USA's Lauren O'Connor Wins $10,000 Cash Prize at Lenny Peters Cup in High Point. University of Edinburgh Wins The Dash
America's champion Lauren O'Connor won the Women's International Singles Race and a $10,000 prize at the 2025 Lenny Peters Cup
High Point, North Carolina - Team USA's Lauren O'Connor won the Lenny Peters Cup Women's International Singles and a $10,000 cash prize at the High Point Autumn Rowing Festival, presented by Bethany Medical on Sunday. Scotland's University of Edinburgh won The Dash for the Lenny Peters Cup over Duke University, England's University of Oxford, and local favorite High Point University.
A record 411 boats from 43 teams raced around Oak Hollow Lake at this year's rowing festival, an event recognized across the world as one of the most fun rowing regattas. Boat racing included races by age, gender, college, college club, and Masters.
In the Women's International Singles race, Lauren O'Connor, a Paris Olympian, entered the race as early favorite having just returned from racing the single scull for USA at the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China. Fierce competition was expected to come from Germany's Tabea Shendekehl, a Paris Olympics medalist, who was also a member of the World Dream Team that defeated Team USA in High Point in April. The third contestant was Ukraine's Kateryna Maistrenko, who won the women's eights titles at the Lenny Peters Cup in 2023 and 2024.
Racing began in perfect flat conditions and once the initial flurry had settled off the start, O'Connor pushed out to an early lead ahead of Schendekehl with Maistrenko just behind. That was how the race continued until the closing stages when O'Connor held off a late charge from Schendekehl for the win.
Elise Peters Carey and her children present the winner's check of $10,000 to USA rower Lauren O'Connor with Germany's Tabea Schendekehl and Ukraine's Kate Maistrenko.
In youth racing, Thomas Lambert of Beaver Creek rowing club lead from wire to wire in the RP3 Men's U19 Singles. In addition to taking line honors ahead of Triangle's Dominick Cockerham and Charlotte's James Jakubek, Lambert also took home an RP3 model T rowing machine for winning the race.
In the RP3 Women's U19 Singles event, Shay Triepel with Coastal Virginia held off a fleet of ten scullers to win by several boat lengths ahead of Colette Kriegel from Augusta, GA. Congratulations to Shay who also took home an RP3 model T erg.
In Lenny Peters Cup collegiate action, there were two rounds of racing before all crews from the Universities of Oxford, Edinburgh, Duke, and HPU all met up for the 250m Dash.
Round One :
Duke defeated Oxford University
Edinburgh defeated High Point
Round Two:
Duke defeated Edinburgh
Oxford defeated High Point
The Dash for the Lenny Peters Cup
Scotland's University of Edinburgh went on to win The Dash for the Lenny Peters Cup ahead of Duke, Oxford, and High Point.
Scotland's University of Edingburgh (closest) won the 2025 Dash for the Lenny Peters Cup
Duke University won their Round 2 race against Scotland's University of Edinburgh.
The University of Oxford, England, won their Round Two race against High Point University. 
High Point University were the hometown favorite at the 2025 Lenny Peters Cup
The annual rowing regatta, presented by Bethany Medical & the Lenny Peters Foundation, generates an estimated $1 million in local economic impact for the city of High Point and the surrounding area. The event was underwritten primarily with sponsorship support of $160,000 from the Lenny Peters Foundation and Bethany Medical.
This year's rowing festival was live streamed on Youtube and also a jumbotron at the venue. Leading commentary for the event were Olympian Aquil Abdullah and Alex Delsordo. Mikayla Horvath covered on shore interviews. The full livestream can still be viewed on Youtube by searching @lennypeterscup
Aquil Abdullah and Alex Delsordo provided race commentary for the 2025 Lenny Peters Cup
Triad United rower Jackie King was recognized at the 2025 Lenny Peters Cup for her contributions of service to the club by having a racing shell named in her honor.