Two years ago, Gainesville Area Rowing (GAR) hit a milestone with its 25th anniversary.

Now, two years later, they are setting records.

GAR, a local nonprofit dedicated to promoting the sport of rowing in the Gainesville/Alachua County area, delivered a “historic performance” last weekend at the 60th Annual Florida Scholastic Rowing Association (FSRA) Sweep Championship held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.

A total of eight boats competed, with six advancing to the finals.

For the first time, GAR took home two state championships.

Sophie Goldstein and Addy Mathews captured the state championship title in the Girls Pair, dominating their event with an exceptional performance by finishing over five seconds in front of second place.

The Boys Junior 4x (coxed by Alayna Holder with rowers Eli Wells, Mason Turek, Branan Andreu and Miles Lloyd) also took home gold, solidifying GAR’s reputation among Florida’s rowing programs.

“This (weekend) was a presentation of a strong team, not just because of the medals, but because nearly every boat showed up ready to compete at a championship level,” said GAR head coach Garrett Bauer. “It’s the most competitive performance Gainesville Area Rowing has delivered in over 20 years. I am very proud to be a part of it.”

Other notable finishes included the Girls Junior 8+ (Miriam Siroky coxswain, Katharine Carodine, Sadie Parker, Natalie Jones, Brooklyn Wicker, Hannah Jones, Macy Gleason, Stella Goldstein, and Eva Bailey) finishing in sixth place; Boys Pair — seventh place (Lucas Burger and Bode Snider); Boys Freshman 4+ — fourth place, narrowly missing the podium by just two seconds (Emma Jones coxswain, Wesley Lloyd, Blain Harrison, Arthur Klein, and Parker Krzykowski); and Boys 1st Varsity 4+ — eighth place (Isaac Ang coxswain, Maxwell Burger, Nolan Doody, Matthew Krzykowski, and Beckett Kallman)

On April 13, the women’s team placed eighth and the varsity double team won silver at the 2025 Florida Scholastic Rowing Association (FSRA) Sculling State Championship at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.

They earned an impressive ninth-place ranking overall out of 46 programs.

GAR’s Women’s Team placed eighth, while the Men’s Team secured ninth in a highly competitive field of athletes from across the state. The highlight of the weekend came in the Varsity Women’s Double, where Addy Matthews (Gainesville) and Sophie Goldstein (Ocala) took home the silver medal, placing second in a tight and exciting race.

“The athletes here continue to prove that consistent effort, trust in the process, and faith in one another pays off with results,” Bauer said. “This team is getting faster by the day, and we are nowhere near the ceiling. More to come from this season and aiming for even more in the future.”

The team now shifts its focus to Gainesville, Georgia, to compete in the 2025 USRowing Southeast Youth Championships on May 10–11 at Lake Lanier.

The stakes are even higher as the top four boats in each event will earn a spot at USRowing Youth Nationals, which is set for this June.

Gainesville Area Rowing’s High School Rowing program teaches physical fitness, nutrition, and psychological skills that lead to heightened mental and physical self-awareness.

GAR Alumni have gone on to compete at many universities, including Boston College, Boston University, Emory University, Georgia Tech and Northeastern University, among others.

Through the active participation of its members, GAR provides the equipment and professional coaching staff to compete on a national level. GAR includes a high school program, a middle school program, and a Master’s (adult) program.

Middle and high school age youth are encouraged to give rowing a try either by contacting Head Coach Garrett Bauer (headcoach@gainesvillearearowing.com) or by registering for one of our Learn to Row summer camps.

For more information on Gainesville Area Rowing, visit them online at Gainesville Area Rowing.