Jacie Dingman, 15, battled heat and formidable field to place among top rowers in Sarasota, Florida.
The USRowing Youth National Championships, held in Sarasota, Florida, from June 12 to June 15, brought together the best youth rowers from all across the country for four days of intensive racing one of them was Santa Barbara Community Rowing’s Jacie Dingman, 15.
The Santa Ynez Valley teen came home from the 2025 USRowing Youth National Championships as the seventh-fastest U17 single sculler in the nation.
Dingman clocked a time of 8:28.97 for her seventh-place finish in the A Final. The winner, Sydney Vilhelm of the South Orlando Rowing Association, had a time of 8:03.24.
“We were super excited going into the race because this is the first time that Jacie has raced a single at Nationals whichis one of the most competitive boat classes alongside the 8+,” said SBCR coach Gracie Barbara. “She raced last year in a double and placed seventh with partner Elsa Loya, but the single is a whole different kind of race — mostly mentally.
“There were 27 girls in this category, and we did some research and knew Jacie was going up against some girls who were in this category last year and did well, so we knew she was going up against some speed — especially girls from the southeast region who row year-round and have raced on this course before,” Barbara continued. “So, our goal was to make top 16 in the time trials Thursday, and top 4 in the semis on Friday, which would put Jacie in the A finals on Sunday — both of which she did. Jacie does super well doing head-to-head, which was evident in her semifinal on Friday.”
Dingman was in agreement about her semifinal.
“ I had a really good semifinal,” she said. “I went in with the goal of making the finals and was able to execute my race plan and be very aggressive. Plus, I was able to time my final sprint well and start it early enough to make a difference.”
Barbara confirmed this, saying, “Jacie was neck and neck with a girl from Winter Park Crew for the first 1,750 meters, but Jacie has an amazing sprint, which meant she was able to get the last stroke and beat her by .02 second to come away with a second-place finish.”
However, by day 4 the heat and humidity in the Sunshine State were starting to take a toll on Dingman.
“The heat is always a factor in Florida and we prepped for it, with Jacie rowing in long sleeves in the sun on Cachuma in the weeks leading up to Nationals. And we flew out early to Sarasota to acclimate,” Barbara said.
Dingman, though admitted she couldn’t fully counteract the high temperatures.
“By Sunday I wasn’t really feeling my best,” she said. “And the wind was crazy. I got blown off the starting block and was hitting buoys for the first 250 meters before I was able to get straightened out. So I started pretty far behind.”
Continued Dingman: “I wasn’t sure how much ground I could make up because I also just got hit by fatigue, but I decided just to try not to lose more ground.”
That presence of mind earned her a seventh-place finish and the admiration of many.
“This really something to cheer about —for our club and for Jacie — especially as she was the youngest girl in the race,” Barbara said. “Jacie is only 15 — She’s technically U16 — but we raced her in the U17 group because she’s fast enough and she’ll be in this category next year, so it’s good practice.”
Barbara said Dingman has the potential to return to nationals in 2026.
“If she’s lucky enough to qualify again next year there are obviously things we’ll work to improve, but we’ll also for sure be trying for a medal,” Barbara said.
Reflecting on the experience, Dingman said, “Nationals is so much fun and such an incredible experience, and I have so much respect for everyone I met there. I’m also so grateful to everyone for making it happen — parents, Coach, my fellow rowers at SBCR, and I’m ready to come back and try to medal next year.”
For now, the work continues. Following Nationals, Dingman went straight to USRowing’s Pathways Development Camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she was invited to participate in the Girls Elite Pairs Camp, which places the top 16 athletes in the camp into pairs — a kind of boat with 2 rowers, each with one oar — coached by former Olympic medalists.
Santa Barbara Community Rowing is the only rowing organization in Santa Barbara County, based at Cachuma Lake. SBCR offers summer camps for youth ages 11+, as well as Learn to Row programs throughout the year for adults and kids.. For more information visit www.rowsbc.org/
