Meet UW Men's Rowing Class Of 2026
March 17, 2023 | Men's Rowing
Among the many traditions associated with the start of the rowing season at Washington, a weekend that customarily includes the Varsity Boat Club Banquet and the Class Day Regatta, is the unveiling of the newest members of the UW Rowing roster.
"There is a young hunger you feel in this class," said UW head coach Michael Callahan. "It's very fulfilling to have a mix of walk-ons, local Seattle tall timber, and exceptional international rowers in our boathouse. I am excited that we have been able to teach rowing to brand new athletes of the sport. They've been performing in all of our boats this year after learning to row here. It's been ZERO26TY for them."
This year's cast of men's team newcomers is similar to most, in that it includes a variety of experiences and is drawn from both near and far.
"This is a vintage Washington group, full of all ranges of experience, hunger, deep commitment to the work, and enthusiasm to leave their mark on the program," said Sergio Espinoza, the team's recruiting coordinator and assistant coach. "We absolutely love coaching and mentoring this group and look forward to what's to come."
Here's a look at the Class of 2026:
This new group of Grunties features five true walk-ons – athletes who excelled in other high school sports but who are new to rowing – a program with a long history of success at UW.
Those five are Sam Husarik (Puyallup, Wash.), Kiefer Law (Bellingham, Wash.), Addison Smee (Kalama, Wash.), Oliver Black (Sacramento, Calif.), and Lyle Donovan (Milton, Ga.).
Husarik was a member of the football, lacrosse and wrestling teams at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, earning his school's athlete of the year award. He earned all-league honors on both sides of the ball in football and twice qualified for the state wrestling tournament.
Law was an all-state cross country athlete at Sehome High in Bellingham, who also participated in wide variety of track & field events, including sprints, distance, discus and high jump.
Smee also excelled in track & field and cross country at Kalama High, setting school records in both the 1,600 and 5,000 meters while earning numerous top-eight finishes in an array of events, as well as league and state team titles.
Black was a standout soccer player and captain in high school and, whose parents both were intercollegiate athletes. His mother played volleyball at Princeton while his dad was a soccer player at Chicago.
Donovan made his name in track and field in high school, primarily as a distance runner, earning nine medals at the state level in Georgia. His father, Nick, was in the bow seat of the Wisconsin eight that won a national title in 1990.
The Class of '26 also includes 11 experienced, American rowers and coxswains – five from the Seattle area and six from out of state. Four are Seattleites: rowers Ewan Morrow (Garfield High), Henry Ramstad (Ballard), and Marc Tennesen (Lincoln); as well as coxswain Lilly Kurtz (Holy Names Academy). Luke Collins, who attended Bainbridge High School, joins them.
Collins and Kurtz have both been invited to the USRowing Selection or High Performance Camps, while Morrow, Ramstad and Tennesen were all highly successful teammates at Pocock Racing Center in Seattle.
From out of state come rowers Finn Griskauskas (St. Louis, Mo.), Tommy Igo (Alameda, Calif.) Ryan Martin (Newport Beach, Calif.), Nick Smyth (Cincinnati Ohio) and Ethan Walsh (Philadelphia, Pa.); along with coxswain Tess Kadian (West Bloomfield, Mich.).
All six have extensive experience with well-established club programs in their home towns. Martin won the 2022 Youth National Championship in the 4x while Igo won it in the 4-.
Also among the 22 members of this year's roster of freshman are five international students, from five different nations. Povilas Juskevicius comes to Seattle from Lithuania, where alongside his older brother, he's competed at all levels of international rowing, from juniors to under-23 to seniors. He won gold in the single at 2021 World Rowing Junior Championships and competed in the four last summer at the Senior World Championships.
Two other Europeans are members of the class: Cameron Tasker (Norwich, England) and Ryan Smith (Hannover, Germany). Tasker won gold in the Great Britain four at 2022 World Rowing Under-19 Championships, while Smith, who has a lengthy junior and Under-23 résumé, was in the winning Germany eight at 2019 Junior Worlds, and also competed at Under-23 Worlds in 2021 and 2022.
From the other end of the globe come Max Taylor (Brisbane, Australia) and Ben Shortt (Auckland, New Zealand). Taylor has rowed for the Aussie Junior National Team, while Shortt has won a national championship in the boys U18 coxed four and was named to the New Zealand Junior National Team in 2021. .
In addition to the new class of freshmen, Washington's roster also includes two additional newcomers this year.
Joel Cullen spent the last four years at the University of British Columbia and rowed in the Canadian pair at 2022 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, where he finished fifth. Jay Olson joins the UW as a third-year sophomore, having competed for the University of Colorado's club program, where he earned ARCA All-Region.
Nearly all of these new Huskies will compete tomorrow morning in the 122nd annual Class Day Regatta, along with the rest of the team. Races begin at 10:00 a.m.
"There is a young hunger you feel in this class," said UW head coach Michael Callahan. "It's very fulfilling to have a mix of walk-ons, local Seattle tall timber, and exceptional international rowers in our boathouse. I am excited that we have been able to teach rowing to brand new athletes of the sport. They've been performing in all of our boats this year after learning to row here. It's been ZERO26TY for them."
This year's cast of men's team newcomers is similar to most, in that it includes a variety of experiences and is drawn from both near and far.
"This is a vintage Washington group, full of all ranges of experience, hunger, deep commitment to the work, and enthusiasm to leave their mark on the program," said Sergio Espinoza, the team's recruiting coordinator and assistant coach. "We absolutely love coaching and mentoring this group and look forward to what's to come."
Here's a look at the Class of 2026:
This new group of Grunties features five true walk-ons – athletes who excelled in other high school sports but who are new to rowing – a program with a long history of success at UW.
Those five are Sam Husarik (Puyallup, Wash.), Kiefer Law (Bellingham, Wash.), Addison Smee (Kalama, Wash.), Oliver Black (Sacramento, Calif.), and Lyle Donovan (Milton, Ga.).
Husarik was a member of the football, lacrosse and wrestling teams at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, earning his school's athlete of the year award. He earned all-league honors on both sides of the ball in football and twice qualified for the state wrestling tournament.
Law was an all-state cross country athlete at Sehome High in Bellingham, who also participated in wide variety of track & field events, including sprints, distance, discus and high jump.
Smee also excelled in track & field and cross country at Kalama High, setting school records in both the 1,600 and 5,000 meters while earning numerous top-eight finishes in an array of events, as well as league and state team titles.
Black was a standout soccer player and captain in high school and, whose parents both were intercollegiate athletes. His mother played volleyball at Princeton while his dad was a soccer player at Chicago.
Donovan made his name in track and field in high school, primarily as a distance runner, earning nine medals at the state level in Georgia. His father, Nick, was in the bow seat of the Wisconsin eight that won a national title in 1990.
The Class of '26 also includes 11 experienced, American rowers and coxswains – five from the Seattle area and six from out of state. Four are Seattleites: rowers Ewan Morrow (Garfield High), Henry Ramstad (Ballard), and Marc Tennesen (Lincoln); as well as coxswain Lilly Kurtz (Holy Names Academy). Luke Collins, who attended Bainbridge High School, joins them.
Collins and Kurtz have both been invited to the USRowing Selection or High Performance Camps, while Morrow, Ramstad and Tennesen were all highly successful teammates at Pocock Racing Center in Seattle.
From out of state come rowers Finn Griskauskas (St. Louis, Mo.), Tommy Igo (Alameda, Calif.) Ryan Martin (Newport Beach, Calif.), Nick Smyth (Cincinnati Ohio) and Ethan Walsh (Philadelphia, Pa.); along with coxswain Tess Kadian (West Bloomfield, Mich.).
All six have extensive experience with well-established club programs in their home towns. Martin won the 2022 Youth National Championship in the 4x while Igo won it in the 4-.
Also among the 22 members of this year's roster of freshman are five international students, from five different nations. Povilas Juskevicius comes to Seattle from Lithuania, where alongside his older brother, he's competed at all levels of international rowing, from juniors to under-23 to seniors. He won gold in the single at 2021 World Rowing Junior Championships and competed in the four last summer at the Senior World Championships.
Two other Europeans are members of the class: Cameron Tasker (Norwich, England) and Ryan Smith (Hannover, Germany). Tasker won gold in the Great Britain four at 2022 World Rowing Under-19 Championships, while Smith, who has a lengthy junior and Under-23 résumé, was in the winning Germany eight at 2019 Junior Worlds, and also competed at Under-23 Worlds in 2021 and 2022.
From the other end of the globe come Max Taylor (Brisbane, Australia) and Ben Shortt (Auckland, New Zealand). Taylor has rowed for the Aussie Junior National Team, while Shortt has won a national championship in the boys U18 coxed four and was named to the New Zealand Junior National Team in 2021. .
In addition to the new class of freshmen, Washington's roster also includes two additional newcomers this year.
Joel Cullen spent the last four years at the University of British Columbia and rowed in the Canadian pair at 2022 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, where he finished fifth. Jay Olson joins the UW as a third-year sophomore, having competed for the University of Colorado's club program, where he earned ARCA All-Region.
Nearly all of these new Huskies will compete tomorrow morning in the 122nd annual Class Day Regatta, along with the rest of the team. Races begin at 10:00 a.m.
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