FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 18, 2025

Canada’s rowing team unveiled for 2025 FISU Summer World University Games

RICHMOND HILL, Ont. – U SPORTS, as the Canadian representative the International University Sports Federation, and Rowing Canada have announced the roster for Team Canada rowing athletes at the 2025 FISU Summer World University Games in the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany.

On the women’s side, the team is led Ceilidh MacDonald (Queen’s/Barrie, Ont.), who was a bronze medallist in the eights at the 2024 World University Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. On the men’s side, Connor Attridge (Cambridge [UK]/Coquitlam, B.C.) and Bob Bryden (Durham [UK]/Calgary, Alta.) have both raced for Canada at multiple U23 world championships and were on the Canada eights boat that finished fourth in Rotterdam last year.

The women’s rowing team comprises seven members:

Athlete	Hometown	University	Event
Ceilidh Aho	Newmarket, Ont.	Guelph	Coxless four
Olivia Calbeck	Brantford, Ont.	Western	Coxless four
Catherine Chénier-Gagnon	Gatineau, Que.	McGill	Double scull
Pepper Howe	Saskatoon, Sask.	Victoria	Double scull
Ceilidh MacDonald	Barrie, Ont.	Queen’s	Coxless four
Emily Munroe	Halifax, N.S.	Southern California	Single scull
Madelyn Vandermeer	Rockwood, Ont.	UBC	Coxless four

 

The men’s rowing team includes the following five members:

Athlete	Hometown	University	Event
Connor Attridge	Coquitlam, B.C.	Cambridge (UK)	Coxless pair
Bob Bryden	Calgary, Alta.	Durham (UK)	Coxless pair
Calvin Pally	Saskatoon, Sask.	Saskatchewan	Double scull
Charles-Etienne Tabet	Boucherville, Ont.	Brock	Single scull
Keithan Woodhouse	Fonthill, Ont.	Brock	Double scull

Connor Dodds

Regina, SK

Brock

Non-travelling spare

 

Team Canada is making its return to the FISU Summer World University Games, after missing the 2023 event. The 2025 edition will be staged in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region of Germany, with preliminaries set for July 25 and 26, and the finals on Sunday, July 27 in Duisburg.

Team Canada has won 19 medals in rowing, with its greatest haul coming at Buffalo 1993, when the rowing was held at the Royal Canadian Henley Course in St. Catharines, Ontario and Canada picked up 13 medals. The last time the rowing events were held at Duisburg, at the 1989 Summer Universiade, Canada won two silver medals and one bronze.

The rowing squad will be led by manager Garrah Parkes (Guelph/Guelph, Ont.), along with coaches Stephanie Marchand (McGill/Boucherville, Que.) and Mary Rao (Brock/Mount Hope, Ont.).

All team lists are subject to change prior to the Games start date and all nominations are subject to approval by the U SPORTS international office.

Credit: U Sports