RACICE, Czech Republic – Hubbard Hall had a stellar showing at the 2021 Under-23 World Rowing Championships this past week as Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson, Griffin Dunne and Will Geib came away with four combined medals at the international championship while representing the United States. Vallancey-Martinson, a four-year member of Navy's women's team, won gold with the United States' women's eight crew and silver with the women's four boat, while Dunne, a rising senior with the heavyweights, collected a silver in men's eight action and Geib, another rising senior heavyweight rower, earned a bronze with the men's coxed four.
 
Competing on the waters in Racice, Czech Republic, Geib (Portland, Ore.) was the first Navy representative to see finals action as the men's coxed four finals were held on July 10. Racing in a crew with Princeton's Erik Spinka, Harvard's Christian Tabash, Yale's Liam Galloway and Wisconsin's Jimmy Catalano, who served as the coxswain, Geib and his teammates led early in their final with a time of 1:26.77 over the opening 500 meters. During the middle portion of the contest, Italy made its move to the front of the field and used this strong push to advance away from the United States and Ireland, who pressed ahead and into second place. Down the stretch, the Americans tried to keep pace with the Irish boat, while holding off a challenge from the German entry. At the finish line, Italy won the gold by open water with a time of 6:06.40. In the battle for second and third place, Ireland placed second at 6:12.84, less than two seconds ahead of the U.S., who clocked in at 6:14.69. Germany was fourth at 6:17.35.


 
The following day, Vallancey-Martinson (Corvallis, Ore.) and Dunne (Northfield, Ill.) were both in finals action, including Vallancey-Martinson in a pair of championship races. The finals for the women's four was first up on July 11. The crew of Stanford's Kelsey McGinley, Washington's Teal Cohen, Texas' Fran Raggi and Vallancey-Martinson raced a fairly straight forward 2,000-meter piece in the finals as the Americans broke second behind the team from Great Britain with a 1:36.11 opening 500-meter time versus a 1:35.16 for the British squad. That placement of Great Britain first and the United States second held up for the entire contest as Great Britain clocked in at the finish line 1.86 seconds ahead, 6:35.66 to 6:37.52. Romania was over three seconds behind Vallancey-Martinson and her teammates with a third-place time of 6:40.76.
 
The recently announced CRCA First Team All-American improved her showing in the women's eight finals later on Sunday. That same four-women crew was joined in the United States' eight boat by coxswain Izzy Aronin from Brown, Sierra Bishop from Oregon State, Anna Jensen from Texas, Sophia Hahn from Yale and McKenna Bryant from Washington. Faced with an early deficit as Germany held a 1:30.54 to 1:31.77 advantage over the first 500 meters, the United States battled back to grab a slight 3:07.18 to 3:07.59 edge at the halfway point. Buoyed by an impressive and powerful next 500-meter piece the Americans jumped out to a four-plus second lead over the Netherlands and a five-plus second lead over Germany. The United States cruised to the gold medal win down the stretch with a final time of 6:16.69 versus a 6:20.43 for the Dutch and a 6:26.45 for the Germans.


 
Dunne and the United States' men's eight crew was the final boat to see finals competition in the Czech Republic on July 11. Racing with Dartmouth's William Bender and Jacob Hudgins, Yale's Nick Rusher, Harvard's Kenny Caplan, Stanford's Peter Chatain, Northeastern's Rhett Burns, Brown's Gus Rodriguez and Princeton's Sydney Edwards, who was serving as a coxswain, Dunne and the Americans found themselves in an action-packed contest over the entire 2,000 meters. After the opening 500 meter segment, the U.S. was within one second of the lead in third place at 1:21.91 as Germany was the early front-runner at 1:21.65. The American and Italian crews were the story of the next 500 meters as the United States pushed into the lead by the 1,000-meter mark at 2:46.77, just 0.1 seconds ahead of the Italians; Great Britain (2:47.49) and Germany (2:47.60) were lurking less than a second off the leader's pace. Dunne and his American teammates continued holding off the field as it became a three-boat race to the finish line with the U.S., Great Britain and Germany. One last desperate push within the final 200 meters by the British team helped them to overtake the Americans by a matter of feet as the final margin was 5:34.34 to 5:34.55 in favor of Great Britain. Germany was a slightly over a second back in third with a time of 5:35.58.


 
This trio of Navy rowers were members of four of the six American boats that medaled at the 2021 Under-23 World Rowing Championships. In addition to the W4, M4+, W8+ and M8+, the United States placed second in the women's pair and third in the lightweight women's pair at the regatta. These medal-winning efforts by Vallancey-Martinson, Dunne and Geib continues a recent stretch of podium-worthy performances by Midshipmen rowers at the U-23s as former heavyweight Andrew Knoll (USNA '19) earned a silver with the M8+ at the 2019 championship after lightweight Austin Treubert (USNA '17) and his American teammates placed second in the lightweight men's four at the 2017 Under-23 World Rowing Championship.
 
Results
Women's Eight   (Vallancey-Martinson)
United States – 6:16.69 *GOLD
Netherlands – 6:20.43
Germany – 6:26.45
Poland – 6:30.18
France – 6:30.64
Romania – 6:33.33
 
Women's Straight Four   (Vallancey-Martinson)
Great Britain – 6:35.66
United States – 6:37.52 *SILVER
Romania – 6:40.76
Chile – 6:42.14
Germany – 6:48.57
Russia - 6:59.21
 
Men's Eight   (Dunne)
Great Britain – 5:34.34
United States – 5:34.55 *SILVER
Germany – 5:35.58
Italy – 5:41.99
Netherlands – 5:42.88
Czech Republic – 5:52.52
 
Men's Coxed Four   (Geib)
Italy – 6:06.40
Ireland – 6:12.84
United States – 6:14.69 *BRONZE
Germany – 6:17.35
Netherlands – 6:18.80
France – 6:22.58