Trio of Wolverines Ready for World Rowing U23 Championships
7/22/2019 1:15:00 PM | Rowing
SARASOTA, Fla. -- Three athletes from the University of Michigan rowing program have made their way to the Sunshine State this week, preparing to compete at the Under-23 World Championships at Nathan Benderson Park. Rising junior Tayla-May Bentley and sophomore Jessica Schoonbee will compete for the South African national team, and fellow sophomore Jeri Rhodes will row for Team USA.
Racing will begin with heats on Wednesday (July 24), and finals are scheduled for Sunday (July 28). For the first time, all five days of racing will be live streamed via ESPN3 (also available on the ESPN app).
Bentley and Schoonbee will make up the South African pair (W2-), and they will be coached by U-M assistant Liz Tuppen. The duo has been training in Ann Arbor with Tuppen on Belleville Lake. Both athletes have represented their country before at the Junior World Rowing Championships.
Bentley and Schoonbee occupied seats in Michigan's first varsity eight boat this spring. They helped U-M win a Big Ten title, its first since 2012, and captured a gold medal in the process before going on to place third at the NCAA Championships. Bentley was Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2017, and Schoonbee won the honor this spring. Bentley was also named to the All-Big Ten second team.
Rhodes will row for the American 8+ boat. Rhodes is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, and rowed in Michigan's second varsity eight (2V8) this past spring. Rhodes sat fifth in the postseason, helping her boat win a Big Ten title and place third at the NCAA Championships.
Nathan Benderson Park was the host of the 2017 World Rowing Championships and served as the site of the 2018 NCAA Championships.
