The Sydney International Regatta Centre will once again host the nation’s best, with Australia’s top Senior, Para and Under 23 rowers set to converge on Penrith for the 2026 Australian Rowing Team Selection Regatta from April 15-19.
With places in Australian crews on the line, invited athletes will face five days of high-pressure racing, including small boat racing and testing, as Rowing Australia looks to shape its 2026 international campaign.
In a major milestone ahead of the regatta, Rowing Australia has confirmed the selection of its coxswains for the 2026 World Cup season, following a comprehensive and performance-focused assessment process.
Selected coxswains are:
Women’s Eight: Hayley Verbunt OLY (Mercantile Rowing Club / VIC / HPNTC)
Men’s Eight: Nicholas Dunlop (Sydney Rowing Club / NSW / RBNTC)
PR3 Mixed Coxed Four: Hannah Cowap PLY (Sydney Rowing Club / NSW / NSWIS)
The selection process saw candidates submit coxing CVs and performance recordings, before progressing through interviews and a structured on-water assessment within the National Training Centre environment. Coxswains were evaluated across steering, tactical execution, communication, leadership and their ability to maximise crew performance, with final decisions aligned to long-term objectives toward the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
Rowing Australia Performance Director Paul Thompson MBE said the selection regatta is an important benchmarks in the high-performance system.
“The Selection Regatta is where crews begin to take shape and a next step in earning the right to represent Australia on the international stage,” said Thompson.
“With World Cups in Europe and the World Championships in Amsterdam later this year, the standard will be incredibly high and we expect fierce, competitive racing across every category.”
For Senior and Para athletes, performances in Penrith will be a major consideration for selection for the 2026 World Rowing Cups in Europe, before the final Rowsellas squad is confirmed to compete at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam from August 24-30.
Meanwhile, Under 23 athletes will be racing for selection to the Australian team bound for the 2026 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, to be held from 23-26 July in Duisburg, Germany.
In addition to racing at Penrith, a cohort of Australia’s leading US-based athletes will contest the 2026 Australian Under 23 USA Selection Trials from June 10-13 in Princeton.
Featuring student-athletes competing across the NCAA and IRA system, the invite list highlights the growing international footprint of Australian rowing, with representatives from programs including Princeton University, Harvard University, Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley.
Rowing Australia Head of Pathways Jason Lane said the regatta represents a critical moment for emerging athletes looking to step onto the world stage.
“This is a defining opportunity for our Under 23 athletes to transition into the international system,” said Lane.
“The depth of talent coming through is incredibly strong, and this regatta will identify the crews capable of representing Australia with distinction in Duisburg.”
The invite list features a blend of proven performers and rising talent, including Paralympic legend Erik Horrie OAM, Olympic Gold medallist Alexander Hill OAM, and Tokyo Olympian Tara Rigney OLY.
Adding to the intrigue, six members of Queensland’s historic King’s Cup-winning crew from the 2026 Australian Rowing Championships have been invited to trial, underlining the strength of Australia’s domestic competition and the pathway from state success to international representation.
Para Rowing:
Erik Horrie OAM (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / QAS - NTC), Toby Goffsassen PLY (QLD / KAND Rowing Club / RBNTC), Cormac Hayes (ACT / Canberra Rowing Club / ACTAS), Susannah Lutze PLY (VIC / Mercantile Rowing Club / RBNTC), Ella Marshall (TAS / Banks Rowing Club / RBNTC), Mac Russell (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club / QAS), Wallis Russell (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club), Sam Stunell (SA / Adelaide Rowing Club / RBNTC)
Senior Women:
Lily Alton OLY (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club / HPNTC), Paige Barr OLY (VIC / Mercantile Rowing Club / HPNTC), Ella Bramwell (SA / Adelaide Rowing Club / HPNTC), Romy Cantwell (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / VIS), Taylor Caudle (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / HPNTC), Zara Collisson (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / HPNTC), Bronwyn Cox OLY (WA / University of Western Australia Boat Club / HPNTC), Sara de Uray (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club), Katie Easton (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / HPNTC), Sarah Fahd (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / NSWIS), Jaime Ford (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / HPNTC), Emmie Frederico (VIC / Mercantile Rowing Club / HPNTC), Eliza Gaffney (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / HPNTC), Georgie Gleeson (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / HPNTC), Laura Gourley OLY (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / HPNTC), Catherine Khan (ACT / ANU Boat Club / ACTAS), Annabelle McIntyre OAM (WA / Fremantle Rowing Club / HPNTC), Caitlin McManus-Barrett (ACT / Sydney Rowing Club / ACTAS), Jean Mitchell OLY (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / HPNTC), Gabriela Morton (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club), Samantha Morton (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club), Giorgia Patten OLY (WA / West Australian Rowing Club / HPNTC), Rebecca Pretorius (WA / Swan River Rowing Club / WAIS), Tara Rigney OLY (NSW / Mosman Rowing Club / NSWIS), Georgina Rowe OLY (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / HPNTC), Emily Sheppard (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / HPNTC), Jacqueline Swick OLY (WA / Swan River Rowing Club / HPNTC), Grace Sypher (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / NSWIS), Sarah Tisdall (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / NSWIS)
Senior Men:
Charlie Batrouney (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / RBNTC), Nicholas Blackman (SA / Adelaide University Boat Club / RBNTC), Henry Blackwell (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / NSWIS), Benjamin Canham OLY (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / RBNTC), Jack Cleary OLY (WA / West Australian Rowing Club / RBNTC), Hamish Danks (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / NSWIS), Johnson Daubney (WA / Swan River Rowing Club / RBNTC), Angus Dawson OLY (SA / Adelaide Rowing Club / RBNTC), Marcus Della Marta (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / RBNTC), Lachlan Doust (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / RBNTC), Dominic Frederico (VIC / Mercantile Rowing Club / VIS), Jackson Free (QLD / KAND Rowing Club / RBNTC), Fergus Hamilton OLY (VIC / Mercantile Rowing Club / RBNTC), Alexander Hill OAM (SA / Adelaide Rowing Club / RBNTC), Patrick Holt OLY (QLD / KAND Rowing Club / NSWIS), Cormac Kennedy-Leverett (QLD / Sydney Rowing Club / ACTAS), Jackson Kench (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / RBNTC), Rohan Lavery (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / VIS), Patrick Long (QLD / KAND Rowing Club / RBNTC), Harry Manton (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / RBNTC), Oscar McGuinness (SA / Adelaide Rowing Club / RBNTC), Fraser Miscamble (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / RBNTC), Alex Nichol (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / RBNTC), Nikolas Pender (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / RBNTC), Austin Reinehr (VIC / Mercantile Rowing Club / RBNTC), Mitchell Reinhard (SA / Adelaide Rowing Club / RBNTC), Jack Robertson OLY (VIC / Mercantile Rowing Club / RBNTC), Alexander Rossi (WA / West Australian Rowing Club / RBNTC), Mitch Salisbury (QLD / KAND Rowing Club / RBNTC), Nicholas Smith (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / RBNTC), Mackenzie Thompson (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / NSWIS), Darcy Watter (QLD / KAND Rowing Club / QAS)
Under 23 Women - Sculling:
Caroline McNally (SA / Adelaide University Boat Club / SASI), Eliza Bridgefoot (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club / QAS), Georgia Campbell (QLD / Mercantile Rowing Club), Imogen Hubbard (WA / West Australian Rowing Club / WAIS), Liesel Paige (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club), Olivia Yeates (TAS / Tasmanian University Boat Club / TIS), Sarah Bourke (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club), Sophie Malcolm (QLD / Centenary Rowing Club / QAS), Zara Kfouri (VIC / Mercantile Rowing Club), Zara Turner (ACT / ANU Boat Club / ACTAS), Zoe Bond (NSW / Mosman Rowing Club)
Under 23 Women - Sweep:
Chloe Nevins (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / VIS), Eloise Adem (VIC / Mercantile Rowing Club), Emma Pittman (WA / Swan River Rowing Club / WAIS), Gabrielle Ryan (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club), Grace Barrera (SA / Adelaide Rowing Club / SASI), Greta Spencer (WA / Swan River Rowing Club / WAIS), Lucy Gillon (VIC / Mercantile Rowing Club), Meg Dumbrell (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club), Tamara Bates (SA / Adelaide Rowing Club / SASI), Tylah Hutton (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club)
Under 23 Men - Sculling:
Adam Holland (SA / Sydney University Boat Club / NSWIS), Alexander Williams (SA / Adelaide University Boat Club / SASI), Darcy James (ACT / Canberra Rowing Club / ACTAS), Jack Power (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / NSWIS), Jasper Boyce (SA / Adelaide University Boat Club / SASI), Jude Schirmer (SA / Adelaide University Boat Club / SASI), Max Currie (VIC / Hawthorn Rowing Club), Oliver Evans Wood (SA / Adelaide University Boat Club / SASI), Oscar Beregi (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / NSWIS), Tobias Elias (NSW / Mosman Rowing Club)
Under 23 Men - Sweep:
Alec Hoskin (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / NSWIS), Andrew Weightman (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club / QAS), Henry Belcher (SA / Adelaide University Boat Club / SASI), Hugh Harrold (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / NSWIS), Josh Wilson (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / NSWIS), Lachlan Brown (WA / West Australian Rowing Club / WAIS), Matias Moloney (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / NSWIS), Montgomery Martin (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club / QAS), Samuel Forbes (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club / QAS), Thomas Foley (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / VIS), Tomas Moloney (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / NSWIS), Will Clubb (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club), William Rogers (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / NSWIS), Winston Hooper (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / VIS)
Under 23 USA-Based Trials - Women's Sweep:
Chloe Amling (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / University of Southern California), Chloe Driver (NSW / University of Texas / University of California, Los Angeles), Elena Moran (ACT / Australian National University Boat Club / Rutgers University), Georgia Montague (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / Southern Methodist University), Hannah Richardson (NSW / University of Technology Sydney / University of Tennessee), Imogen Grey (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / University of Texas), Jess Colbran (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / University of Texas), Leila Gaston (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / University of Texas), Lucy Searle (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / University of Texas), Lyla Fievez (WA / Swan River Rowing Club / Princeton University), Sarah Marriot (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / Stanford University), Scarlett Shelton (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / University of Washington), Theadora Coull (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / University of Tennessee), Zara Hoadley (SA / Adelaide University Boat Club / University of California, Berkeley), Zoe McKernan (VIC / Melbourne University Boat Club / University of California, Berkeley)
Under 23 USA-Based Trials - Men's Sweep:
Ambrose Hennessy (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / Boston University), Charlie Rahdon (VIC / Corio Bay Rowing Club / Harvard University), Daniel Cashman (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club / Princeton University), Edward Nutt (NSW / Sydney University Boat Club / Princeton University), Flynn English (NSW / University of California, Berkeley), Jack Hansen-Knarhoi (WA / Fremantle Rowing Club / Harvard University), James Frederikson (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / Dartmouth College), Matthew Cashman (QLD / University of Queensland Boat Club / Princeton University Boat Club), Oscar Lourie (WA / Fremantle Rowing Club / Drexel University), Rory Menzies (NSW / Sydney Rowing Club / University of California, Berkeley), Sam Fowlie (NSW / University of Pennsylvania Boat Club), Tom Pirenc (NSW / UTS Haberfield Rowing Club / Princeton University)
2026 Australian Rowing Team Selection Regatta
April 15-19 | Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith, NSW
Under 23 Selection Regatta
April 17-19 | Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith, NSW
Under 23 USA-Based Selection Regatta
June 10-13 | Princeton, USA
2026 ART Selection Regatta - Invitation List