PRINCETON, N.J. - USRowing is pleased to announce the final three crews that will represent the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, pending final approval by the United States Olympic Committee.
The women's eight will consist of coxswain Mary Whipple (Orangevale, Calif.), Caryn Davies (Ithaca, N.Y.), Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.), Eleanor Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine), Meghan Musnicki (Naples, N.Y.), Taylor Ritzel (Larkspur, Colo.), Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.), Esther Lofgren (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.).
Six athletes - Whipple, Davies, Lind, Logan, Francia and Cafaro - return from the crew that won gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The U.S. women's eight is the six-time defending world champions in the event. Last month at the second 2012 World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland, the U.S. won gold and set a new world best time (5:54.17), besting the previous world best time of 5:55.50, set by the U.S. in 2006, by more than a second.
In the women's quadruple sculls, Adrienne Martelli (University Place, Wash.), Kara Kohler (Clayton, Calif.), Megan Kalmoe (St. Croix Falls, Wis.) and Natalie Dell (Clearville, Pa.) will represent the U.S.
Kalmoe, who finished fifth in the double sculls in Beijing, won silver in the quad with Martelli and Dell at the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia. Kohler was a member of the women's four that won gold in Bled.
The men's quadruple sculls lineup consists of Alex Osborne (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), Peter Graves (Cincinnati, Ohio), Elliot Hovey (Manchester-By-The-Sea, Mass.) and Wes Piermarini (West Brookfield, Mass.).
Hovey and Piermarini return from the Beijing double sculls that finished 13th at the 2008 Olympic Games. Graves competed in the men's double sculls at last year's world championships, while Osborne was in the men's eight that finished eighth.
Selection for the women's eight and men's and women's quads was determined based on lineup evaluations, national selection regatta results and training camp performance in Princeton, N.J., and Chula Vista, Calif., under U.S. head coaches Tom Terhaar and Tim McLaren.
In total, 12 crews will represent the United States July 28-August 5 at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. For more information about important USRowing dates, the 2012 Olympic Games selection process and Olympic athlete bios, visit www.usrowing.org.