Brentwood is continuing its legacy of rowing greatness this summer with a host of rowers competing on the world stage, including two who have earned Olympic medals.
"Impressively, Brentwood College School is represented at every level of international competition for Canada in rowing, plus Rielly [Milne] for the United States," said David Calder, an Olympian himself. "There will be many late nights or early mornings for us over the next few weeks!"
Milne and Sydney Payne, who graduated in 2014 and 2015 respectively, competed for the USA and Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Both Old Brentonians were in the finals of their respective races on Aug. 3, Milne as cox for Team USA's Men's 8+ and Payne in the six seat in Canada's Women's 8+ seeking to defend their gold medal from Tokyo 2020.
Team Canada's women nearly did it, but held on to claim silver, just behind Romania but ahead of Great Britain while the American men's team rowed to bronze behind gold-medallists Great Britain and silver medallists, the Netherlands.
With Milne and Payne's participation in Paris, Brentwood has had at least one athlete in each of the past 13 consecutive Olympic Games events, with 25 of the 29 athletes competing in rowing events, one each in horse jumping, field hockey, triathlon, and rugby.
They aren't the only Brentwood grads on the water this summer.
At the World University Games in Rotterdam, Netherlands July 4-6, Axel Ewashko (2019) earned silver in the Men's 4-, while Jesse Harold (2019) and Bob Bryden (2020) were fourth in the Men's 8+.
The CanAmMex Regatta in Mexico City, Mexico from Aug. 6-11 will feature 2024 graduate Eli Baughen. He is starting his studies at the University of Victoria in September.
The U19 and U23 World Championships are being held Aug. 18-25 in St. Catharines, Ont. and will feature seven Brentwood graduates including Cowichan products.
Slated to graduate in 2025, William Hawkins and Marcus Hogan are competing in the U19 Men's 8+, while Novella Rusman, who raced in the W4- at the U19 Worlds in 2023, will compete in the U19 Women's 8+.
Joining Hawkins and Hogan on the Men's 8+ team is Joel Kronis, who is on track to graduate from Brentwood in 2026.
Starting at the University of Minnesota in September after having graduated this spring, Annika Maiorino will compete in the Women's 4+ at this year's U19 World Championships.
On the U23 side, Bryden will attend his second big event of the season, rowing alongside 2023 graduate Jed Grieve in the Men's 2- event. Grieve will attend the University of Washington come September.
"It's exciting to see the school represented across these important events, as well as having two Old Brentonians competing in the Summer Olympic Games this year," Calder said.
