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PNRA/Mercer Junior Rowers To Race For National Championship Titles

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 8, 2026

West Windsor, NJ – 62 athletes competing in 9 boats will represent Princeton National Rowing Association’s Mercer Junior Rowing Club (PNRA/Mercer) as they race for a national title at USRowing’s Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida on June 11-14, 2026.  The Mercer athletes represent 22 high schools from throughout the greater Mercer County area.  Mercer has consistently had boats finish in the top ten in recent years.

The 236 teams who will compete at this year’s Championships represent 35 different states.  They qualified through region events to receive invitations to the Youth National Championships.  The Mercer Juniors qualified to attend the Youth National Championships at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship, held on Mercer Lake on May 9-10.

“We are really excited to have another large group of athletes traveling to compete at Youth Nationals again this year,” commented Mercer Director of Rowing James Hamp.  “After winning the team points trophy at Mid-Atlantic, the athletes have stepped up and improved even more over the past 4 weeks of training and I can’t wait to see the whole team execute their best this week to end the season. A special thanks to the entire Mercer and PNRA community back home and here in Florida cheering them on for making this possible in every way!”

The Mercer Junior Rowing Program trains at the Caspersen Rowing Center which is located in Mercer County Park on Mercer Lake.  The Mercer Junior program includes 180 high school age student athletes during the school year.  The Youth National Championships is the culmination of a year of training for this athletes.

Members of the Mercer Juniors competing at the 2026 USRowing Youth National Championships:

Men’s Varsity 8+
Jack            Deverin           Princeton High School
Oliver          Yiacas             Hopewell Valley Central High School
Calder         Griffin             The Pennington School
Vrishank      Nalla              West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Grant          Shore             Princeton High School
Cole            Martin             Voorhees High School
Brayden      Collins            Lawrence High School
Lukas          Yiacas             Hopewell Valley Central High School
Joseph        Koyfman         North Hunterdon High School

Women’s Pair (2-)
Lolita          Nechay           The Pennington School
Sophie        Jing                Princeton High School

Women’s Pair (2-)
Katherine    Kramer           Red Bank Regional High School
Madeline     Wirth              Notre Dame High School

Men’s 2nd Varsity 8+
Will             Kovalick          Princeton High School
Leone         Westrick         Princeton High School
Nathaniel    Van de Graaff  Biotechnology High School
Gabriel        Colon             Princeton High School
Sandor        Tomei             St. Joseph High School—Metuchen
Hollis          Kaputa            Princeton High School
Gavin          McDonough     Hopewell Valley Central High School
Thomas       Huang            Hopewell Valley Central High School
Olivia          Huynh            West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Men’s 2nd Varisity 8+
Jayen          Patel               Montgomery High School
Ritvik          Arvind            West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Dhilan         Asarpota         Princeton High School
Becket        Washburn       The Pennington School
Evan           Kalmar           Jackson Township High School
Fred            Sellars            New Hope Solebury High School
Arden          De Sanctis      Notre Dame High School
Logan         Lee                 West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Jess            Ehee               Princeton High School

Men’s U17 4+
Ithan Javier Rodriguez       Jackson Liberty High School
Alexander    Wang             West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
Maxim         Petrov            Princeton High School
Mason         McGovern       Princeton High School
Charissa      Hsu                Princeton High School
Men’s U17 8+
Lucius         Rufo               Princeton High School
Ryan           Masiuk            Princeton High School
Shaurya      Dasani            West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Andrei         Styrkas           Princeton High School
Desmond    McDonough     Hopewell Valley Central High School
Carter         Whyatt           Princeton High School
Erik             Thyrum           Princeton High School
Ekaansh      Singh             Princeton High School
Gregory      Koyfman         North Hunterdon High School
Women’s U16 8+
Rachel         Lee                 The Lewis School
Csilla          Asztalos          Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
Shirley        Xu                  West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Shelby        Church            Hillsborough Middle School
Claire          Menapace       Princeton High School
Rose           Gutierrez        Lawrence High School
Caia            Howcroft         Princeton High School
Grace          Chen              Princeton High School
Aahna         Parikh             Central Jersey College Prep
Men’s U16 8+
Xiaocheng   Wu                 Princeton High School
Vivaan        Dattani           West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Nigel           Boyd              Franklin High School
Arhaan        Mohindru        Community Middle School
Armaan       Jhajaria          The Hun School
Kristof         Tomei             St. Joseph High School—Metuchen
Ronan         Kuwar             The Pennington School
Sebastian    Rodricks         Princeton High School
Annika        Sheth             Holicong Middle School
 

About the Princeton National Rowing Association

 

The Princeton National Rowing Association, a 501(c)3 organization, operates the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center located on the shores of Mercer Lake, Mercer County Park in West Windsor, New Jersey.  The Princeton National Rowing Association is dedicated to operating a world-class training site for our nation’s elite athletes, providing opportunities for area youth to excel in the sport of rowing and to expand rowing in the area through community-based programs.  PNRA runs the Mercer Junior Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for youth from over 30 area schools, the Mercer Masters Rowing Program and various outreach programs including the STEM to Stern Program and Capital City Indoor Rowing League.  The Center is a home to the USRowing National and Olympic Teams, as well as rowing clubs and schools.

 

For more information, contact Kristopher Grudt, tel: 609-977-1094, krisgrudt@rowpnra.org or visit www.rowpnra.org.

 

The Princeton National Rowing Association Seeks Outreach Program Manager

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The Princeton National Rowing Association (PNRA) and its Mercer Rowing Program are looking to add a full time Outreach and Inclusion Manger to our team.

PNRA is dedicated to building opportunities for area youth to excel in the sport of rowing and expanding rowing in our local communities. PNRA’s Outreach Programs invite disadvantaged youth from Trenton and Mercer County to participate in an organized sport with peers that can challenge their life expectations and goals.

PNRA’s Outreach activities include the STEM to Stern Program (in conjunction with Princeton University), Swim to Row Program, and working with local schools and community programs to introduce juniors and adults to rowing.

Our Outreach/Inclusion Manager must:

  • Understand the importance of the sport beyond simply teaching the sport;
  • Realize the potential for influence in the lives of kids, teenagers and adults; and
  • Realize the character elements of the sport of rowing and what it can provide to communities.

The Outreach and Inclusion Manager:

  • Coordinates all aspects of the Outreach Programs, including:
    • PNRA’s STEM to Stern Program with Princeton University and the national level STEM to Stern Program;
    • PNRA’s strategic outreach/inclusion partnerships with area schools and community groups;
    • Outreach activities with schools and youth groups and programs at the Caspersen Rowing Center;
    • Transportation for Outreach athletes;
    • Interactions and communications with participants, their families and the community;
  • Works with PNRA staff to obtain funding for Outreach Activities;
  • Coordinates academic support for Outreach Student Athletes as required;
  • As part of the PNRA and the Mercer Rowing Programs you may also be asked to do some coaching of Juniors

Applicants should have coaching experience, a Coaching level 2 certification is preferred, have a valid drivers license and complete all certifications required (CPR, First Aid, Boater Safety). Salary commensurate with experi

ence. PNRA also provides health insurance and a 401k plan.

PNRA and this position are based in the Caspersen Rowing Center on Mercer Lake, West Windsor, NJ, The Caspersen Rowing Center is home to the USRowing National Team. PNRA operates the nationally ranked Mercer Junior Rowing Program.

To apply please submit a cover letter and resume to info@rowpnra.org.

Former Mercer Junior Rower Killed In Ukraine Providing Humanitarian Aid

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The thoughts and prayers of the entire PNRA/Mercer community go out to the family of Pete Reed, the American humanitarian aid worker killed in the Ukraine earlier this month.  Mr. Reed grew up in Burlington, NJ and rowed for the Mercer Junior Rowing Program when he was in high school.  He spent time in the Marine Corps before co-founding Global Outreach Doctors which focused its efforts on providing medical aid in war torn areas.  He was killed by a missile on February 2, just outside of Bakhmut, Ukraine.

Humanitarian worker from N.J. killed in Ukraine is remembered for ‘his selflessness’ – nj.com

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/world/europe/russian-attack-aid-worker-video.html?searchResultPosition=3