A former rower from Texas has been chosen to represent Team USA and will be traveling to Paris this summer.

Two former University of Texas at Austin rowers, Kaitlin Knifton and Mary “Daisy” Mazzio-Manson, have secured spots on the 2024 Olympic rowing team and are set to compete in Paris this summer. They join Gia Doonan as the second and third Longhorns to achieve this feat since Doonan’s tenure from 2013 to 2017.

According to Texas women’s rowing team head coach Dave O’Neill, the program is still in its early stages of establishing a reputation but is making progress. Knifton, who graduated in 2023 after five years with the team, is one of the youngest members of the Olympic squad. Despite facing a severe back injury during her fifth year, she underwent surgery and remarkably returned to rowing earlier than anticipated.

Mazzio-Manson transferred to Texas for her graduate studies after spending four years at Yale. Despite having only one year to contribute to the Texas team, her determination to be part of a championship-winning squad stood out to O’Neill. Both Knifton and Mazzio-Manson endured challenges and setbacks on their paths to Olympic qualification, reflecting the demanding journey it took to reach this pinnacle.

Their athletic backgrounds, with Mazzio-Manson’s mother being an Olympic rower and Knifton’s father’s involvement in rowing, instilled in them an early interest in Olympic-level competition. O’Neill, drawing from his experience coaching national team athletes, advises them to continue enjoying their journey and to remain focused on their goals, recognizing that making the Olympic team is just the beginning of a new chapter in their athletic careers.

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