PRINCETON, N.J. – All six crews competing at Wednesday’s National Team Time Trial earned spots on the U.S. National Team that will compete at the 2002 FISA World Championships September 15-22 in Seville, Spain.
Each crew earned the right to compete at the time trial by winning last week’s 2002 National Team Trials in the event.
In the women’s single sculls, Princeton Training Center’s Danika Harris earned her spot on the team by clocking a 7:35 in the time trial, making the standard by 10 seconds. At last weekend’s national team trials, she swept the best two-out-of-three finals. Harris, a former national team member as a lightweight in the mid 1990s, is making a comeback this season.
In the men’s single sculls’ time trial, Princeton Training Center’s Aquil Abdullah clocked a 6:56 to also break the time standard by 10 seconds. Abdullah, who raced in the men’s quadruple sculls at last year’s world championships, also swept his best two-out-of-three finals at the national team trials.
In the lightweight men’s double sculls, Conal Groom and Stephen Arthur-Wong clocked a 6:23 to beat the time standard by nine seconds. Groom is a multiple-time national team member and 2000 Olympian, while Arthur-Wong made his first national team.
The lightweight women’s double sculls tandem of Stacey Borgman and Mary Obidinski crossed the finish line in a time of 6:59 to meet the time standard by 18 seconds. Borgman and Obidinski went unchallenged at the national team trials, so the duo was racing against the clock for the first time since last month’s world cup stop in Lucerne, Switzerland.
In the men’s pair, the duo of Adam Holland and Daniel Walsh stroked a 6:33 to meet the time standard by 21 seconds. The duo easily won the best two-out-of-three finals at last weekend’s team trials. Holland, a 1996 Olympian, and Walsh, who rowed at last year’s world championships, are both national team veterans.
In the men’s double sculls, Princeton Training Center’s Steve Gillespie and Brett Wilkinson clocked a 6:21 to make the time standard by 11 seconds. Gillespie and Wilkinson also swept the best two-out-of-three finals at the national team trials.
The second set of national team trials for non-Olympic events will be held August 16-18 in Princeton, with the final time trial being held on August 20.