BRISTOL, RI (April 22, 2025) – US Sailing is pleased to announce the inaugural US Sailing Youth National Team (USYNT), made up of 66 athletes spanning the United States from Hawaii to the east coast. The Youth Team concept was announced in December 2024 as part of the larger pathway that bridges Youth to Olympic Development and onto the US Sailing Team and is comprised of athletes age 19 and under that qualified in the 29er, i420, Nacra 15, ILCA 6, iQFOiL, and Formula Kite.
Through the Youth National Team, athletes receive robust annual training and competition support in a structured calendar of programming guided by US Sailing.
Youth National Team sailors are invited to class-specific training camps this spring and early summer in preparation for international events this July and August. With the 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships in December 2025, the summer will be an important marker to identify where individual sailors are developmentally and lay the groundwork toward Youth Worlds selection in the fall.
“Our goal is to bring the top youth sailors in the US together as one team, to train in collaborative settings and compete for the USA. The training schedule and deliverables for each sailor are bespoke, and based on the unique needs of each class, its sailors, and future development of vital skills,” says Phil Muller, US Sailing Youth Performance Manager and Head Coach of the US Youth Team. “We are thrilled for the opportunity to work with such a talented group of young athletes, as well as their coaches, clubs, and supporters at home.”
Up to 16 athletes will go on to qualify for the US Sailing Youth Worlds Team that will represent the US at the Youth Sailing World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal December 12-20, 2025. Qualification for the Youth Worlds Team will take place at Lauderdale Yacht Club at the U.S. Youth Championship from October 10-13.
While the Youth Worlds Team has been around for many years, the Youth National Team was created to encompass a broader pool of nationally recognized talent beyond the 16 that qualify for the Youth World Championship.
“Adding the Youth National Team is the clear next step in the evolution of our program. We want to give youth sailors a clear goal based on objective results, and a path for national-level support” said John Pearce, US Sailing Youth Racing Director. “Our goal is to support the development of the best sailors in the world, and to build a strong team culture that helps them develop into great people.”
Explore the Youth Team calendar and landing page.
2025 US Youth National Team
Nacra 15
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- Matilda Niemann (Madison, WI)
- Sophie Niemann (Madison, WI)
- Connor Mertz (Parkland, FL)
- Brooke Mertz (Parkland, FL)
- Tom Seibold (Tampa, FL)
- Rosie Simpson (St. Petersburg, FL)
- Casey Small (Houston, TX)
- Bennett Tobey (New Port Richey, FL)
- Dylan Tomko (Canyon Lake, TX)
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i420
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- Nicholas Anders (San Francisco, CA)
- Pierpaolo Baldassari (Washington, DC)
- Helena Borcherding (Greenwich, CT)
- Harrison Gandy (Rye, NY)
- Julia Getter (Newport Beach, CA)
- Carly Kieding (Santa Barbara, CA)
- Alexandra Kolaya (Coral Gables, FL)
- Sara Komaroff (Larchmont, NY)
- Ava McAliley (Miami, FL)
- Reid Packard (New York, NY)
- Jacob Posner (Seattle, WA)
- Marin Redmond (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
- Genevieve Schmidt (Stuart, FL)
- Richard Sykes (Old Greenwich, CT)
- Annie Ulmer (Miami, FL)
- Elizabeth Xydas (Madison, NJ) Also qualified in the iQFOiL
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29er
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- Maribelle Barelli (San Diego, CA)
- Olympia Barelli (San Diego, CA)
- Molly Bonham (Annapolis, MD)
- Wylder Smith (Guilford, CT)
- Wyatt Lipp (Charleston, SC)
- Wesley LaRue (San Diego, CA)
- Kevin Cason (Coronado, CA)
- Isabella Cason (Coronado, CA)
- August Felgenhauer (San Diego, CA)
- Sean Kaseburg (San Diego, CA)
- Julia Stewart (San Diego, CA)
- Annie Sitzman (Severna Park, MD)
- Holland Vierling (San Diego, CA)
- Braden Ozarski (San Diego, CA)
- Kylie Peterson (San Diego, CA)
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ILCA 6
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- Jacob Artof (Westlake Village, CA)
- Davide Bazzoni (Miami, FL)
- Kaitlyn Beaver (Kirkland, WA)
- Kyla Benesch (Coconut Grove, FL)
- Nissana Berman (Chicago, IL)
- Gabriela Cerbino Mascarenhas (Key Biscayne, FL)
- David Coates (Miami, FL)
- Arabella Duer (Beaufort, SC)
- Taylor Escola (Santa Barbara, CA)
- Jason Folvig (Sarasota, FL)
- Jake Homberger (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
- Alders Kulynych-Irvin (Annapolis, MD)
- Timothy Liu (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)
- Louise Martin (Charleston, SC)
- Maddie Nichols (Corona del Mar, CA)
- Siena Nichols (Corona del Mar, CA)
- James Pine (Mt Pleasant, SC)
- Nathan Pine (Mt Pleasant, SC)
- Oscar Parzen (San Diego, CA)
- Landon Stahl (Huntington Beach, CA)
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iQFOiL
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- Emma Ball (Honolulu, HI)
- Graceanna Dixon (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
- Garrett January (Belleair, FL)
- Hunter Schardt (Belleair, FL)
- Elizabeth Xydas (Madison, NJ) Also qualified in the i420
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Formula Kite
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- Quincy Radkowski (Sausalito, CA)
- Henry Vare (Belvedere, CA)
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Explore the new Teams pages at ussailing.org/teams
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About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), certified by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of sailing in the United States, is dedicated to leading, advancing, supporting, and ensuring integrity in sailing at every level. Founded in 1897, US Sailing, now serving over 35,000 members as well as over 1,500 yacht clubs and sailing centers, offers training and certifications for sailors, instructors, and race officials, oversees national championships, manages offshore ratings, conducts regional and national events, and spearheads initiatives to increase accessibility. US Sailing also leads the training and development of the US Sailing Team for the Olympic Games and high-performance international competitions, providing comprehensive financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing, and communications support, as well as managing the Team USA athlete selection procedures for the Olympic Games. More at www.ussailing.org.