CRC Wraps Up International Campaign with Successful Performance at the Henley Regatta

The California Rowing Club (CRC) continued to compile impressive results on the international stage, with the latest strong showing from the group coming at the Henley Royal Regatta in London—one of the oldest and most prestigious competitions in the world.  

The CRC’s efforts at the Henley were highlighted by the team of Meghan Musnicki and Jessica Morrison capturing the Hambleden Pairs Challenge Cup. Musniciki is a two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner who took part in the triumphant Women’s Eight squad for Team USA in 2012 and 2016. Morrison, who hails from Australia, won the Gold Medal in the Coxless Four at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Both athletes train with the CRC in Oakland.

On the men’s side, Ben Davison maintained his strong 2022 season with another solid showing at the Henley. Davison won his  heat in the Diamond Sculls Challenge competition at the Henley against the Polish sculler before losing a challenging race to Australian David Bartholot.

In the Grand Challenge Cup, the Henley’s most well-known competition that pits top elite Men’s Eight against each other, CRC athletes lost a tight semifinal race to the Great Britain Eight (rowing as Oxford Brookes University and Leander Club). The USA Eight was composed of seven CRC members, showcasing the depth of the club’s roster.

The Henley Regatta competition capped a lengthy European jaunt for CRC—a trek that started in Poland with the World Rowing Cup II. At that race, seven members of the CRC took home medals. Following the World Rowing Cup, the team moved on to train in Erba, Italy, enduring lengthy sessions in preparation for the Henley Regatta. With the Henley now in the books, the CRC members have returned stateside where they are set to train in the US Team Selection Camp in New Jersey next week.

“We got a lot of great work done in Europe,” said CRC Coach Skip Kielt. “We are really proud of how everyone competed under some tough circumstances, and now we’re looking forward to being at home and training for the World Championships.”

By virtue of winning their events at USRowing's National Selection Regattas earlier this year and finishing in the top six at the World Rowing Cup II, Davison and the CRC Men’s Pair Team of Justin Best and Michael Grady have qualified themselves to the 2022 World Championships' roster in their respective events. The remaining CRC team members still have the opportunity to be chosen to represent Team USA at the World Championships as part of the selection process.