Four crews are now one step closer to making the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team after winning their events at the second 2008 National Selection Regatta (NSR #2) at the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J.
The winners of the women's double sculls, men's double sculls, women's pair and men's pair earned the right to race at either the first or second world cup regatta in May. If the crew finishes in the top four at its chosen world cup race, then it has the option of being nominated to the U.S. Olympic Team. If the crew does not finish in the top four, chooses not to race at the world cup or chooses not to accept its nomination after finishing in the top four, the event will be opened up to the second set of U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Rowing scheduled for June 9-13.
USRowing Training Center's Matt Hughes (Ludington, Mich.) and Sam Stitt (McLean, Va.) won the men's double sculls final by more than seven seconds. Hughes and Stitt, who finished ninth in the double at last year's world championships, controlled the race and crossed the finish line with a time of 7:31.61. California Rowing Club/Penn A.C.'s Scott Gault (Berkeley, Calif.) and Andrew Liverman (Oakton, Va.) crossed second in a 6:38.99, followed by USTC's Warren Anderson (Paso Robles, Calif.) and Jamie Schroeder (Wilmette, Ill.) in 6:39.31.
In the men's pair, USTC's Bryan Volpenhein (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Jason Read (Ringoes, N.J.) dominated the field. The duo crossed the line in a 6:44.24, 5.6 seconds ahead of teammates Micah Boyd (St. Paul, Minn.) and Dan Beery (Oaktown, Ind.). Boyd and Beery clocked a 6:49.86, followed by USTC's Daniel Walsh (Norwalk, Conn.) and Wyatt Allen (Portland, Maine) in a 6:50.33.
"I'm real happy with the outcome of the race," said Volpenhein. "It was our best race of the weekend, and it's always nice to end on a good note. I'm looking forward to racing this summer at a world cup. It's just another step along the way to Beijing."
USRowing Training Center's Ellen Tomek (Flint, Mich.) and Megan Kalmoe (St. Croix Falls, Wis.) won the final of the women's double sculls. The duo finished in a 7:13.19. Teammates Ala Piotrowski (Manchester, N.H.) and Jen Kaido (West Leyden, N.Y.) finished second in a 7:17.56, followed by Potomac Boat Club's Margot Shumway (Westlake, Ohio) and Reilly Dampeer (Weston, Conn.) in a 7:18.28.
USRowing Training Center's Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.) and Elle Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) took the lead in the final 500 meters to win the women's pair final in a 7:22.59. Teammates Anna Goodale (Camden, Maine) and Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.) crossed the line second in a 7:24.77, followed by the USTC duo of Esther Lofgren (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Lindsay Shoop (Charlottesville, Va.) in a 7:26.11.
In addition, finals were held in the lightweight men's pair, lightweight men's double sculls and lightweight women's double sculls.
In the final of the lightweight men's double sculls, California Rowing Club/Potomac Boat Club's Mike Aller (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Gavin Frase (Orinda, Calif.) won in a 6:39.89. Malta Boat Club's Bjorn Larsen (Lake Stevens, Wash.) and Richard Montgomery (Batavia, Ill.) crossed second in a 6:43.06, followed closely by USRowing Training Center's Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Shane Madden (Ambler, Pa.) in a 6:43.65.
USRowing Training Center's Will Daly (Vail, Colo.) and Colin Farrell (Oaklyn, N.J.) won the final of the lightweight men's pair in a 6:40.43. Teammates Patrick Todd (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Michael Altman (Marin County, Calif.) took second with a 6:43.51, followed by USTC's Andrew Bolton (Old Lyme, Conn.) and Simon Carcagno (Pennington, N.J.) in a 6:49.39.
Racing uncontested, Elizabeth Brennan and Rachel Blair won the final of the lightweight women's double sculls in a 9:18.67.
Complete results can be viewed here.