WEST WINDSOR, N.J. - Six crews moved one step closer to earning berths on the 2007 Junior National Team by winning their first finals on Thursday at the 2007 Junior National Team Trials on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.
Finals are run in a best two-out-of-three format, with the second final taking place Friday starting at 8:00 a.m. If different boats win the first two races, they will face off in a third final on Saturday starting at 8:00 a.m.
In the junior women's single sculls, Steel City Rowing Club's Suzanne Maddamma easily defeated HB Rowing's Kathryn Schiro to win the first final. Maddamma, who raced in the quadruple sculls on the junior national team last summer, crossed the finish line in an 8:02.99 to finish more than 15 seconds in front of Schiro's 8:18.08. Rowing unaffiliated, Britta Roosendahl finished third.
James Hills had no trouble winning the first final of the junior men's single sculls. Hills, who won the single at the 2007 USRowing Youth National Championships earlier this month, clocked a 7:11.38 to defeat Brandon Taaffe by 23 seconds. Taaffe crossed the line with a time of 7:34.90, while Brunswick School's Ryan Potocki finished third in a 7:38.45.
GMS Rowing Center's Erin Crawford and Taylor Fries crossed the finish line in a 7:23.33 to win the first final of the junior women's double sculls. The crew finished more than 20 seconds ahead of Narragansett Boat Club's Sarah Fiske and Katie Rand. Narragansett clocked a 7:44.04. Fairmount Rowing Association's Kirsten Vanfossen and Antonia Moran finished third in a 7:56.50.
In the junior women's quadruple sculls, GMS Rowing Center's first boat of Chris Erhnart, Kayla Trnka, Kelsey Reelick and Kim Hopewell crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 7:12.68, finishing more than six seconds ahead of GMS Rowing Center's second boat. The second GMS boat finished with a time of 7:19.07.
Austinburg Boat Club won the first final of the junior men's quadruple sculls. The crew of Ben Ludlow, Greg Magarian, Jason Koch and Kynan Reelick finished with a time of 6:21.61, nearly 25 seconds ahead of GMS Rowing Center.
Racing unopposed, Steel City Rowing Club's Tom Charley and Keith Pfirrman clocked a 7:07.72 to win the junior men's double sculls.
Boats racing at the trials this week are competing for spots on the 2007 Junior National Team that will represent the U.S. at the 2007 World Rowing Junior Championships this August in Beijing, China.