McKinley’s meteoric rise in rowing leads to sterling NCAA results at Syracuse University and three medals for Team Canada at Junior Pan-Am Games

August 27, 2026 · 0 Comments

Over the last year, Aurora’s Ella McKinley has made significant strides on the water as a decorated rower at Syracuse University and, more recently, as a member of Team Canada.

Since being identified three years ago as a potential Olympic athlete at RBC’s Training Ground program, McKinley delivered strong performances on the water at the Ontario NextGen Centre in Welland and was recruited by Syracuse University after completing her first year at the University of Guelph where she rowed for the Gryphons.

After helping the Orange set historical marks in Women’s rowing, McKinley carried her meteoric momentum from D1 national competitions to the international stage with Team Canada.

Despite having only three years of rowing experience, the Aurora resident rose to the status of international medalist this Summer as a member of Team Canada at the Junior Pan-Am Games in Asuncion, Paraguay. She competed in three events—Women’s Pair with Ottawa’s Riley Richardson, Women’s Four, and Women’s Eight—and visited the podium all three times with a bronze, bronze, and silver, respectively.

McKinley described her in-boat partnership with fellow bronze medalist Richardson: “Riley and I met last Spring in 2025. We had spent the last year competing against one another in NCAA events as rivals. She was at the University of Virginia. We became best friends instantly—sharing good laughs on the docks. We lived together, too, and have been rowing together full-time in meets in Belgium and Germany. We were selected for the Pan-Ams at Selection Camp on Vancouver Island in June 2025. Team C paired us because we had chemistry off the water, too. During practice, we’d finish each other’s sentences. She’s graduated from UofV and we were seated next to one another in the shell in the 4’s and 8’s.”

It was evident that her experience in Paraguay with Team Canada is a watershed event in McKinley’s athletic career and described the best part of her time in Asuncion.

“Riley and I had a Canadian flag above our heads in our hotel room. It was a huge competition—every event in the Olympics was at the Pan-Ams. Rowing was one of the first events in the Games. We were the first team to contribute to the Team C medal count—there was a board up in the hotel lobby with Team Canada’s medal count. It was only Team Canada members staying there. Another satisfying part of our performance was that we had trained under Olympic silver medalist Dave Calder in Vancouver in preparation for the Games. It was really rewarding and exciting to see all of Dave’s coaching being recognized when we medalled in Paraguay. Even though he was coaching Canadian teams in Lithuania when we were in Paraguay, he was messaging us and keeping in contact with us. His coaching gave our team confidence for the Pan-Ams.”

The day before she returned to Syracuse for her final year, McKinley reflected at her dining room table and explained her rapid rise in rowing prominence on national and international stages.

“Sports have always been a big part of my life. I’ve always had some sport going on. My dad was always on a bike ride—when I was four, he was in a 100-mile race in Haliburton and our entire family went to see him compete. Watching him compete in sport has been a big part of my identity.”

With Colum McKinley as an athletic role model, McKinley made her own significant strides as a USports athlete as a Freshman at the University of Guelph where she earned Rookie of the Year honors with the Women’s Rowing Team.

Despite her first-year success with the Gryphons, McKinley explained why she committed to Syracuse University and acknowledged she “wanted an even bigger challenge.”

“I was invited to make an official visit to Syracuse and I got a chance to talk with so many NCAA athletes. I interacted with all fifty of the rowing team members that was set up by my Tour Host. I went to dinner and classes with the team. It was an all-encompassing culture that I liked. Coach McGee was really good—he saw my potential as a rower and took a chance on me. Results-wise, I was very new so my recruiting process was a little different than others who had more rowing experience.”

The Honour Roll graduate of Sacred Heart Catholic High School in Newmarket delineated her goals as a student-athlete in her last year at Syracuse: “Academically, I want to focus my studies on Biology—especially learning in genetics and molecular labs. I want to work more on anatomy and physiology during next semester and apply to Graduate schools. I’m leaning strongly towards doing my Master’s Degree in Biology—potentially in the USA or Canada. Athletically, I missed some of the Spring season with injuries so I am very excited to get back to the team. I want to convert what I learned at the Pan-Am Games this summer and apply it to my rowing season at Syracuse this Fall. We have a team goal to improve on our NCAA ranking—last year, we rowed to Syracuse’s best record ever and finished ranked 9th in the nation. It’s a cool circle to go from the Pan-Am Games back to the NCAA.”

As an NCAA student-athlete. McKinley described what’s been the best part of living in Syracuse, New York.

“I hadn’t seen boathouses that big until I got to Syracuse—all the boats are named after alumni and it’s an honor to be rowing in those shells with all the rich history in them. My favorite spot to go to in Syracuse is Beacon Skiff—it’s a giant apple orchard and, as a team, we enjoy drinking apple cider there on a Fall afternoon. It’s a fun place for the team to go and serves as an outlet for us. It’s important for us to enjoy the Fall. Syracuse has tough winters—some of the harshest in the USA, but the Falls are spectacular.”

By Jim Stewart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter