Five more athletes from the California Rowing Club now representing Team USA at World Rowing Cup in Poland

Five more athletes from the California Rowing Club (CRC) have been selected to represent to the United States national team for the World Cup II in Poznan, Poland, which is set to take place this week.

CRC members Pieter Quinton, Michael Knippen, Chris Carlson, Andrew Gaard and Andrew LeRoux were chosen from the US Rowing Selection Camp that was held in Sacramento last month. The quintet will join Ben Davison, Justin Best and Michael Grady on the national team, bringing the total number of CRC participants representing their home country to eight.

Quinton, Knippen, Carlson and Gaard were selected to race in the Men’s 4- competition in Poland, making that contingent an all-CRC outfit for the games. LeRoux was selected to race in the Men’s 2-, where he will compete alongside Michael Clougher from the Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association.

Quinton credited CRC coaches Mike Teti and Nathanael “Skip” Kielt for helping him advance to the World Cup.

"I'm very excited to have been selected in the men's four with fellow CRC athletes Mike, Chris, and Andrew to race at World Cup 2 in Poland,” said Quinton, who was a second team All American as a graduate student racing at the University of Washington in 2021. “We've had a couple productive weeks of training together under the guidance of Mike and Skip and are looking forward to testing our speed against some strong international competition."

Knippen, who is currently in Europe with his teammates, echoed Quinton’s sentiments about the CRC training program.

“After being away most of May for National Sailing Regatta II and selection camp it was a great feeling returning to Oakland to train with our 4- of CRC guys in preparation for World Cup II,” said Knippen, who raced at the University of Wisconsin. “It is an honor to race for the national team and now is the time to focus in, trust the meters we put in with Mike/Skip back in California, and lay down our fastest pieces. Our goal here is for each race to be an accurate reflection of what we are capable of and come Finals day be in contention for medals. It is quite windy this week in Poznan and the Estuary has prepared us for whatever conditions may be thrown at us. CRC has a strong showing amongst the team here and we are all excited to start racing on Friday.”

Like the Men’s 4- team, team USA will be represented in Poland by an all-CRC crew for the Men’s Pair competition. Grady and Best qualified for the World Rowing Cup for the Men’s Pair race by winning in that grouping at the National Selection Regatta II competition in May. Davison was the first CRC member to qualify for the World Cup when he captured the single sculls race at the first National Selection Regatta in Sarasota, Florida in March.

The World Rowing Cup II in Poland will take place from June 16 – June 19 and will provide valuable experience against a global field for the CRC rowers, many of whom are competing for the first time at the senior level internationally.

The World Cup II is the start of the international season for Team USA, which will move next to the Royal Henley Regatta in London from June 28 – July 3. Following that competition, the team will relocate back to the states for a final training session before competing in the World Championships in the Czech Republic in September.