Image Credit: World Rowing
Australia’s history of sending eights to the U19 World Rowing Championships is brief. 2025 will be the first time an Australian U19 eight journeys to the regatta since 2022, and this crew will no doubt be eager to become the first to claim a medal in the boat class.
With the challenges of training in the final year of school across our vast continent limiting combinations, an Australian U19 eight is typically made up of athletes from a single state or programme. However, more athletes have retained U19 eligibility post-graduation in recent years, opening up the prospect of relocating to train a combination, as we’ve seen this year. The crew has come together to train out of UTS Haberfield in Sydney, the home base of coach Jarrod Watson, who has won national schoolgirl titles with three of the crew. Judging by the progress on the crew’s Instagram page (@ausjnrw8), they’ve done well to gel the styles of four separate domestic programs into this lineup over the past four months. This would likely be the strongest eight Australia has sent to the U19 World Rowing Championships in some time, so it’ll be interesting to see how they compare in the field of six entered crews.
Zahra Taylor – Queenwood (NSW)
One of two representatives from Queenwood, Zahra Taylor, has spent the season in the engine room of their eight. In what was at times a difficult season for the Mosman school, 2025 saw Taylor claim national silvers in the schoolgirl and U19 coxed fours, as well as the U19 eight in Tasmania.
Millie Cullinane – Pymble Ladies College (NSW)
One of the youngest members of the eight, in just year 11, Millie Cullinane joins the crew following her second season in the Pymble eight. The new-look crew kept their competition honest in the early stages of every race of the year, and put on their best performance of the season in Tasmania to finish just a hair off the podium.
Mika Naito – Pymble Ladies College (NSW)
The second representative from Pymble, Mika Naito, has also just spent two years in the eight, and a selection in this crew will represent the culmination of her U19 career. With two members of the fast-starting Pymble crew on board, expect them to bring a rapid first 500m to the course in Lithuania.
Tamara Bates – Adelaide Rowing Club (SA)
The first of the South Australian representatives, Tamara Bates, has relocated from Adelaide to train with this crew while also taking on her first year of University studies. Originally from Unley High, where she finished second in the 2024 Head of the River, Bates has had an incredible domestic season, dominating the U19 field at Nationals in the Pair and Four.
Grace Barrera – Adelaide Rowing Club (SA)
The second South Australian, Grace Barrera, joined Tamara in relocating to Sydney to train and study. Having completed her school rowing at Seymour College, where she won the SA Head of the River convincingly, her move on to Adelaide Rowing Club has seen her go from strength to strength in the pair with Bates under the tutelage of Christine Maclaren. With a season of club rowing under their belts, expect the South Australians to bring some leadership and experience to the combination.
Chelsea Baker – St Catherine’s School (NSW)
A stalwart of the St Catherine’s eight, Chelsea Baker brings three national titles and two Henley Royal Regatta Fridays worth of experience to the crew. This season, Baker proved the difference when she returned from injury to put the girls from Waverley back into contention for the Head of the River title, although they missed out narrowly on that occasion, they charged to a triumphant victory on the waters of Lake Barrington just weeks later. Having spent three years training under the same coach, on the same waters, and in the same boat as this crew is now – Baker will no doubt play a kay role in moulding this crew into a quick combination.
Madeline Swain – UTS Haberfield Rowing Club (NSW)
Rowing this year for UTS Haberfield, Madeline Swain is another St Catherine’s athlete, having won national titles in their first eight in 2023 and 2024, as well as in the U17 eight back in 2022. This experience under coach Jarrod Watson, as well as a year honing her race craft in the small boats at UTS, will prove vital to bringing this line-up together.
Florence Hennessy – St Catherine’s School (NSW)
The final St Catherine’s athlete in this crew, Florence Hennessey is also the youngest, in just year 11. Hennessy stroked this year’s national champion crew, overcoming mixed results earlier in the season to take an emphatic win in the Sydney Cup. Despite having not experienced the U19 World Rowing Championships herself, the Hennessy family does have precedent for success, as brother Ambrose won the coxed four last year in its final running.
Cox: Melody Yin – Queenwood School (NSW)
On the strings of the eight is Queenwood’s Melody Yin, who takes up the role following two seasons as their top cox. Mixing between the coxed four and eight over the past two years will serve Melody well as she seeks to extract the maximum from this lineup.
Coach: Jarrod Watson – St Catherines School (NSW)
