Michigan State University Athletics
Kieft Earns Gold at U23 World Championships
7/29/2026 10:23:00 AM | Women's Rowing
East Lansing, Mich.-  A pair of Spartan rowers were standouts at the recent U23 World Championships in Germany, as Maddie Kieft (USA) and Ugne Rudaityte (Lithuania) each raced in A Finals last weekend.  Kieft won gold in the women's quad, and Rudaityte placed fourth in the women's pair.Â
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In the Saturday final of the quad, the 500-meter mark saw four crews all within a half second of one another – Great Britain was clocked in 1:35.52, while the US was fourth in 1:36.01. The Americans pulled ahead for good before they reached the 1000-meter mark, making up nearly two seconds over the Brits (3:12.76-3:14.12), with Poland and Italy fighting for the third spot at the midpoint of the race. The lead blossomed to more than three seconds at the 1500-meter mark, and Kieft and the Americans claimed gold in a time of 6:28.83, open water over Great Britain (6:33.08) and Italy (6:36.36) to round out the podium trio.Â
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The win by the USA in the quad was historic – it was not only just the second-ever gold for the country in this event, but also the first medal in this event for the US since 1994 (the first-ever U23 championship, where the US also won gold.) Kieft, a two-time All-American, was in the two seat, with bow Lila Henn (Virginia), three seat Kathryn Serra (Harvard), and stroke Sumner Kerr (Stanford).
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The US entry had dominant performances in their early heats – in the semifinal, the Americans had open water on the field by the 1000-meter mark and held through the finish.  Those dominating performances helped the US entry gain confidence headed into Saturday's A final.Â
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Rudaityte, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, raced for her native Lithuania in the pair, taking fourth in the A final with partner Ula Jonusaite (Tennessee). The duo was battling for third place with France down the course and held a lead at 1500 meters before being overtaken in the final 500, clocked in a time of 7:25.60. Australia took the gold medal, and a pair of Individual Neutral Athletes (Russia) was second.Â
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Rudaityte and Jonusaite were in their second straight U23 in the pair, finishing sixth in 2025. Rudaityte was competing in her third consecutive U23 World Championship, as she was in a single scull in 2023.  For Kieft, it was her first U23 Worlds. In 2025, she won gold in the women's U23 single and silver in the U23 eight at the Canadian Henley. .  Both athletes will return to the Spartan roster for the 2027 season.
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In the Saturday final of the quad, the 500-meter mark saw four crews all within a half second of one another – Great Britain was clocked in 1:35.52, while the US was fourth in 1:36.01. The Americans pulled ahead for good before they reached the 1000-meter mark, making up nearly two seconds over the Brits (3:12.76-3:14.12), with Poland and Italy fighting for the third spot at the midpoint of the race. The lead blossomed to more than three seconds at the 1500-meter mark, and Kieft and the Americans claimed gold in a time of 6:28.83, open water over Great Britain (6:33.08) and Italy (6:36.36) to round out the podium trio.Â
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The win by the USA in the quad was historic – it was not only just the second-ever gold for the country in this event, but also the first medal in this event for the US since 1994 (the first-ever U23 championship, where the US also won gold.) Kieft, a two-time All-American, was in the two seat, with bow Lila Henn (Virginia), three seat Kathryn Serra (Harvard), and stroke Sumner Kerr (Stanford).
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The US entry had dominant performances in their early heats – in the semifinal, the Americans had open water on the field by the 1000-meter mark and held through the finish.  Those dominating performances helped the US entry gain confidence headed into Saturday's A final.Â
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Rudaityte, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, raced for her native Lithuania in the pair, taking fourth in the A final with partner Ula Jonusaite (Tennessee). The duo was battling for third place with France down the course and held a lead at 1500 meters before being overtaken in the final 500, clocked in a time of 7:25.60. Australia took the gold medal, and a pair of Individual Neutral Athletes (Russia) was second.Â
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Rudaityte and Jonusaite were in their second straight U23 in the pair, finishing sixth in 2025. Rudaityte was competing in her third consecutive U23 World Championship, as she was in a single scull in 2023.  For Kieft, it was her first U23 Worlds. In 2025, she won gold in the women's U23 single and silver in the U23 eight at the Canadian Henley. .  Both athletes will return to the Spartan roster for the 2027 season.
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
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