PRINCETON, N.J. – The first set of 2002 National Team Trials concluded Sunday on Carnegie Lake with winners being crowned in the women’s single sculls, men’s single sculls, lightweight men’s double sculls, men’s pair and men’s double sculls.
These five crews will now race in a time trial on Wednesday for the right to represent the United States at the 2002 FISA World Championships September 15-22 in Seville, Spain.
In the women’s single sculls, Princeton Training Center’s Danika Harris completed her sweep of the best two-out-of-three finals by defeating Princeton Training Center’s Kristin Goodrich by 4.8 seconds in Sunday’s second final. Harris, who is making a comeback this year after competing on the international level in the mid 1990s as a lightweight, clocked a 7:36.6, while Goodrich finished with a time of 7:41.4. Riverside Boat Club’s Cindy Bishop finished third in a 7:56.9.
In the two-boat men’s single sculls’ second final, Princeton Training Center’s Aquil Abdullah easily defeated Tim Whitney to earn the right to race at the time trial. Abdullah, a 2001 National Team member in the men’s quadruple sculls, clocked a 7:07.2 to finish 14.7 seconds ahead of Whitney.
In the lightweight men’s double sculls, Conal Groom and Stephen Arthur-Wong clocked a 6:25.6 to finish 3.5 seconds ahead of Union Boat Club’s Rich Montgomery and Aleks Zosuls. Groom, a multiple-time national team member, and Arthur-Wong, who is trying to make his first national team, swept the best two-out-of-three finals. The WPI Alumni crew of Eric Wilhelm and Matthew Beaton finished third in a time of 6:36.7.
In the men’s pair, the duo of Adam Holland and Daniel Walsh stroked a 6:34.9 to sweep the best two-out-of-three finals and earn the right to race at Wednesday’s time trial. Princeton Training Center’s Jason Flickinger and Graham Taylor finished 4.2 seconds behind with a time of 6:39.1. Vesper Boat Club’s Matt Guerrieri and Dixon Gillis finished third in a 6:49.9.
In the men’s double sculls, Princeton Training Center’s Steve Gillespie and Brett Wilkinson clocked a 6:23.4 to finish two seconds ahead of Penn AC’s Dan Beery and Dana Schmunk. Riverside’s Dave Gabel and Kent Smack, last year’s world championships’ representatives in the double, finished third in a time of 6:30.4. The Princeton Training Center duo swept the best two-out-of-three finals and will now race in the time trial.
The second set of national team trials for non-Olympic events will be held August 16-18 in Princeton.
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