Steve Tucker and Greg Ruckman won their semifinal in the lightweight men's double sculls and all three U.S. crews racing to represent the U.S. at the 2003 World Championships earned finals' berths on the second day of competition at the 2003 Bearing World Cup stop in Munich, Germany. In total, eight U.S. crews will race in Sunday's finals.
Based on USRowing's selection procedures and their performances at the second National Selection Regatta (NSR), the lightweight men's double sculls, lightweight women's double sculls and women's pair went to Munich with the opportunity to earn berths on the 2003 National Team that will compete at the world championships August 24-31 in Milan, Italy. A top six finish this weekend would give those crews the option of representing the U.S. at the world championships or going back into selection for a different boat. On Saturday, all three crews met that goal by making the finals. The crews now have the option of accepting or declining their national team berths. If a crew chooses not to accept the berth, that boat class will be contested at the 2003 USRowing National Team Trials July 10-15 in Princeton, N.J.
In the first semifinal of the lightweight men's double sculls, Tucker (Mooresville, Ind.) and Ruckman (Cincinnati, Ohio) clocked a 6:30.95 to finish 2.18 seconds ahead of second-place Japan. Germany finished third, 0.7 seconds behind Japan. The U.S. duo, which clocked the fastest time of the semifinals, sat in fourth place at the 1,000-meter mark before making a strong move during the third 500 meters to take over the lead. In the second semifinal, Hungary won in a time of 6:35.62. Denmark finished second in a time of 6:36.55, followed by Spain. The six crews will face off in Sunday's final. By reaching the final, Tucker and Ruckman now are one of three crews that have the option of accepting a berth on the national team in the lightweight men's double sculls.
In the lightweight women's double sculls, Lisa Schlenker (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and Rachel Anderson (Darien, Conn.) finished third in their semifinal, qualifying for the final. The crew clocked a 7:25.62 to finish less than two seconds behind the winning crew from Great Britain (7:23.73). China finished third in a time of 7:24.22. Germany won the first semifinal in a time of 7:08.47, followed by the Netherlands and Spain. All six crews advanced to Sunday's final, and Schlenker and Anderson also have the option of accepting a berth on the national team in the lightweight women's double sculls. The other U.S. entry in the lightweight double sculls, Stacey Borgman (Homer, Alaska) and Mary Obidinski (Oneonta, N.Y.), finished fifth in their semifinal. The duo stroked a 7:29.58 to finish just under four seconds behind its U.S. teammates.
In the women's pair, the duo of Lianne Nelson (Seattle, Wash.) and Katie Hammes (LaCrosse, Wis.) finished third in its repechage to qualify for Sunday's final. The crew clocked a 7:24.01 to finish 4.22 seconds behind the repechage winners from Belarus. Nelson and Hammes, who sat in first place at the 1,000-meter mark, battled the crew from Belarus for the top spot for the first 1,500 meters before dropping to third. Germany's B boat finished second in a time of 7:23.74, while Germany's A boat finished fourth. The four boats join heat winners Great Britain and Germany's C boat in the final. By reaching the final, Nelson and Hammes earned the option of accepting a berth on the national team in the women's pair.
In the first semifinal of the lightweight men's four, Steve Warner (Novi, Mich.), Paul Teti (Upper Darby, Pa.), Matt Smith (Woodbridge, Va.) and Patrick Todd (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished third to advance to the final. The crew clocked a 6:14.00 to finish six seconds behind the semifinal winner from Denmark. Chile finished third in a time of 6:10.40. In the second semifinal, the Netherlands clocked a 6:13.88 to finish 1.37 seconds ahead of Germany. Austria finished third. The six crews now will face off in Sunday's final.
The duo of Kelly Salchow (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Laura Rauchfuss (Riverside, Conn.) finished third in the repechage of the women's double sculls to advance to the final. Salchow and Rauchfuss stroked a 7:17.42 to finish behind Belarus and Hungary. Chile finished fourth. The four crews join heat winners Germany and Great Britain in the final.
Three crews raced in exhibition races on Saturday in preparation for Sunday's final. The U.S. women's eight of Mary Whipple (Orangevale, Calif.), Ali Cox (Turlock, Calif.), Jennifer Dore-Terhaar (Kearny, N.J.), Dana Peirce (Richmond, Va.), Anna Mickelson (Bellevue, Wash.), Maite Urtasun (Riverside, N.J.), Megan Dirkmaat (San Jose, Calif.), Wendy Wilbur (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and Kate Johnson (Portland, Ore.) clocked a 6:21.10 to defeat Germany's A boat by 2.67 seconds. The eight will face four crews in tomorrow's final.
The women's quadruple sculls crew of Danika Harris (Durham, N.H.), Sarah Jones (Stanwood, Wash.), Laurel Korholz (La Jolla, Calif.) and Hilary Gehman (Wolfeboro, N.H.) also won its exhibition, clocking a 6:36.93 to finish 3.07 seconds ahead of Germany. The quad will face six crews in Sunday's final.
The U.S. lightweight men's pair of Eric Feins (Rochester, N.Y.) and Erik Miller (Renton, Wash.) finished fifth in its exhibition race. The five crews will face off in tomorrow's final.