Rowing into History: American Rower Meghan Musnicki Named to U.S. Olympic Team for Paris at 41

Meghan Musnicki, a 41-year-old American rower, has been named to the U.S. Olympic team for Paris. She is set to become the oldest American woman to row at an Olympics, breaking the record held by Lisa Schlenker, who competed at the 2004 Athens Games at age 39. Musnicki is part of a pool of 12 women who will be placed in either the four boat or the eight boat, U.S. Rowing announced after a selection camp ended Sunday.

More rowers were named to the Olympic team in the women’s double sculls, women’s lightweight double sculls, and men’s four. A full list is here. Musnicki is the last active link to the U.S. women’s eight dynasty that won every Olympic and world title from 2006 to 2016. She was in the last seven of those gold-medal boats from 2010 through 2016 and the oldest team member at the Rio Games and Tokyo Games. The eight placed fourth in Tokyo and took silver at the 2023 Worlds (where Musnicki competed in the coxless pair).

Nina Castagna has also been named to the Olympic team as coxswain of the eight after Katelin Guregian retired following her second Games in Tokyo. Castagna is in line to become the third consecutive Washington Husky to cox the Olympic women’s eight dating back to 2004 after two-time gold medalist Mary Whipple and Guregian. The Olympic team members named Monday also include more rowers who will qualify for Paris through next week’s Olympic Trials in Sarasota, Florida, and an international qualifying regatta in May in Lucerne, Switzerland.