Tragedy struck the Princeton Rowing program this past summer, as open rower Kerry Grundlingh ’27 died in a cycling accident after being struck by a car in her hometown of Johannesburg, South Africa.
In her two years competing for the Tigers, Grundlingh was a two-time medalist at the Ivy League Championships and twice rowed at the NCAA Championships. In 2024, she was part of the bronze medal-winning second varsity eight at Ivies that went on to finish sixth at the NCAA Championships. This past season, Grundlingh was part of the first varsity eight that won gold at the Ivy League Championship before winning the Petite Final at NCAAs. She also represented South Africa on its national age-group teams several times.
“The world has lost an amazing young woman with the passing of Kerry Grundlingh,” said head coach Lori Dauphiny. “She was an exceptional rower and student-athlete, and that is just the beginning of who Kerry was as a person. She leaves a legacy of her life lived as a tremendous daughter, sister, friend and teammate who constantly gave the best of herself for the betterment of others in each and every daily interaction. All of us in the Princeton Rowing community send our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to Kerry’s parents, Debbie and Francois, as well as her brother, James, and all of her family and friends around the globe.”
At Princeton, she also served as a tutor through the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning and was involved in the Personal Librarian Program, which helps students navigate and find resources at Princeton University Library. She was a member of Princeton in Hollywood and Princeton Pictures.
“This is a shocking tragedy for the Grundlingh family, our Princeton Rowing community and all at Princeton University,” said Ford Family Director of Athletics John Mack ’00. “Kerry embraced everything that being a Princeton student-athlete entails as she competed on the water and thrived in the classroom. Most importantly, Kerry developed impactful relationships with friends and teammates across campus and around the world. The hearts of everyone associated with Princeton Athletics are with Kerry’s family and friends, her teammates and coaches, and everyone who had the honor of knowing Kerry as we all grieve together.”
All four Princeton crews will make the annual trip to Boston this weekend to compete in the 60th edition of the Head of the Charles. Collegiate racing will take place Sunday afternoon, ranging from the men’s championship fours (1:05 pm) through the men’s lightweight eights (3:32 pm). Here is a team-by-team look at the weekend, with a quick reminder of how each team did last year.
Schedule: Championship Fours (1 boat), 1:35 pm; Championship Eights (2 boats), 2:42 pm.
Last Year: Princeton finished sixth in the women’s championship eights at the Head of the Charles, behind both Yale and Washington among collegiate crews. The Tigers also fell to Yale in the regular season, but they made the most of their third opportunity by winning an eighth straight Ivy League Championship.
Schedule: Championship Fours (2 boats), 1:05 pm; Championship Eights (2 boats), 3:20 pm.
Last Year: Princeton finished seventh at the 2024 Head of the Charles, and fifth among college programs. The Tigers went 10-1 in the spring and claimed the bronze medal at the Eastern Sprints.
Schedule: Championship Fours (2 boats), 1:51 pm; Championship Eights (1 boat), 2:52 pm.
Last Year: Princeton finished third at the 2024 Head of the Charles, and second to Boston University among collegiate crews. If you weren’t rooting for Princeton last year, that was your big moment. The Tigers were perfect the rest of the way, sweeping through the spring regular season before capturing gold at both Sprints and IRAs.
Schedule: Championship Eights (2 boats), 3:32 pm.
Last Year: Princeton finished fourth at the Head of the Charles, though the difference between second and fifth was less than 1.5 seconds. The lightweight 1V won bronze at the Eastern Sprints.
Princeton rowing wasn’t satisfied with just another successful spring. The Tigers made their mark this past summer, claiming medals in all three World Championship events.
Under 23 World Championships • July 23-27 • Poznan, Poland
Heavyweight Tristan Wenger and open rower Olivia Cheesmur both won gold medals at the first U23 World Championships, while open teammate Joely Cherniss earned silver at the event. Several other teammates reached grand finals in Poland, but just missed out on the medal stand.
Wenger led the Great Britain eight to gold by more than three seconds. The event featured six Princeton heavyweights; Matt Cashman, Dan Cashman and Ed Nutt helped Australia’s eight to fourth place, while Kian Aminian and Andrew Wilkinson led the United States’ eight to fifth.
Cheesmur made sure Great Britain had more gold at the U23s, as she led the GB fours to gold by nearly three seconds. Cherniss led the United States eight to a silver medal, four spots ahead of teammate Michaela Ulicna and the Czech Republic eight.
Ellie Smith, Phaedra van der Molen, and Jente Jongsma also reached the finals in Poland.
Under 19 World Championships • Aug. 6-10 • Trakai, Lithuania
Incoming open rower Lauren DuBois led the USA women’s four to a dramatic comeback win at the U19 World Championships in Lithuania. Despite trailing with 500 meters to go, DuBois and her USA teammates pushed past Great Britain to win gold. This was the second golden effort for DuBois at the U19s; she led the USA eight to gold in 2024.
“I am thrilled for Lauren and her teammates with the United States,” said head coach Lori Dauphiny. “They showed tremendous grit and resilience over the course of the Championships and especially in the final. It was a fabulous display of rowing from all the crews, and the future is bright for the next generation of our sport.”
Men’s lightweight rowers Ed Galer (fours) and Ivo Monaghan (eights) both led their respective Great Britain crews to golds at the U19s. Unlike Dubois’ win, these finals were decided early, with both British crews in full control throughout their races.
“Ed and Ivo had outstanding Championships and it is awesome to watch them win gold,” said new men’s lightweight head coach Matt Smith. “To watch Ed and his Great Britain team race against a fellow Tiger in George Dolce and the United States was a true testament to the quality of rowers Princeton has coming in from all over the world. I know George will be doing everything he can to help the U.S. make the gains needed for next summer. To close the regatta with a Princetonian on the gold medal platform in Ivo Monaghan was special as well. All three of these young men are already leaders in their countries and I can’t wait to watch them grow when they get to Princeton later this month.”
Dolce and the USA M4+ finished fifth in the final.
World Championships • Sept. 21-28 • Shanghai, China
Open rowing alumni Camille VanderMeer ’23 and Hannah Scott ’21 both earned medals at the 2025 World Rowing Championships. VanderMeer helped the United States four to a gold medal, while Scott helped the Great Britain quad to a silver medal.
David Bewicke-Copley ’20 led the Great Britain M8+ to a silver medal, barely edging out the USA crew for second. Patrick Long ’25 stroked the Australian M8+ to the final as well, though his boat finished fourth.
Nate Phelps ’23 just missed the medal podium in two events at the World Championships. He helped the USA M4x to fourth in the A Final, and then he teamed with VanderMeer in the Mix8+, where the USA also placed fourth in the A Final.
Andy LeRoux ’20 also competed in the M2x.
The Princeton Rowing Newsletter is written and produced by Craig Sachson. This newsletter will provide coverage of the Princeton crews throughout the spring season, and will be published periodically the rest of the year. Photos courtesy of Ed Hewitt, Row2K media, and the Office of Athletic Communications (unless otherwise noted).