Support the Lightweight Women’s Quad on its Mission for Gold

Hello! We are Audrey, Cara, Liz and Sophia–four lightweight rowers who have joined forces with a mission in mind: Earn gold for Team USA at the 2022 World Rowing Championships. Along with this year’s primary task, we have a big-picture vision to change the game in lightweight women’s rowing.

Historically, the lightweight women’s quad (LW4x)–our boat class–has come together late in the year with the expectation of a strong showing at Worlds. In international racing, the field is strong and deep, and this method has repeatedly fallen short. Team USA last earned a medal in the LW4x in 2013 (bronze) and hasn’t won gold since the 1990s! This year, we are taking a different approach. We are prioritizing the boat class, committing to each other, and training and racing the event throughout the season with a mission to change history.

Why We Need You

In the US, the LW4x is a self-funded event. We receive no support from USRowing, our governing body, and are therefore responsible for all expenses related to training and racing. We are fundraising to help with the cost of travel, housing, transportation, equipment rental and meals. Our fundraising goal includes the projected cost per athlete and the cost of our coaches, M. Sean Hall and Art Post. Our 2022 race schedule includes:

WE NEED TO RAISE $25,000 TO MAKE THIS ALL HAPPEN!!

More About Us

We first came together at a training location called Canal 54 in Florida in April. (Shoutout to Sebastian River Rowing for hosting our winter and spring training camps!) We're now at our home club in Pennsylvania - Whitemarsh Boat Club, part of the historic Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia - preparing for Worlds. Our bios below highlight our rowing backgrounds. Please read and enjoy!

Lastly, in addition to fundraising, we’re excited to use this page to keep you posted on our progress! Please check back for photos and video updates. The first one's already here!

Personal Bios

Audrianna Boersen

Audrianna started rowing her freshman year of college at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) on the club team. Top finishes while at GVSU included third in the Women’s Varsity 4+ at Dad Vails, as well as first in Women’s Varsity 4+ at the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) in 2019. She was named to the All-Academic ACRA team in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She was named to the ACRA All-Region Great Lakes team in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She was named to the ACRA All-Freshman Team in 2017 and to the All-American Team in 2018 and 2019.

During her summers in college, she participated in U23 programs in 2018 and 2019. In 2018 she was a two-time medalist in the U23 8+ and the Senior 8+. In 2019 she medaled in the LWT 4x, the LWT 8+. After graduating in 2020, Audrey trained at Potomac Boat Club (PBC) in Washington DC.

While racing with PBC, she placed 4th at Head of the Charles in the Women’s Club 1x and 3rd at Head of the Schuylkill in the Championship 1x. In 2022, she earned top finishes at USRowing's National Selection Regattas (NSR), earning 3rd in the LW1x at NSR1 and 2nd in the W2x at NSR2.

Instagram: @audreyboersen

Cara Stawicki

Cara is a two-time US National Team member and 2019 World Champion in the Lightweight Women’s Pair.

Cara started rowing in 2001 as a freshman on Lehigh University’s Club Crew Team. During her senior year, she served as Team Captain and was recognized as Athlete of the Year and the Most Valuable Female Rower. She continued at Lehigh for a fifth year as part of the President’s Scholar Program, earning her master’s degree and volunteer-coaching the Men’s Novice Crew Team.

In 2006, Cara moved to Philadelphia and joined Undine Barge Club where she learned to scull. Her post-collegiate career started with Intermediate and Senior events on the Schuylkill River. Cara worked her way up through the club system and, in 2012, transitioned to lightweight rowing and immediately earned two notable wins–gold in the lightweight single and pair at the USRowing Club National Championships.

Cara is a seven-time US National Champion and six-time Canadian Henley gold medalist. Her wins in Canada include three in the Senior Light Double and one in the Championship Pair. Most recently, Cara and teammate Sophia Luwis competed as open weights and won Head of the Charles Gold in the Championship Double.

Cara shares her experiences in rowing on her blog. She aims to support young athletes and contribute to the growth of the sport.

Instagram: @carastawicki

Website: carastawicki.com Click HERE!

Elizabeth Martin

Elizabeth started rowing in high school at Buckingham Browne & Nichols (BB&N) and competed in the NEIRA league. She attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was a four-year member and captain of the Varsity Lightweight Women’s Division 1 Team, racing at IRAs for all four years in the Lightweight Women’s 8+ and setting 2k and 5k program records on the erg. Notably, she finished fifth at IRAs in the Lightweight Women’s 8+ in 2016, first at Dad Vails in 2015 and 2016, and third at Head of the Charles in 2016. She placed third at the CRASH-B erg sprints in the Open and U23 Lightweight events in 2018. She was a two-time CRCA National Scholar-Athlete and member of the IRA All-Academic Team.

Since graduating from MIT in 2018, Liz has been training out of Riverside Boat Club in Boston, MA. In 2018, she raced in the Lightweight 1x at the Head of the Charles and placed eighth. In 2019, she raced for a berth on the US National Team, placing third at USRowing Senior Trials in the Lightweight Women’s 2-. She went on to win the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in the Lightweight Women’s 2-, additionally placing second in the Lightweight Women’s 2x. Later that year, she raced the Lightweight Women's 2x at Head of the Charles and placed third.

In 2021, she competed in Olympic Trials in the Lightweight Women’s 2x, placing third in her semifinal and narrowly missing the four-boat final. She proceeded to go undefeated in the Lightweight Women’s 1x in 2021, winning the Independence Day Regatta, USRowing Club Nationals, Head of the Charles, Head of the Schuylkill, and the Head of the Kevin Race Series (local to Boston). She additionally won the Lightweight Women’s 2- at USRowing Club Nationals. Most recently, she placed fourth in the Lightweight 1x at the 2022 National Selection Regatta/Speed Order.

Instagram: @lizmartin42

Sophia Luwis

Sophia started rowing freshman year of college at the College of William & Mary on the club crew team. While in school, Sophia’s top finishes include third in the Novice Women’s 4+ at the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRAs) Regatta in 2017, first at Head of The South Regatta in the Women’s 8+ in 2017, and second in the Women’s 1x at Dad Vails (2019), ACRAs (2019) and Head of The Hooch (2019). Sophia holds the William & Mary school records for 500m, 1k, 2k, and 10k erg. She was also named to the Second All-Academic ACRA team in 2019 and awarded the William & Mary Most Valuable Oarswomen in 2019.

She is a four-time 2019 Royal Canadian Henley gold medalist in the Women’s U23 LWT 1x, 2x, 8+, and the Women’s Senior LWT 4x.

After graduating from William & Mary, Sophia trained with Riverside High Performance and PennAC High-Performance teams. While with Riverside, she raced at Olympic Trials, finishing fourteenth in a competitive open weight field. Following this race, she joined PennAC’s HPG team and raced with Cara Stawicki, winning first-place finishes in the Women’s open weight 2x category at the Schuylkill Navy Regatta, Independence Day Regatta, and Head of The Charles Regatta in the Championship double.

Following a successful season in the double, Sophia finished sixth at the 2021 USRowing Fall Speed Order and second at both 2022 USRowing National Selection Regattas in the Light Women’s 1x and the Open Women’s 2x (along with Audrey!).

Instagram: @sopa_lu Click HERE!

Coach M. Sean Hall

Coach Hall is a Level 3 certified coach and has been in the sport of rowing for nearly 40 years, beginning his coaching career in earnest in 2001, immediately following his third Olympiad as an oarsman. From 2001 to 2004, he coached alongside Igor Grinko at the Augusta Training Center, which was started by Grinko immediately following his departure from USRowing as Head Sculling Coach. In this role, Sean formed the Trials-winning LM4x, which finished fourth in the 2004 World Championships in Banyoles, ESP. In 2005 Sean followed in his mentor’s footsteps and took a position coaching in China (Fu Jian province) as Head Women’s Coach, bringing the team its first-ever medal in the W8+ at the Chinese National Games, a result which earned him an invitation to return three years later.

Following the 2009 National Games, Sean moved to Hong Kong to work with the HK National Team, and then to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC), where he was the only coach in Hong Kong history to bridge the divide between the club, university, and national teams with his University Elite Program. In this program, Hong Kong university athletes got their first-ever opportunity to race in the West (San Diego Crew Classic), and under the banner of the RHKYC. Several of these athletes then went on to qualify for the HK National Team.

After a brief stint in Taiwan from late 2014 to early 2015, Sean returned to the US and took on the position of Head/High-Performance Coach at Penn AC. At the time, Penn AC had only six athletes and had not seen a Trials victory since 2006, but by the end of 2016, Penn AC athletes had won Henley, Canadian Henley, US Nationals, Head of the Charles, Head of the Schuylkill, and the Fall Speed Order. 2017 (and every year since) saw PAC athletes winning World Championships trials for the first time in over a decade. From 2017-2021, PAC athletes competed in three World Championships (M4x, M2x, LW4x, and LW2-), 4 World Cups (M4x, M2x), Amsterdam, and Henley.

As an athlete, Sean competed in 3 Olympics and 5 World Championships in both sculling and sweep, where his top performances include gold and two bronze medals and a world record.

Instagram: @mseanhall

Coach Art Post

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