U.S. Olympic rowing team includes Meghan Musnicki, last link to eight dynasty

The first 21 rowers named to the U.S. Olympic team for Paris include two-time gold medalist Meghan Musnicki, a 41-year-old set to become the oldest American woman to row at an Olympics.

Musnicki is part of a pool of 12 women who will be placed in either the four boat or the eight boat, U.S. Rowing announced after a selection camp ended Sunday.

More rowers were named to the Olympic team in the women’s double sculls, women’s lightweight double sculls and men’s four. A full list is here.

More rowers will qualify for the Paris Games through next week’s Olympic Trials in Sarasota, Florida, and an international qualifying regatta in May in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Musnicki is the last active link to the U.S. women’s eight dynasty that won every Olympic and world title from 2006 to 2016.

Musnicki, nicknamed “Moose,” was in the last seven of those gold-medal boats from 2010 through 2016 and the oldest team member at the Rio Games and Tokyo Games.

The eight placed fourth in Tokyo and took silver at the 2023 Worlds (where Musnicki competed in the coxless pair).

Musnicki is in line to break the record of oldest U.S. Olympic female rower held by Lisa Schlenker, who competed at the 2004 Athens Games at age 39. She can tie the American record of four Olympic rowing appearances, according to the OlyMADMen.

In the late 2000s, Musnicki was cut three times from the national team before making her global championship debut in 2010. She left the sport after the Olympics in 2016 and again in 2021, only to return each time.

The Olympic team members named Monday also include Nina Castagna, who is set to succeed Katelin Guregian as coxswain of the eight after Guregian retired following her second Games in Tokyo.

Castagna is in line to become the third consecutive Washington Husky to cox the Olympic women’s eight dating to 2004 after two-time gold medalist Mary Whipple and Guregian.

The 2024 U.S. Olympic team roster of athletes updated as they qualify.