After Maadi
In the second instalment of our series focusing on rowers embarking on life after their final Maadi Regatta, we meet Angalla Carney, who is combining her rowing ambitions with her academic pursuits at Duke University in North Carolina.
After signing off her school rowing career at Maadi, talented Hawke’s Bay rower Angalla Carney faced an important decision: what next?
A multiple Maadi medallist who represented New Zealand in the women’s quad at the 2025 World Junior Rowing Championships in Lithuania, Angalla has ambitions of one day rowing for her country at senior level.
But while rowing is a huge part of her life, so too are her academic ambitions and with this in mind, she has set her sights on a US college scholarship.
Now just over a month into life at Duke University, she has no regrets about the decision.
“The US offers both a high standard of academics and rowing,” she explains. “It is possible to do that too in New Zealand, but in the US everything is so well set up. The athletes are very well looked after, the money that is pumped into sport is insane. It was an opportunity I just could not pass up.”
Angalla is combining her rowing ambitions with her academic pursuits at Duke University in North Carolina.
Raised in Havelock North, Angalla was inspired to take up rowing after watching Emma Twigg and Tom Mackintosh strike Olympic gold in the women’s single sculls and men’s eight respectively at Tokyo 2020.
Both had emerged through Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club, and it was there, through the club’s learn-to-row programme, that Angalla quickly became hooked.
A student at Iona College at the time, she says the social side of rowing was a major attraction.
“Part of the reason I fell in love with rowing was the social aspect. It was fun. The school bus would drop us off an hour or so before training started and we would all go to the Four Square together.”
Success was soon to follow.
In her first year of rowing, Angalla was part of the novice eight that won gold at the NZ Rowing Championships, and she continued to build an impressive record throughout her school career.
As an under-16, she claimed silver in the double sculls and bronze in the single sculls at the 2023 Maadi Regatta before adding an U17 single sculls silver at the next edition of the Maadi Regatta.
It was around this time that US colleges began to show an interest.
Keen to find a university that could provide both strong academic opportunities and a high-quality rowing programme, Angalla explored a range of options. She ultimately ruled out Ivy League schools because they did not offer rowing scholarships, instead turning her attention to other US colleges.
A move to Waikato Diocesan for her final year of school rowing proved a successful one. Under the guidance of coach Alice Denyer, Angalla won gold in the U18 single sculls and silver in the U18 eight at Maadi, signing off her school rowing career in style.
Angalla won gold in the U18 single sculls and silver in the U18 eight at the 2025 Maadi Regatta, signing off her school rowing career in style. Photo: Picture Show Ltd
By then, her list of potential US destinations had been narrowed to “four or five” colleges.
Following further research and a visit to Duke, she opted for the prestigious university based in Durham, North Carolina.
“I really like the coaching staff, and it seemed like the best fit,” she explains. “I really had a hard time choosing, but Duke offered the full package for what I was looking for.”
Just over a month into her freshman year, Angalla has already been impressed by the team culture and the support provided by the older members of the squad.
The same applies in the classroom, where smaller class sizes are helping her pursue a civil engineering degree while balancing the demands of high-performance rowing.
So far, she has found juggling both surprisingly manageable.
“We have so much academic support,” she adds. “Our academic advisor works with us, and we have priority in picking classes to make sure we have a schedule that fits with our practices. If there is a clash our coaches are accommodating.”
Away from the classroom and rowing programme, Angalla is also enjoying the broader university experience.
With a passion for music and theatre, she hopes to find time to join an a cappella group, while she has also been struck by the diversity and talent of the students she has engaged with.
“I was talking to a freshman the other day at breakfast who was doing a research study on epilepsy in dogs,” she says. “It is incredible the connections you make at Duke. You meet some insanely talented people.”
While Angalla ultimately hopes to return to New Zealand and pursue her ambition of representing her country at senior level, for now she is embracing her Stateside adventure.
And based on her early experiences, she would encourage other Kiwi rowers with similar ambitions to make the same leap.
“I’m only in my early days at Duke but the standard of both the rowing and academics is amazing,” she explains. “As much as it would be cool for New Zealand to offer this, I just think the resources at US colleges make it hard to replicate.”
Steve Landells
Steve Landells is an experienced communications specialist and sportswriter with more than 25 years' experience. He is currently a proud dad of a rower who competes for St Peter's College, Auckland.
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After Maadi
In the second instalment of our series focusing on rowers embarking on life after their final Maadi Regatta, we meet Angalla Carney, who is combining her rowing ambitions with her academic pursuits at Duke University in North Carolina.
After signing off her school rowing career at Maadi, talented Hawke’s Bay rower Angalla Carney faced an important decision: what next?
A multiple Maadi medallist who represented New Zealand in the women’s quad at the 2025 World Junior Rowing Championships in Lithuania, Angalla has ambitions of one day rowing for her country at senior level.
But while rowing is a huge part of her life, so too are her academic ambitions and with this in mind, she has set her sights on a US college scholarship.
Now just over a month into life at Duke University, she has no regrets about the decision.
“The US offers both a high standard of academics and rowing,” she explains. “It is possible to do that too in New Zealand, but in the US everything is so well set up. The athletes are very well looked after, the money that is pumped into sport is insane. It was an opportunity I just could not pass up.”
Angalla is combining her rowing ambitions with her academic pursuits at Duke University in North Carolina.
Raised in Havelock North, Angalla was inspired to take up rowing after watching Emma Twigg and Tom Mackintosh strike Olympic gold in the women’s single sculls and men’s eight respectively at Tokyo 2020.
Both had emerged through Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club, and it was there, through the club’s learn-to-row programme, that Angalla quickly became hooked.
A student at Iona College at the time, she says the social side of rowing was a major attraction.
“Part of the reason I fell in love with rowing was the social aspect. It was fun. The school bus would drop us off an hour or so before training started and we would all go to the Four Square together.”
Success was soon to follow.
In her first year of rowing, Angalla was part of the novice eight that won gold at the NZ Rowing Championships, and she continued to build an impressive record throughout her school career.
As an under-16, she claimed silver in the double sculls and bronze in the single sculls at the 2023 Maadi Regatta before adding an U17 single sculls silver at the next edition of the Maadi Regatta.
It was around this time that US colleges began to show an interest.
Keen to find a university that could provide both strong academic opportunities and a high-quality rowing programme, Angalla explored a range of options. She ultimately ruled out Ivy League schools because they did not offer rowing scholarships, instead turning her attention to other US colleges.
A move to Waikato Diocesan for her final year of school rowing proved a successful one. Under the guidance of coach Alice Denyer, Angalla won gold in the U18 single sculls and silver in the U18 eight at Maadi, signing off her school rowing career in style.
Angalla won gold in the U18 single sculls and silver in the U18 eight at the 2025 Maadi Regatta, signing off her school rowing career in style. Photo: Picture Show Ltd
By then, her list of potential US destinations had been narrowed to “four or five” colleges.
Following further research and a visit to Duke, she opted for the prestigious university based in Durham, North Carolina.
“I really like the coaching staff, and it seemed like the best fit,” she explains. “I really had a hard time choosing, but Duke offered the full package for what I was looking for.”
Just over a month into her freshman year, Angalla has already been impressed by the team culture and the support provided by the older members of the squad.
The same applies in the classroom, where smaller class sizes are helping her pursue a civil engineering degree while balancing the demands of high-performance rowing.
So far, she has found juggling both surprisingly manageable.
“We have so much academic support,” she adds. “Our academic advisor works with us, and we have priority in picking classes to make sure we have a schedule that fits with our practices. If there is a clash our coaches are accommodating.”
Away from the classroom and rowing programme, Angalla is also enjoying the broader university experience.
With a passion for music and theatre, she hopes to find time to join an a cappella group, while she has also been struck by the diversity and talent of the students she has engaged with.
“I was talking to a freshman the other day at breakfast who was doing a research study on epilepsy in dogs,” she says. “It is incredible the connections you make at Duke. You meet some insanely talented people.”
While Angalla ultimately hopes to return to New Zealand and pursue her ambition of representing her country at senior level, for now she is embracing her Stateside adventure.
And based on her early experiences, she would encourage other Kiwi rowers with similar ambitions to make the same leap.
“I’m only in my early days at Duke but the standard of both the rowing and academics is amazing,” she explains. “As much as it would be cool for New Zealand to offer this, I just think the resources at US colleges make it hard to replicate.”
Steve Landells
Steve Landells is an experienced communications specialist and sportswriter with more than 25 years' experience. He is currently a proud dad of a rower who competes for St Peter's College, Auckland.
