WEST WINDSOR, N.J. - Finals are now set for all four events at the 2018 National Selection Regatta 1/Spring Speed Order 1 at Mercer Lake on West Windsor, N.J.
In the men's and women's single sculls, as well as the lightweight men's single, a top three finish in the semifinals would result in advancement to tomorrow's A finals.
Vesper Boat Club's Jonathan Kirkegaard posted the fastest time of the open men in the semis. He crossed the line in a time of 7:06.95, 2.3 seconds ahead of Craftsbury's John Graves.
"Tonight was a nice day finally," Kirkegaard told USRowing. "We had flat water, so it was nice to open up a little bit. I think tomorrow's going to be real fast. I have a feeling everyone held back just a little."
Kevin Meador of Riverside placed third in the race, also earning himself a place in tomorrow's final. Penn AC's Justin Keen won the other semi in a time of 7:11.59, earning himself a spot in the final. He will be joined by UCSB Alumni's Lucas Wilhelm and Penn AC's Erik Frid.
USTC - Princeton's Felice Mueller clocked the fastest finish in the women's single with a time of 7:34.96. Mueller finished 8.01 seconds ahead of Cambridge's Gevvie Stone. New York AC's Meghan O'Leary finished third to also advance to the A final.
"I'm really happy we had some good conditions tonight, allowing us to practice what a 2k is actually like," Mueller said. "I'm really, really happy to see that the women's single is so competitive. I'm excited for tomorrow."
In the other women's single semifinal, Kara Kohler of USTC - Princeton earned her place in the A final, posting a time of 7:39.70. Kohler will be joined in the final by New York AC's Ellen Tomek and Potomac Boat Club's Michalina Fili, who crossed the line in 7:43.38 and 7:44.87, respectively.
Racing in the second semifinal for the event, unaffiliated oarsman Hugh McAdam posted the fasted time of the lightweight men, crossing the line in a time of 7:21.19. Potomac Boat Club's Peter Schmidt finished in second place, nearly two seconds behind McAdam, followed by Danny Madden of Seattle Rowing Center. The three will be joined in tomorrow's final by Penn AC's Jasper Liu, who won the first semi in a time of 7:22.18, 4.52 seconds ahead of Scott Del Vecchio of Penn AC and Vesper Boat Club's Kieran Edwards.
Due to weather related constraints, the lightweight women's heats held this evening now advance the top two finishers straight to the A final, with third and fourth place to the B final, and fifth and sixth to the C final. Cambridge Boat Club's Mary Nabel clocked the fastest time of the three heats, winning in a time of 7:48.14. Riverside's Hillary Saeger edged out unaffiliated Christine Cavallo by 0.36 seconds to advance alongside Nabel. The second heat was taken by Potomac Boat Club's Emily Schmieg in a time of 7:56.89. She will be joined in the final by Penn AC's Kristen Propst, who finished 8.74 seconds behind Schmieg. Riverside's Jennifer Saeger and Michaela Copenhaver of GMS Rowing Center will round out the A final, advancing out of the third heat.
A change in schedule now slates all finals for the 2018 National Selection Regatta 1/Spring Speed Order 1 to take place Thursday morning. The men's single sculls final will be the first A final of the morning, taking place at 8:00 a.m. EDT.
The winners of Thursday's finals in the men's and women's single sculls - the NSR events - get the chance to race at any 2018 World Rowing Cup race, where a top-six finish (or a top 50 percent finish in events with less than 12 entries) will earn them a spot on the U.S. National Team. The speed order events - the two lightweight single sculls - offer athletes an opportunity to test their speed against other elites in American rowing early in the season.
This year's first NSR/Spring Speed Order also serves as the first event of the three-part U.S. Lotman Challenge. The top eight open weight scullers from the men's and women's single, alongside the top two men's and women's lightweight single scullers, will advance to the second round of the Herb Lotman Challenge at the 2018 Head of the Charles Regatta.