Former Washington State University club rower Cedar Cunningham will compete with Team USA in the World Rowing Championships Sept. 21–28. The competition will be held in Shanghai, China. Cunningham will race in the quad (4x) boat class.
The last time a Cougar oarsman made the World Championships was when Paul Enquist qualified in 1983. Enquist won gold in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Cunningham graduated from WSU in 2022 with a degree in finance.
“We couldn’t be more excited for him,” said Peter Brevick, WSU head coach of men’s rowing. “The guys on the team have been following along his journey and we’re excited to watch him.”
In the World Championships, Cunningham will be competing with nearly 900 athletes representing 56 nations. Brevick said as a Cougar rower, he worked very hard in team practices, a trait that has served him well as he competes with Team USA.
WSU Insider caught up with Cunningham in July 2025 just after he competed in World Cup events in Italy and Switzerland. In the article Cunningham shared that the weeks leading up to competitions are filled with hours of team practice and weight room sessions. The positive feedback and encouragement received from members of the WSU rowing community helps him tremendously and continues to drive him. “Several of our graduates from last spring had rowed with Cedar, and one of them is a volunteer coach this fall, so Cedar’s legacy is alive and well at WSU,” Brevick said.
