WEST WINDSOR, N.J. - Nine crews earned trials victories and two crews forced a third final on Sunday at the 2005 World Championships Trials on Lake Mercer.
In total, the trials will select 12 different crews to represent the United States at the 2005 FISA World Rowing Championships August 28-September 4 in Gifu, Japan. The winners of each boat class will be named to the world championships' squad if they meet the qualifying time standard. If a crew does not meet the standard during trials, it will have a final opportunity on Wednesday, July 20, to make it and qualify for the team.
On Sunday, the women's pair of Caroline Lind and Lindsay Shoop from Princeton Training Center was the only crew to win the trials and meet the time standard. Lind and Shoop clocked a 7:18.25 to defeat PTC teammates Ala Piotrowski and Anne Browning by more than 20 seconds. The duo made the time standard by six seconds. Both Lind and Shoop made their first senior national teams.
New York Athletic Club's Wyatt Allen completed his sweep of the men's single sculls by recording a time of 7:01.89. Allen finished a little more than four seconds ahead of Ann Arbor Rowing Club's Mike Perry. Union Boat Club's Steve Tucker finished third. Allen did not make the time standard and will have until Wednesday to reach it in order to qualify for the world championships in the event.
Penn AC's men's pair with coxswain of Micah Boyd, Jordan Smith and coxswain Leigh Heyman also swept the first two finals to win the trials. The trio stroked a 7:15.15 to edge out its Penn AC teammates by less than one second. Like Allen, the crew will have until Wednesday to reach the time standard.
Vesper Boat Club's Wendy Campanella, Sarah Hirst, Melissa Rice and Heather Moon swept the finals of the lightweight women's quadruple sculls. The crew clocked a 6:48.61 to defeat Undine Barge Club by more than four seconds. The crew will have until Wednesday to reach the time standard.
In the lightweight women's single sculls, Riverside Boat Club's Marika Page swept the finals after clocking a 7:59.48 in Sunday's race. Page defeated Pocock Elite Sculling Team's Samantha Twardowski by more than 18 seconds. Union Boat Club's Claudia Wagner finished third. Page missed the time standard by less than one second and will have until Wednesday to make it.
Riverside Boat Club's lightweight men's quadruple sculls crew of Greg Ruckman, Rob Zechmann, Matt Muffleman and Sean Wolf easily swept its first two finals. The crew has until Wednesday to reach the time standard.
In the women's four, the Princeton Training Center crew of Megan Dirkmaat, Sam Magee, Susan Francia and Anna Goodale raced unopposed and clocked a 6:53.90 to win the trials. The crew will have until Wednesday to reach the time standard.
In the men's four with coxswain, Penn AC forced a third final by winning Sunday's race. The crew of coxswain Chase Phillips, Chris DeFelice, Patrick Godfrey, Steve Kasprzyk and Dan Mueller finished with a time of 6:18.28, 2.51 seconds ahead of Princeton Training Center's A boat. PTC B finished third. Penn AC will now face off against the PTC A crew of Marcus McElhenney, Brett Newlin, Patrick Sullivan, Troy Kepper and Matt Hughes, which won the first final.
Penn AC's Evan Price also forced a third final in the lightweight men's single sculls. Price rowed the course in a 7:22.99, defeating Augusta Rowing Club's Tim Larson by less than 1.5 seconds. Narragansett Boat Club's Ben Hutz finished third. Larson won the first final and will now race off against Price in the third and decisive race.