WEST WINDSOR, N.J. - Racing got underway with morning time trials in all seven events and heats in the men's pair at the 2010 USRowing National Selection Regatta #2 and Speed Order May 13-15 at the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. The regatta features competition in the women's double sculls, men's double sculls, lightweight women's double sculls, lightweight men's double sculls, women's pair, men's pair and lightweight men's pair.
In the men's pair, USRowing Training Center - Princeton's Charlie Cole (New Canaan, Conn.) and Jake Cornelius (Brooktondale, N.Y.) posted the fastest time of the day to win the first heat in a 6:39.268, edging out Brett Newlin (Riverton, Wyo.) and David Banks (Potomac, Md.) by just over a second. After winning the morning time trial, Newlin and Banks clocked a 6:40.662 in the heat, followed by USTC - P's Giuseppe Lanzone (Annandale, Va.) and Beau Hoopman (Plymouth, Wis.) in a 6:48.327. USRowing Training Center - Chula Vista's Dan Walsh (Norwalk, Conn.) and Henrik Rummel (Pittsford, N.Y.) won the second heat by nearly three seconds, posting a time of 6:44.723. USRowing TC - OKC's Ryan Monaghan (Wilmette, Ill.) and Deaglan McEachern (Portsmouth, N.H.) crossed second in a 6:47.601, followed by USTC - P's Steve Kasprzyk (Cinnaminson, N.J.) and Troy Kepper (Tallahassee, Fla.) in a 6:53.462. In the third heat, the USTC - P duo of Silas Stafford (Santa Rosa, Calif.) and Steven Coppola (Buffalo, N.Y.) held onto its lead at the halfway mark to win by nearly two seconds, posting a time of 6:49.25. USRowing Training Center - OKC's Tom Peszek (Farmington Hills, Mich.) and Justin Stangel (Madison, Wis.) crossed second in a 6:51.345, followed by USTC - P's Josh Inman (Hillsboro, Ore.) and Sam Stitt (McLean, Va.) in a 6:55.251.
USRowing Training Center - Princeton took the top three spots in the time trial of the women's pair. Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.) and Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.) clocked the fastest time for the win. Cafaro and Francia, Beijing gold medalists and the defending world champions in the event, posted a 7:05.990. USTC - P's Esther Lofgren (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Sarah Zelenka (Itasca, Ill.) crossed second in a 7:15.236, followed by Kady Glessner (Seattle, Wash.) and Meghan Musnicki (Ithaca, N.Y.) in a 7:15.613.
In the men's double sculls, USRowing Training Center - Princeton's Warren Anderson (Paso Robles, Calif.) and Glenn Ochal (Philadelphia, Pa.) clocked a 6:13.751 to win the time trial. USRowing Training Center - Chula Vista's Scott Gault (Piedmont, Calif.) and Will Miller (Duxbury, Mass.) crossed with a time of 6:18.072, followed by the NYAC/GMS duo of Jamie Koven (Green Village, N.J.) and Michael Sivigny (Hudson, N.H.) in a 6:18.829.
USRowing Training Center - Princeton's Kate Bertko (Oakland, Calif.) and Stesha Carle (Long Beach, Calif.) won the time trial of the women's double by 4.3 seconds. Members of the 2009 World Championship silver-medalist women's quadruple sculls crew, Bertko and Carle clocked a 6:55.721. USTC - P's Megan Kalmoe (St. Croix Falls, Wis.) and Jessi Reel (Atlanta, Ga.) posted a time of 6:59.048, followed by teammates Megan Walsh (Charlotte, N.C.) and Sarah Trowbridge (Guilford, Conn.) in a 6:59.122.
In the lightweight men's single sculls, the USTC - P/GMS duo of Brian de Regt (Rowayton, Conn.) and Jon Winter (New Haven, Conn.) recorded the fastest time of the time trial, clocking a 6:38.939 for the win. Jon D'Alba (Berwyn, Pa.) and Cody Lowry (Bristow, Okla.) of the Bachelor's Barge Club crossed in a 6:47.708, followed by USTC - P/Pocock Rowing Center's Kenny McMahon (Ladysmith, Wis.) and Shane Madden (Ambler, Pa.) in third with a time of 6:48.471.
USRowing Training Center - Princeton's Abby Broughton (Tetonia, Idaho) and Ursula Grobler (Pretoria, South Africa) won the lightweight women's single sculls time trial by more than ten seconds. Broughton, a silver-medalist in last year's world championship lightweight women's quadruple sculls, and Grobler, who won the lightweight single sculls at NSR #1, clocked a 7:13.840. The USTC - P/Pocock duo of Katherine Robinson (Everett, Wash.) and Lindsey Hochman (Seattle, Wash.) crossed in a 7:24.371, followed by USTC - P/Undine/Riverside's Meghan Sarbanis (Hampstead, N.H.) and Hillary Saeger (Dedham, Mass.) in a 7:25.420.
USRowing Training Center - Princeton/Pocock Rowing Center's Will Daly (Vail, Colo.) and Jimmy Sopko (Mathews, Va.) clocked the fastest time of the lightweight men's pair time trial. The duo posted a 6:53.145 and will be the top seed in Friday morning's final. USTC - P/Pocock's Nick LaCava (Weston, Conn.) and Anthony Fahden (Lafayette, Calif.) posted a 7:00.961, followed by Riverside Boat Club's Skip Dise (Beverly Hills, Mich.) and Dorian Weber in a 7:01.522.
Semifinals in the lightweight men's double sculls, men's double sculls and men's pair, as well as the final of the lightweight men's pair, will be held Friday starting at 7 a.m. Finals in the remaining events will be held Saturday starting at 7 a.m. Watch the finals of the open weight pairs, doubles and lightweight doubles live on the Team USA Rowing Channel beginning at 7 a.m. EST Saturday at http://rowing.teamusa.org/live.
For all four double sculls and the open weight pairs, 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 #2 winner finishes in the top four (or top half if there are fewer than eight entries) at the world cup, then the crew will be nominated to the team. For the lightweight men's pair, NSR #2 serves as an opportunity for athletes to test their speed in preparation for selection camps and trials.