish and a first-place result in the Final B heat of the championships.
 
The 50th anniversary of the program has culminated in a historic season for Rutgers rowing, including the team's sixth consecutive NCAA Championships appearance. RU finished eighth in the country at the national regatta and earned its best placement at the Big Ten Championships, finishing second with six silver medals.
 
For their efforts, head coach Justin Price and his staff were recognized as the CRCA Region 4 Coach of the Year and CRCA Regional Staff of the Year. Price was also named the 2025 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
 
Rutgers rowing team etched its names into the history books by capturing the Island Challenge Cup at the 2025 Henley Royal Regatta in England. Held on the iconic River Thames in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, this triumph marked the first time in the program's 50-year history that Rutgers competed at the prestigious regatta and emerged victorious, defeating Newcastle University in the final.
 
Under the guidance of Price, Rutgers rowing has trained and developed several Scarlet Knights who have participated on national teams with Wood and de Witt joining past competitors that include, Grieder, Saccomando, Hannah Heideveld, Femke Paulis, Karin Brandner, Sarah Johanek, and Ella Toa.