Founders Completes 2025 Season with Historic National Championship Medal Haul

History Made for Founders Rowing Club

This June, Founders Rowing delivered its strongest-ever performance at the 2025 USRowing Youth National Championships, medaling in four events and claiming two national titles in Sarasota, Florida. After qualifying seven boats at the USRowing Central Youth Championships, Founders advanced five crews to Nationals: the Women’s U17 Quad, U17 Double, 2nd Varsity Quad “A”, 2nd Varsity Quad “B”, and Varsity Quad. 

The Varsity Quad (Carolina Lotrean, Afton Juracek, Lillian Sells, Alex Evans) fought their way to a bronze medal in a deep field. After finishing seventh in the time trial, the crew came back with a third-place semifinal finish and surged ahead in the final when it mattered most, securing bronze. 

In the Women’s 2nd Varsity Quad, Founders fielded two entries, and remarkably, both medaled. The “A” boat (Elyana Brook, Fallon Dorney, Sarah Kostov, Claire Elden) gained speed as the weekend progressed. Following a third-place time trial and second-place semifinal finish, the crew delivered a dominant performance in the final to win the national title. Their teammates in the “B” boat (Lauren Boswell, Jada Muhia, Allison Boswell, Caroline Vesey) also made a strong run. They placed fourth in the time trial, second in the semifinal, and acquired silver in the final, just behind the “A” boat. 

The team added a second national title in the Women’s U17 Quad. Lauren Boswell, Fallon Dorney, Allison Boswell, and Mai Sharma proved untouchable all weekend, building on their Central Region championship win. They led the time trial by nearly eight seconds, controlled the semifinal, and crossed the line first in the final to claim gold. 

Rounding out Founders’ Nationals squad was the U17 Double of Emerson Vu and Kaitlin Vesey. The double advanced to the B Final and finished sixth, ranking them 14th nationally in a highly competitive field. 

With four medals and two national championships, the 2025 National Championships marked a milestone in Founders Rowing history. The team’s performance not only broke records but also set a new standard for excellence heading into the next season. Results by athlete were:

Carolina Lotrean: 3rd in Varsity Quad

Afton Juracek: 3rd in Varsity Quad

Lillian Sells: 3rd in Varsity Quad

Alex Evans: 3rd in Varsity Quad

Elyana Brook: 1st in 2nd Varsity Quad

Fallon Dorney: 1st in 2nd Varsity Quad, 1st in U17 Quad

Sarah Kostov: 1st in 2nd Varsity Quad

Claire Elden: 1st in 2nd Varsity Quad

Lauren Boswell: 2nd in 2nd Varsity Quad, 1st in U17 Quad

Jada Muhia: 2nd in 2nd Varsity Quad

Allison Boswell: 2nd in 2nd Varsity Quad, 1st in U17 Quad

Caroline Vesey: 2nd in the 2nd Varsity Quad

Mai Sharma: 1st in U17 Quad

Emerson Vu: 14th in U17 2x

Kaitlin Vesey: 14th in U17 2x