World Rowing U-23 Championships: Peachey, Canada BW8+ Earn Bronze
7/18/2023 10:00:00 AM | Rowing
• World Rowing
Four members of the Big Ten Champion University of Michigan rowing program are competing for their respective countries at the 2023 World Rowing Under-23 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from Wednesday through Sunday (July 19-23).
Rising senior Abigail Dent and sophomore Jana Peachey will compete for Team Canada, rowing in the 4- and 8+ boats, respectively. Team Australia's 4+ boat includes senior Zara Collisson and junior Katie Easton.
The championship regatta attracts up to 1,000 rowers from around the world and includes 22 boat classes in which to compete. The event is back in Plovdiv for the first time since 2017. Streaming information will be available at the World Rowing site.
Racing Schedule
Times are local (7 hours ahead of EST)
BW4- (12 entries)
Heats -- Thursday, July 20 (9:45/9:50 a.m.)
Reps/Quarterfinals -- Friday, July 21 (9:30/9:35 a.m.)
B Finals -- Sunday, July 23 (9:50 a.m.)
A Finals -- Sunday, July 23 (11:40 a.m.)
BW4+ (five entries)
Heats -- Wednesday, July 19 (3 p.m.)
A Finals -- Saturday, July 22 (3:50 p.m.)
BW8+ (seven entries)
Heats -- Thursday, July 20 (9/9:05 a.m.)
Reps/Quarterfinals -- Friday, July 21 (9 a.m.)
A Finals -- Sunday, July 23 (12:55 p.m.)
July 23: Peachey, Canada BW8+ Earn Bronze
Jana Peachey and the Canadian BW8+ earned a bronze medal on Sunday in a six-boat final. With Peachey in the fifth seat, the boat timed 6:16.99, narrowly edging out the Brits (6:17.05) for a medal in a thrilling finish. The American eight won gold in 6:09.14 and Germany won the silver in 6:13.34. The Dutch and Italians finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Team Canada replicated its placing in the opening heats after a disappointing repechage on Friday, bouncing back in a big way to earn the bronze.
Abigail Dent rowed with the BW4- for Team Canada. In Sunday's A Final, the boat timed 6:39.90 to finish fifth. Dent rowed in the second seat as the Canadians finished in 6:39.90. Poland won the gold medal in 6:33.99, showing just how tight the race was.
July 22: Gold Medal for Collisson, Easton, Australian BW4+
Zara Collisson and Katie Easton helped row Team Australia's BW4+ to a gold medal on Saturday. Following their prelim heat win, the Aussie boat raced out of lane three and timed 6:49.56 with Collisson in the third seat and Easton in bow. New Zealand (6:50.86) won the silver and the Americans (6:51.59) took the bronze. Italy and Germany were fourth and fifth. The race marked the second straight gold for Australia in the coxed four and a successful finish to the U-23 Championships for Collisson and Easton.
July 21: Peachey, Canadian 8+ Through Reps to A Final
Racing in the eight repechage, Jana Peachey and Team Canada rowed to a fourth-place finish. The boat timed 6:30.21 with Peachey in the fifth seat. The Dutch won the race in 6:24.06 with the Germans in second at 6:25.95 and Italy in third. The fourth-place finish gives Team Canada the last qualifying spot for the A Final, set for Sunday (July 23).
July 20: Dent, Canadian 4- Advance to A Final
In the day's first heats, Team Canada's 8+ rowed to a third-place finish with Jana Peachey in the fifth seat. The boat from Great Britain won with a fast time of 6:23.92, more than three seconds ahead of second-place Netherlands, and the Canadians (6:29.23) were about two seconds behind the Dutch. The Brits will move on to the Final, while Peachey and her teammates will prepare for Friday's (July 21) repechages, which determine seeding ahead of the final. Romania finished fourth.
Later in the morning, Abigail Dent rowed with the Canadian four (4-) and helped the boat win the first heat in 6:50.57 out of the fourth lane. Dent rowed from the second seat in a competitive race. The Canadians crossed first ahead of Australia (6:51.31) and Chile (6:53.71) with Spain, Germany and Hungary rounding out the bottom three. Team Canada will go directly to the A Final, putting Dent and her teammates in a prime position to earn a medal on Sunday (July 23).
July 19: Wolverine Duo Leads Team Australia to 4+ Win in Prelim Heat
On the first day of racing in Plovdiv, Zara Collisson and Katie Easton helped Team Australia win the preliminary heat for the coxed four (4+). Collisson rowed in the third seat with Easton in bow as the Aussie boat timed 6:58.6 out of lane two to edge out New Zealand (7:00.66). The Americans finished third (7:05.97) with Germany and Italy fourth and fifth, a long distance behind.
The win gives the Australian four a great starting point, and top lane draw for the event final on Saturday (July 22). The boat is seeking to defend its 2022 gold medal in the event.
Below is information about all four competing Wolverines and an event schedule.
Canada
Abigail Dent (BW4-)
Jana Peachey (BW8+)
A Kenora, Ontario, native, Dent has been a top contributor for varsity eights during her entire three-year career at Michigan and was named a second-team All-American last week. She stroked the Wolverine 1V8 to Big Ten gold this spring and is the program record-holder on the erg. This is her third time being named to Team Canada's U-23 World Championship roster (2021-22), having rowed in the BW2x and 8+.
Peachey is from Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, and rowed in the 1V8, 2V8, and 1V8 boats this spring as a first-year Wolverine. The pair have been teammates before; Peachey rowed with Dent in the 8+ at the 2022 U-23 World Rowing Event, making this Peachey's second time rowing with the Canadian U-23 team.
Australia
Zara Collisson, Katie Easton (BW4+)
Collisson (Sydney) and Easton (Melbourne) both rowed in U-M's 1V8 during the 2023 postseason, helping to clinch the team title at the Big Ten Championship, and the pair will be in the same boat for Team Australia as well in the coxed four. Both athletes were also recognized with All-America honors for the first time in their careers last week, with Collison earning first-team accolades and Easton picking up second-team honors.
Collisson has represented Team Australia before, in last summer's (2022) U-23 World Championship event. Easton has rowed for Team Australia at the Junior World Championship level (2019), but this represents her first opportunity at the U-23 level. Australia is the defending champion in the 4+ event.
Players Mentioned
