NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Two Yale lightweight crew rowers, rising senior
Will Konopka (Philadelphia, Pa.) and rising junior
Timmy Parsons (Eugene, Ore.), will represent the United States at the upcoming World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Konopka will compete in the U23 lightweight men's double sculls (BLM2x). Parsons will compete in the men's quadruple scull (BM4x).
The 2025 World Rowing Under 23 Championships will take place July 23-27 on the Malta Regatta Course in Poznan, Poland. The Championships usually attract up to 1,000 rowers from around the world.
Live audio and video streaming, along with a live race tracker will be available on
worldrowing.com for all days of racing.
Will Konopka
In the lightweight men's double sculls, the team of Konopka and Ian Holly earned its spot in the Under 23 Championships after competing at USRowing's U23 National Team Trials on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J., last month. Their time of 7:21.52 met the time qualification standard for selection.
Konopka rowed in Yale's second varsity eight throughout this past spring, helping the Bulldogs to bronze at Eastern Sprints and a sixth-place finish at the IRA National Championships. The 2V had wins over Dartmouth, Georgetown, MIT and Navy during the regular season.
Konopka was in the third varsity eight boat at Eastern Sprints in 2024, earning bronze. He was in the 2V boat that finished seventh at IRAs that year. In his first year at Yale, 2022-23, he rowed in the second varsity eight that placed fourth at Sprints and earned bronze at IRAs.
Konopka is a graduate of Episcopal Academy. He placed first in the U23 4x at the 2022 Canadian Henley Regatta.
- BLM2x Schedule (all times are local to Poznan, six hours ahead of EDT):
- Thursday, July 24
- 10:50 a.m. Heat 1
- 10:55 a.m. Heat 2
- Sunday, July 27
- 10:15 a.m. B Final
- 11:40 a.m. A Final
Timmy Parsons
Parsons earned his spot in the U23 Championships after participating in the U.S. U-23 Selection Camp, which took place June 9 through July 4 in Oklahoma City, Okla. There, the U.S. determined its roster for the BM4x, BW4x, BM8+, BW8+, BM4- and BW4-.
Parsons won the men's single sculls (BM1x) at the time trials in June with a time of 7:24.17, which earned him a spot in that event at the Under 23 Championships. He subsequently declined that bid and instead accepted an invitation to the U.S. U-23 selection camp, where he vied for a spot in one of the team boats – and earned his place in the quadruple scull boat.
Parsons was in Yale's first varsity eight throughout this past spring, helping the Bulldogs to wins over Georgetown, MIT and Navy. He has been in the 1V since his first season of racing with the Y150, 2022-23. During the fall semester of 2023, he raced in the varsity eight that placed fifth at the Head of the Charles Regatta. He then spent the spring of 2024 training through Texas Rowing Center in preparation for the USRowing Olympic Trials, where he placed third in the lightweight double.
Parsons has competed at the U23 World Rowing Championships in each of the past two years, winning the B Final (seventh overall) in the lightweight single in 2024 and placing second in the C Final (14th overall) in the lightweight double in 2023.
Parsons is a graduate of South Eugene High School.
- BM4x Schedule (all times are local to Poznan, six hours ahead of EDT):
- Thursday, July 24
- 11:15 a.m. Heat 1
- 11:20 a.m. Heat 2
- 11:25 a.m. Heat 3
- Saturday, July 26
- 10:25 a.m. C Final
- 11:10 a.m. Semifinal 1
- 11:15 a.m. Semifinal 2
- Sunday, July 27
- 10:30 a.m. B Final
- 11:15 a.m. A Final
