Finals in five events and semifinals in the single sculls highlighted Saturday's racing at the 2010 USRowing National Selection Regatta #1 at the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J.
USRowing Training Center's Jake Cornelius (Brooktondale, N.Y.) and Charlie Cole (New Canaan, Conn.) clocked a 6:47.141 to earn a victory in the men's pair, with teammates Grant James (DeKalb, Ill.) and Ross James (DeKalb, Ill.) second in a 6:51.124. The James brothers edged out USRowing TC's Steven Coppola (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Silas Stafford (Santa Rosa, Calif.) by just 0.1 seconds. Coppola and Stafford crossed third in a 6:51.222.
In the women's pair, USRowing Training Center's Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.) and Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.) won by 4.26 seconds. Cafaro and Francia, the defending world champions in the event, crossed in a 7:27.764. Teammates Amanda Polk (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Jamie Redman (Spokane, Wash.), members of the women's four that won silver at the 2009 World Rowing Championships, finished second in a 7:32.049. USRowing TC's Lindsay Shoop (Charlottesville, Va.) and Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.) rounded out the top three with a time of 7:36.574.
In the final of the men's double sculls, the Bachelor's Barge Club duo of Cody Lowry (Bristow, Okla.) and Jon D'Alba (Berwyn, Pa.) dominated the field to win by nearly 10 seconds. Lowry and D'Alba crossed first in a 6:48.628, with Oklahoma City University's Edgars Boitmanis (Jurmala, Latvia) and Drew McNichols (Fall Creek, Ore.) in second with a time of 6:58.181. Riverside Boat Club's David Smith (Seattle, Wash.) and Matt Carey (West Simsbury, Conn.) finished third in a 6:59.998.
Less than an hour after finishing fourth in the semifinal of the women's single sculls, Ursula Grobler (Pretoria, South Africa) won the final of the lightweight women's single sculls. Grobler posted a 3.8-second victory over Undine Barge Club's Meghan Sarbanis (Hampstead, N.H.), crossing first in a 7:59.061. Sarbanis clocked an 8:02.755 to edge out Pocock RC's Abby Broughton (Tetonia, Idaho) by 0.1 seconds. Broughton finished third with a time of 8:02.853.
Pocock Rowing Center's Kenny McMahon (Ladysmith, Wis.) clocked a 7:19.495 to win the final of the lightweight men's single sculls. McMahon crossed 1.45 seconds ahead of Undine Barge Club's Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg (Philadelphia, Pa.), who finished second with a time of 7:21.047. GMS Rowing Center's Jon Winter (New Haven, Conn.) posted a time of 7:24.790 for third place.
In the men's single sculls, USRowing Training Center's Warren Anderson (Paso Robles, Calif.) recorded the fastest time of the day, clocking a 7:15.509 in the second semifinal. Anderson edged out Craftsbury Sculling Center's Thomas Graves (Cincinnati, Ohio) by 1.9 seconds. Graves crossed second in a 7:17.577, followed by USRowing TC's Glenn Ochal (Philadelphia, Pa.) in a 7:19.914. Ken Jurkowski (New Fairfield, Conn.) won the first semifinal in a 7:17.656, followed by Penn A.C.'s Stephen Whelpley (Moquon, Wis.) in a 7:21.372. New York Athletic Club's Matt Hughes (Ludington, Mich.) finished third with a time of 7:22.752.
Cambridge Boat Club's Genevra Stone (Newton, Mass.) clocked the fastest time in the second semifinal of the women's single sculls. Stone edged out USRowing Training Center's Stesha Carle (Long Beach, Calif.) by just over two seconds to win in a 7:59.836. Carle clocked an 8:03.126, followed by USRowing Training Center's Megan Kalmoe (St. Croix Falls, Wis.) with a time of 8:03.891. In the first race, USRowing TC's Kate Bertko (Oakland, Calif.) won in an 8:03.649. Union Boat Club's Mae Joyce Gay edged ahead of USRowing TC's Jessica Reel (Atlanta, Ga.) to finish second in an 8:07.116. Reel crossed third with a time of 8:07.802.
Finals in the single sculls events are scheduled for Sunday at 7 a.m. For complete results, visit www.powerhousetiming.com.
For the men's and women's single sculls, the regatta serves as the first step towards making the 2010 Senior National Team that will represent the United States at the 2010 World Rowing Championships in Lake Karapiro, New Zealand. The winner of each event will earn the right to compete at a world cup race of their choosing. If the NSR #1 winner finishes in the top four (or top half if there are fewer than eight entries), then he or she will be nominated to the team. For the remaining boat categories, the speed order serves as an opportunity for athletes to test their speed early in the season in preparation for future selection regattas and trials.