WEST WINDSOR, N.J. - Crescent Boat Club and Steel City Rowing Club won the third and decisive finals of the men's and women's double sculls, respectively, on Monday at the 2005 Junior National Team Trials on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.
In the junior men's double sculls, Crescent Boat Club's John Cerrone and Justin Ochal and Capital Crew's Peter Carlson and Justin Rediger battled each other all weekend. Crescent won the first final on Saturday by 0.24 seconds, but Capital came back to win Sunday's second final by 0.84 seconds. In the third final, the two boats raced bow ball to bow ball all the way down the course. As they crossed the finish line, Cerrone and Ochal edged in front for a 0.1-second victory. Crescent finished with a time of 6:58.10, while Capital crossed the line in a 6:58.20.
Steel City Rowing Club's Meredith Meehan and Katrina Gagnon completed their comeback by defeating GMS Rowing Center's Jacquelyn Burmeister and Victoria Burke in the third final. Meehan and Gagnon lost the first final by just less than four seconds, but the duo forced a third race by earning a 2.20-second victory in Sunday's second final. In Monday's race, Steel City pulled away from GMS Rowing Center to win by 3.20 seconds. Gagnon and Meehan finished with a time of 7:59.41, while Burmeister and Burke finished in an 8:02.61.
The two doubles join yesterday's winners of the single sculls, Sean Medcalf and Caroline Berson, on the junior national team. In addition to the four boats selected at the trials, the U.S. will send a men's eight, men's four with coxswain, women's eight, women's four and women's pair to the world junior championships. Those boats will be chosen in July by the junior national team head coaches from the athletes participating in the junior national team camps that are currently in progress.