CHERRY HILL, N.J. - Two crews earned national team berths while eight more crews moved one step closer to representing the U.S. at this year's world championships at the second set of 2003 World Championships Trials for non-Olympic-class boats. Winners earn the right to represent the United States at the 2003 FISA World Championships August 24-31 in Milan, Italy.
In the women's four, the Princeton Training Center boat of Liane Malcos, Whitney Webber, Libby Rockwood and Dana Peirce cruised to victory in the first final. The crew clocked a time of 6:35.69. Community Rowing, Inc., finished second, stroking a 7:16.57. The Community Rowing entry scratched the second final, so the Princeton Training Center crew was named to the 2003 World Championships Team.
In the men's lightweight eight, the New York Athletic Club crew of coxswain Joe Finelli, Pat Todd, John Wachter, Bill Fedyna, John Wall, Gus MacLaurin, Andrew Bolton, Tom Paradiso and Eric Feins stroked a 5:44.50 to earn the victory. Penn AC's crew placed second in 6:06.72. Like the women's four, the Penn AC lightweight eight scratched the second final, so the NYAC crew was named to the national team.
In the first final of the lightweight men's quadruple sculls, Augusta Rowing Club's A entry of Mike Aller, Tim Larson, Shawn Stephenson, Stephen Arthur-Wong clocked a 5:57.54 to defeat the New York Athletic Club boat by 3.02 seconds. Augusta's B boat finished third, just 0.3 seconds behind NYAC. Malta Boat Club finished fourth. The top three crews advanced to the second final in the best two-out-of-three finals format.
Princeton Training Center's pair with coxswain of coxswain Andy Kelly, Dan Beery and Matt Rich pulled away from the Penn Athletic Club A boat in the final 500 meters to win its first final by 2.6 seconds. The PTC crew stroked a 6:53.02, while Penn AC finished in a 6:55.62. Vesper Boat Club finished third, clocking a 7:11.06, while Penn AC's B entry finished fourth. The top three crews advanced to Saturday's second final.
PTC easily won the first final of the men's four with coxswain. The crew of coxswain Marcus McElhenney, Luke McGee, Jaime Schroeder, Garrett Klugh, and Brian McDonough finished with a time of 6:04.35, 8.81 seconds ahead of Penn AC. Vesper Boat Club finished third, followed by Oregon Rowing Unlimited in fourth. The top three crews advanced to tomorrow's second final.
In the lightweight men's single sculls, New York Athletic Club/Potomac Boat Club's Andrew Liverman won the first final in a 7:04.57. Liverman, who will race the open weight single sculls at the Pan American Games, finished 7.65 seconds ahead of Eric Wilhelm. Undine Barge Club's Jon D'Alba finished third, 1.17 seconds behind Wilhelm. Union Boat Club's Aleks Zosuls finished fourth. Liverman, Wilhelm and D'Alba will face off in the second final on Saturday.
The lightweight men's pair of Mike Altman and Simon Carcagno, last year's world championships' representatives in the event, had no trouble in the first final, stroking a 6:35.27 to finish more than 22 seconds ahead of the second-place crew from Penn AC. Georgia Tech Crew finished third. All three crews will race in tomorrow's second final.
Pocock's Julia Nichols defeated Riverside's Sarah Howlett in the first final of the lightweight women's single sculls, clocking a time of 7:52.20. Howlett finished in a 7:55.65, followed by Union Boat Club's Catharine Infantino and Riverside's Heather Moon in fourth. The top three finishers will return for Saturday's second final.
In the lightweight women's quadruple sculls, the Princeton Training Center crew of Stacey Borgman, Michelle Borkhuis, Mary Obidinski and Maria Picone easily won their first final by more than 13 seconds. Potomac Boat Club finished second in a time of 6:46.69. Camp Randall placed third. All three crews will race in the second final on Saturday.
Meghan Sarbanis and Renee Hykel of Undine won the first final of the lightweight women's pair in a time of 7:25.80. Riverside's crew placed second in 7:31.55, followed by the Cambridge/Riverside crew in third and Potomac in fourth. The top three crews will compete in Saturday's second final.
The best two-out-of-three finals continue Saturday at 8 a.m. with the second set of finals. Third finals will be held Sunday, if necessary, beginning at 8 a.m. Ten crews have already been named to the 2003 World Championships Team, while an additional six crews will be named by the national team coaches by August 4.
Lightweight Men's Quadruple Sculls
Final One 1: Augusta Rowing Club, Inc., 05:57:54; 2: New York Athletic
Club-COMP, 06:00:56; 3: Augusta Rowing Club, Inc., 06:00:96; 4: Malta
Boat Club, 06:04:34.
Men's Pair with Coxswain
Final One 1: Princeton Training Center, 06:53:02; 2: Penn A.C. Rowing
Association-A, 06:55:62; 3: Vesper Boat Club, 07:11:06; 4: Penn A.C.
Rowing Association-B, 07:15:37.
Men's Four with Coxswain
Final One 1: Princeton Training Center, 06:04:35; 2: Penn A.C. Rowing
Association, 06:13:16; 3: Vesper Boat Club, 06:18:25; 4: Oregon Rowing
Unlimited, 06:28:41.
Lightweight Men's Single Sculls
Final One 1: New York Athletic Club-LIVERMAN, 07:04:57; 2:
Unaffiliated-WILHELM, 07:12:22; 3: Undine Barge Club-DALBA, 07:13:39; 4:
Union Boat Club-ZOSULS, 07:20:36.
Lightweight Men's Pair
Final One 1: New York Athletic Club-Marin, 06:35:27; 2: Penn A.C. Rowing
Association, 06:57:43; 3: Georgia Tech Crew, 07:12:81.
Women's Four
Final 1: Princeton Training Center, 06:35:69; 2: Community Rowing, Inc.,
07:16:57.
Lightweight Women's Single Sculls
Final One 1: Pocock Rowing Center-NICHOLS, 07:52:20; 2: Riverside Boat
Club-HOWLETT, 07:55:65; 3: Union Boat Club-INFANTINO, 07:57:30; 4:
Riverside Boat Club-MOON, 07:59:09.
Lightweight Women`s Quadruple Sculls
Final One 1: Princeton Training Center, 06:32:93; 2: Potomac Boat
Club-POCOCK, 06:46:69; 3: Camp Randall Rowing Club, 07:12:34.
Lightweight Women's Pair
Final One 1: Undine Barge Club, 07:25:80; 2: Riverside Boat Club,
07:31:55; 3: Cambridge BC/Riverside BC, 07:35:72; 4: Potomac Boat
Club-COMP, 07:41:25.
Lightweight Men's Eight
Final 1: New York Athletic Club, 05:44:50; 2: Penn A.C. Rowing
Association, 06:06:72.