Unionville High School freshman Liam Krausz is heading to a national rowing competition with his team from the Wilmington Youth Rowing Association.

According to a press release, the members of the Wilmington Youth Rowing Association’s (WYRA) Under 17 men’s “four”, a five-person sweep boat, comprised of four rowers and a coxswain, burst from the back of the pack in the 1,000-meter final of the 2024 U.S Rowing Mid Atlantic Youth Rowing Championships in West Windsor New Jersey, earning them a spot at the 2024 Youth National Championships scheduled for June 6-9 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla.

The rowers representing WYRA were Aiden Daneker, a sophomore at Salesianum High School in Wilmington in the #1 seat, Krausz, a freshman at Unionville High School in the #2 seat, and Tower Hill’s Jackson Bidic and Luke Tremblay in the #3 and #4 seats with coxswain James Henry guiding the boat.

“I couldn’t go near the finish line,” said coach Mike Hall, a former collegiate rower and longtime WYRA coach. “I watched from the halfway point of the race and when they passed me, they were sixth out of eight boats. I couldn't stop pacing.”

Before the race, Hall told the boys they needed to find at least 16 more seconds if they wanted to be in the race and they did it, giving it all they had. After the race, the boys confirmed they heard their coach and knew they were going to be able to “find” those seconds and make it happen.

According to Coach Hall, trust and teamwork are often more important in a rowing race than strength and stamina. “I’m not sure what it was for this group of five, but whatever it was that pushed them over the finish line not only worked, but it also earned them a trip to Florida and the National Championships.

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