Elite rower Nina Castagna, 22, will compete for the United States in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. For the first time in her career, she will be competing for The USA in the Olympics.
Her classmate from high school supported her to try kayaking, which is how she got started. She is now the coxswain of the USA national rowing team, which will compete in the Olympics in Paris. She is a really talented rower.
Nina Castagna Qualifies for the Paris Olympics
The Olympic team members announced on Monday included Nina Castagna. She is set to take over as the coxswain of the women’s eight boat after Katelin Guregian retired following her second Olympic appearance in Tokyo.
The crew that will be competing for the USA in the women’s eight event at the Paris Olympics consists of Emily Froehlich, Margaret Hedeman, Jessica Thoennes, Regina Salmons, Alina Hagstrom, Brooke Mooney, Mary Mazzio-Manson, Charlotte Buck, and Nina Castagna. This team finished in second place at the World Championships, which secured the qualification spot for the USA in the women’s eight for the Paris Olympics.
Castagna is in line to become the third rower from the University of Washington to serve as the coxswain for the US women’s eight boat at the Olympics. She will be following in the footsteps of two-time gold medalists Mary Whipple and Katelin Guregian.
Nina Castagna Age, Parents, Siblings, Education
Nina was born in 2002 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her parents are Dawn Castagna and Daniel Castagna. She has three siblings – Marisa, Sofia, and Giovani Castagna.
Nina is the coxswain for the USA national team. Coxswains are the people in the boat who guide the rowers and try to help them go as fast as possible. Even though they don’t row themselves, they still have an important job to do.
Nina started rowing when she was a 78-pound high school freshman. She is the coxswain for the top women’s eight boat at the University of Washington.
When she’s not rowing or canoeing, Nina enjoys drawing and traveling. She doesn’t like to use social media very much and she has a private Instagram account and hasn’t posted anything on Facebook.
Nina completed her high school studies at Walnut Hills High School. She is currently a student at the University of Washington, where she is majoring in psychology.
How did she start rowing?
Nina got into rowing when she was a 78-pound high school freshman. One of her friends suggested she try it, and she thought it would be a good way to build up some muscle. When she showed up for her first practice, she was only 4’10” and 78 pounds.
The coaches explained the role of a coxswain to her, and she was interested, but she wanted to learn how to row.
“Alright, we’re teaching this kid how to be a coxswain.”
She asked her coach when she could start learning, but the coach just said,
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Even though she didn’t get to learn how to row, Nina stuck with it. She rowed for the Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club, and the social aspect of the sport was a big reason she stayed involved at first. She got to meet a lot of people from different schools, and many of them have become her lifelong friends.
Despite her small size, Nina had some impressive early achievements. In 2015 and 2016, she placed second and third in the U19 4+ event at the Club Nationals. She also won the varsity 8+ at the Midwest Championships three years in a row, from 2016 to 2018. And in 2016 and 2017, she placed second in the V8+ at the Youth Nationals.
Being a coxswain for the National Team
Nina Castagna, a fifth-year senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, has earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 team for three years in a row, serving as the varsity coxswain during that time. She was also named a second-team All-American in 2021 and made the Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll in 2022.
In 2022, Castagna coxed the varsity 8+ boat that finished third in the Jessop-Whitter Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic. That same year, she coxed the varsity 8+ that won both of its races at the Lake Las Vegas Pac-12 Invitational. She also coxed the second varsity 8+ that beat California in their annual dual meet, and the varsity 8+ that finished second at the Pac-12 Championships.
While making friends was what first got Castagna interested in rowing, her love for the sport has grown tremendously over the years. She really enjoys the camaraderie of working with her teammates to make the boat go as fast as possible. Castagna has been fortunate to be a part of three different rowing programs, and this has helped her passion for the sport continue to grow for over 9 years.
Most recently, Castagna coxed the US national team’s women’s 8+ boat, which finished first in their heat and will race for a medal on Sunday. The top 5 crews in the 8+ final will qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Castagna, along with former University of Washington rowers Brooke Mooney and Jessica Thoennes, helped lead the US to a silver medal in the women’s 8+ A final, securing their spot at the 2024 Olympics.
As the 2024 Paris Olympics approach, Castagna and her team are training hard with the goal of winning the gold medal.
