BRANDENBURG, Germany - Twelve U.S. crews will begin their quest for medals on Thursday at the 2008 FISA World Rowing Under 23 Championships.
The men's eight of coxswain Daniel Connolly (Rockville Center, N.Y.), Grant James (DeKalb, Ill.), Ross James (DeKalb, Ill.), Derek Rasmussen (Darnestown, Md.), Silas Stafford (Santa Rosa, Calif.), Henrik Rummel (Pittsford, N.Y.), Blaise Didier (San Francisco, Calif.), Charlie Cole (New Canaan, Conn.) and Alex Osborne (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) will take on Canada, Italy, New Zealand and defending champion, Estonia, in the first of three heats. Three members of last year's fourth-place U.S. crew return to this year's boat - Stafford, Cole and Osborne. The top three heat finishers will advance to the semifinals, while the remaining crews will race in the repechages, or second-chance races.
Ed Newman (Palos Park, Ill.), Max Goff (Sun Prairie, Wis.), Colin Keogh (Greenwich, Conn.) and Zachary Krupp (New Canaan, Conn.) will race in the third and final heat of the men's four. The crew will take on Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and Australia. Last year, Germany won the event. The top two finishers will advance to the semifinals, with the remaining crews advancing to the repechages.
The U.S. women's four of Jessica Leidecker (Westerville, Ohio), Liz Robb (Roswell, Ga.), Michelle Nance (Simpsonville, S.C.) and Hilary Cumbest (Nashville, Tenn.) will race Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands and Ukraine in the second of two heats. Italy won the event last year. The winner of each heat will advance to Sunday's final, with the remaining crews racing in the repechages.
In what is the deepest event of the regatta, Zach Ellison (Duluth, Minn.) will race in the sixth of six heats in the men's single sculls. With an overall field of 29 scullers, Ellison will take on Georgia, Argentina and Serbia in his first international competition. The top three scullers in each heat will advance to the quarterfinals, with the rest of the field moving on to the repechages.
Helen Tompkins (Friendswood, Texas) will race Hungary, Estonia, Serbia and Germany in the first of three heats of the women's single sculls. Last year, New Zealand won the gold medal. The top three finishers will advance to the semifinals, with the rest of the field racing in the repechages.
In the lightweight men's double sculls, lightweight men's single sculls and lightweight women's single sculls, the winner of each heat will race in the semifinals, while the remaining crews advancing to the repechages.
Robin Prendes (Miami, Fla.) and James Donovan (Easton, Conn.) will take on Austria, Belarus, Slovenia, Switzerland and Hungary in the first of four heats of the lightweight men's double sculls. Donovan returns to the U.S. boat after last year's sixth-place finish. France is the defending champion in the event.
Sam Cunningham (Pittsburgh, Pa.) will race Slovenia, Mexico, Austria and New Zealand in the second of four heats of the lightweight men's single sculls. New Zealand won the event at last year's championships.
Katie Bucien (Detroit, Mich.) will take on Hong Kong, Belarus, Greece, Austria and Germany in the first of four heats of the women's lightweight single sculls. Greece won the event last year, while the U.S. finished 15th.
The lightweight women's double sculls duo of Lisa D'Aniello (Niskayuna, N.Y.) and Kristin Hedstrom (Concord, Mass.) will race Switzerland, Hungary, Germany and Poland in the first of three heats. Hedstrom returns to the boat after finishing 16th at last year's championships. Poland is the defending champion in the event. The top three crews will advance to the semifinals, while the remaining crews will race in the repechages.
With the winner advancing to the semifinals, Andrew Hatzenbuhler (Farmington, Conn.) and Bryan Pape (Simsbury, Conn.) will race in the second of four heats of the men's pair. The duo will take on Greece, France, Argentina and Croatia. Last year, Greece won the event.
In the lightweight men's pair, the winner will advance to Sunday's final. Skip Kielt (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Ryan Andre (New Canaan, Conn.) will race Great Britain, Turkey, The Netherlands, Russia and Hungary in the first of two heats. France won gold in the event last year, while the U.S. finished sixth.
The lightweight men's four of John Wainwright (Alameda, Calif.), Anthony Fahden (Lafayette, Calif.), Chad Healy (Ashland, Ore.) and David Montani (Lewiston, N.Y.) will race in the second of two heats. The crew will take on The Netherlands, Belarus, Argentina, Italy and Spain. Last year, the U.S. finished fourth in the event. Greece, which did not send a crew this year, is the defending champion. The heat winner will advance to Sunday's final, while the remaining crews will race in repechages. The women's eight and the men's four with coxswain will race for lane assignments on Friday.
In total, 56 nations and nearly 800 athletes have entered the 20 events at the 2008 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. The men's single sculls event has the largest number of entries with 29. Formerly known as the Nation's Cup and the Match des Seniors, 2008 marks the fourth year that the Under 23 regatta has held "World Rowing Championship" status. The event, which started in 1976, acts as a stepping stone for athletes on their way to elite status.
For race results, visit www.worldrowing.com. For complete media guide and athlete bios, visit here.