Racing got underway with time trials in the lightweight men's single sculls and the lightweight women's single sculls on Monday at the 2007 USRowing Under 23 World Championships Trials on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J.
In the lightweight men's single sculls, GMS Rowing Center's Brian de Regt recorded the fastest time of the time trial by clocking a 7:25.40. He will enter tomorrow's first final as the top seed. Peter Smith from the Under 23 Lightweight Men's Development Camp finished second in a 7:28.86. GMS Rowing Center's Mike Orzolek and Detroit Boat Club's Robert Heide finished third and fourth, respectively, earning the last two spots in Tuesday morning's first final.
GMS Rowing Center's Victoria Burke won the time trial in the lightweight women's single sculls. Burke clocked an 8:13.82 to finish a little more than one second ahead of Potomac Boat Club's Katherine Bucien's 8:14.96. Nicole Nelson and Carmel Zahran also advanced to tomorrow's first final.
Finals are contested in a best two-out-of-three format with the first set of finals being held Tuesday morning. The second set will take place Wednesday morning, while the third set of finals will be contested on Wednesday evening, if necessary.
In addition to the two events that started Monday, three events begin on Tuesday morning including the men's single sculls, women's single sculls and men's double sculls.
Four scullers have entered the men's single including 2006 Under 23 National Team member James Dietz. Dietz finished 15th at last year's Under 23 World Championships.
The women's single sculls event has two entries - Michelle King and Helen Tompkins, while the men's double sculls event also has two entries.
The lightweight men's double sculls, lightweight women's double sculls, men's pair, lightweight men's pair, women's pair, lightweight men's quadruple sculls and men's four with coxswain all have one entry racing uncontested. The crews entered in each of those events will row down the course to officially win the event on Wednesday morning.
Winners will earn the right to represent the United States at the 2007 World Rowing Under 23 Championships July 26-29 in Strathclyde, Great Britain, if they meet the required time standard.