GRP Row: Summer Update
The Green Racing Project’s senior rowing crew has been hard at work, making an impact at some of the sport’s most competitive events this summer—including World Cups, ERAs, selection camps, trials, and the Canadian Henley.
At World Cups 1 and 2 in Varese, Italy and Lucerne, Switzerland, GRP athletes turned in standout performances:
Jacob Plihal: Silver in the Men’s Single (M1x) and bronze in the Men’s Quad (M4x).
Holly Drapp: Silver with the Women’s Eight (W8+) and gold in the Mixed Eight.
Calleb Nollenberger: Gold in the Mixed Eight.
Grace Joyce: Gold in the Mixed Eight, and A-Final appearances in both World Cups in the Women’s Double (W2x).
After a quick return stateside, the crew dove into an intense month-long selection camp in Princeton, NJ to qualify for the World Rowing Championships. GRP’s Anna Jensen, Sera Busse, Sophie Calabrese, Sue Holderness, and Kai Hoite joined the World Cup group for the selection camp. Following the selection camp, there was a trials event for small boats to qualify for worlds in which all GRP rowers raced. Finals on Sunday saw tight racing and great performances by GRP athletes:
Holly Drapp and pair partner Jess Thoennes (Princeton Training Center) earned their World Championships selection after a strong run at trials, finishing second in the pair and meeting time standards by a wide margin behind a pair already selected for the W8+.
Anna Jensen and Mia Levy finished a close fourth in a thrilling pair final, with just 0.61 seconds separating places 3-5.
Jacob Plihal won the men’s single at trials but opted out to focus on the men’s quad, where he’d been selected at camp.
Calleb Nollenberger had an outstanding performance in the men's single, securing fifth in a deep field.
Cooper Tuckerman had a fantastic race and finished second in the lightweight single, just 0.16 seconds behind the winner.
Six GRP athletes will proudly represent Team USA at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China (September 21-28):
Anna Jensen – Women’s Eight (W8+)
Sophie Calabrese – Women’s Quad (W4x)
Sera Busse – Women’s Quad (W4x)
Grace Joyce – Women’s Double (W2x)
Holly Drapp – Women’s Pair (W2-)
Jacob Plihal – Men’s Quad (M4x)
The Worlds group is dialing in their preparations at the U.S. Olympic training center in Chula Vista, CA ahead of departure for Shanghai in mid-September, while the rest of the GRP squad will resume full team practice in early September.
