Finals are set at the first 2008 National Selection Regatta (NSR #1) following Saturday's racing at the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J.
In the women's single sculls, two-time world championships bronze medalist Michelle Guerette continued show her dominance on Saturday evening by winning the second of two semifinals by more than 12 seconds. The Bristol, Conn. native controlled her race from start to finish, crossing the finish line with a time of 7:45.74. Nicky Gavel finished second in a 7:58.13, while Vesper Boat Club's Wendy Tripician held off Undine Barge Club's Meghan Sarbanis by 1.41 seconds for third place and a spot in the final. Tripician finished with a time of 7:58.58. Vesper Boat Club's Julie Nichols won the first semifinal by 2.75 seconds over Vesper's Carey Brezler. Nichols finished with a time of 7:57.09, while Brezler came home in a 7:59.84. Pocock Rowing Center's Kathleen Bertko edged out Riverside Boat Club's Natalie Dell by less than one second to place third and earned the last spot in the final.
Penn AC's Ivan Baldychev recorded the fastest time during Saturday evening's semifinals in the lightweight men's single sculls. Racing in the second of two semifinals, Baldychev crossed the finish line with a time of 7:18.34 to finish 4.30 seconds ahead of Augusta Rowing Club's Tim Larson. Vesper Boat Club's Andrew Grzybowski finished third in a 7:25.49. Undine Barge Club's Cody Lowry won the first semifinal. Lowry clocked a 7:19.13 to narrowly defeat USRowing Training Center's Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg by 0.51 seconds. Riverside Boat Club's Rob Zechmann finished third with a time of 7:20.91, earning the other spot in the final.
During morning racing, Ken Jurkowski held off a hard-charging James Dietz from New York Athletic Club to win the second semifinal and record the fastest time of the day in the men's single sculls. Racing unaffiliated, Jurkowski finished with a time of 7:07.15, with Dietz coming home in a 7:07.80. Bantam Boat Club's Peter Graves clocked a 7:09.11 to finish third, edging out Penn AC's David Coughlin by 0.38 seconds to claim the last spot in Sunday's final. In the first semifinal, Penn AC's Andrew Liverman defeated Vesper's Joshua Brown by more than three seconds to win the race. Liverman crossed the finish line with a time of 7:12.68, followed by Brown in a 7:16.04. Atlanta Rowing Club's Jordan Smith finished third in a 7:17.15 to also move on to the final.
Racing in the second of two heats in the men's pair, USRowing Training Center's Micah Boyd and Dan Beery stroked the fastest time of the morning. With the top three finishers in each race advancing to Sunday's final, Boyd and Beery finished with a time of 6:37.62, more than two seconds ahead of the California Rowing Club/USRowing Training Center duo of Sebastian Bea and Donny Simkin. Bea and Simkin clocked a 6:40.18. USRowing TC's Sam Burns and Kyle Larson finished third in a 6:42.95. In the first heat, USRowing's Chris Liwski and David Banks finished with a time of 6:43.07. USRowing's Jake Cornelius and Alex Hearne finished second in a 6:46.58, while teammates Tyler Winklevoss and Brodie Buckland finished third in a 6:48.68.
Vesper Boat Club's Rebecca Smith won the first heat of the lightweight women's single sculls with a time of 8:00.66. Smith finished more than six seconds ahead of teammate Libby Peters, who clocked an 8:07.28. New York Athletic Club's Margaret Duggan finished third in an 8:09.05. Potomac Boat Club's Jessica Barker finished 0.52 seconds ahead of Erin Burton to win the second heat. Barker finished with a time of 8:09.09, while Burton finished in an 8:09.61. Vesper's Nicole Nelson came in third with a time of 8:10.58. The top three finishers in each heat advanced to tomorrow's final.
For the women's single sculls, NSR #1 serves as the first step towards making the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. The winner of the event will earn the right to race at either the first or second world cup regatta in May. If the NSR winner finishes in the top six at her chosen world cup race, then she will be nominated to the U.S. Olympic Team. If not, the event will be opened up for trials in June. The event also plays an important role for the men's single sculls. The top 12 finishers earn the right to compete at the first set of U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Rowing scheduled for May 12-17. For the remaining three boat categories, the regatta serves as an opportunity for athletes to test their speed early in the season in preparation for future selection regattas and trials. For a complete explanation of USRowing's selection procedures, please click here.
Racing concludes on Sunday morning beginning at 7:00 a.m. with finals. For complete results, please visit www.powerhousetiming.com.
USRowing is a nonprofit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. USRowing's Official Sponsor is Johnson & Johnson; its Official Suppliers are Hudson Boat Works, NIKE, Inc., and Rosetta Stone; its Official Patron is Concept2; its Official Electronics Outfitter is Nielsen Kellerman; its Official Timer is Powerhouse Timing; its Official Registrar is RegattaCentral; and its Preferred Printer is Sport Graphics Printing. USRowing also receives generous support from the National Rowing Foundation.