WEST WINDSOR, N.J. - The 2011 Pan American Games will feature a lot of familiar faces, including five Olympians that earned berths on Thursday at the conclusion of trials.
Finals got underway on Mercer Lake with volatile weather that delayed racing for more than an hour mid-way through the morning program. The trials determined 11 of the 14 crews that will represent the United States at the Pan American Games October 15-19 in Guzman City, Mexico.
New Fairfield, Connecticut-native and 2011 senior national team member Ken Jurkowski won the men's single sculls to kick off the morning. Leading from wire-to-wire, Jurkowski crossed the line with a time of 6:57.56.
Jurkowski, who last raced in July at the 2011 Samsung World Rowing Cup stop in Lucerne, said he is looking forward to another international racing opportunity, especially with the Olympic Games in London next year.
"Pan American Games are a good chance to get race experience against good competition," said the 2008 Olympian.
In the next race, his teammate in Beijing, Potomac Boat Club's Margot Shumway, won the women's single sculls in a time of 7:41.09.
Shumway, who took fifth in the women's quadruple sculls in 2008, narrowly missed qualifying for the 2011 senior team. Like Jurkowski, she views the Pan American Games as a stepping-stone.
"It's an opportunity, and it's worth seizing in the short and long term," said Shumway.
In the lightweight women's single sculls, Jennifer Goldsack, a Beijing Olympian in the lightweight women's double sculls, dominated the field with a final time of 7:40.11. Goldsack, rowing for Penn A.C., finished nearly 20 seconds ahead of Long Beach Rowing Association's Sherri Kline.
In the final of the men's four, the Penn A.C. crew of Matt Wheeler, Joe Spencer, Steve Kasprzyk and Jason Read posted a winning time of 6:05.43 over USRowing Training Center - Oklahoma City's 6:08.24.
"Everything I do as an athlete and everything that we do at the training center is to win an Olympic gold medal. This is one of many steps to try to get on the medal stand in London," said Read, a gold medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games and twelve-time national team member. "There is no greater honor than representing your country in an international sporting event."
USRowing Training Center - Oklahoma City's Tom Paradiso and Bob Duff won the lightweight men's double sculls with a time of 6:35.61. Paradiso is 2008 Olympian in the lightweight four, while Duff is two-time national team member. Riverside Boat Club crossed second in a 6:47.44, followed by Undine Barge Club's 6:49.63.
The women's double sculls saw the closest finish of the day. Catherine Reddick and Megan Walsh, racing as a Penn A.C./Vesper Boat Club composite crew, won with a time of 7:03.53. Right on their heels was the Potomac Boat Club/Penn A.C. crew of Morgan Wimberley and Ann Holmes, who finished just 0.04 seconds behind.
USRowing Training Center - Oklahoma City's Mike Gennaro and Ty Otto, two members of the winning men's eight at the 2011 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, crossed the line in 6:37.49 to win the final of the men's pair. Gennaro and Otto crossed 5.26 seconds ahead of USTC - OKC's Blaise Didier and Derek Johnson's 6:42.75.
In the men's double sculls, Undine's Andy Quinn and Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg took first with a time of 6:21.94. USRowing Training Center - Oklahoma City crossed second in a 6:24.04, followed by Durham Boat Club's 6:25.91.
In the lightweight women's double sculls, the USRowing Training Center - Oklahoma City crew of Chelsea Smith and Michelle Sechser crossed the line first with a time of 7:14.11. Smith and Sechser were more than seven seconds ahead of Undine/Penn A.C.'s 7:21.85.
Megan Smith and Monica George, also racing for USRowing Training Center - Oklahoma City, won the women's pair with a time of 7:31.38 over Potomac Boat Club/Seattle Rowing Center's 7:39.48. Vesper Boat Club finished third with a time of 7:42.84.
The New York Athletic Club/Virginia Rowing Association composite crew of Ryan Kirlin, Josh Gautreau, Frank Petrucci and Rob Milam won the lightweight men's four final in a time of 6:21.09. Vesper/Riverside crossed second in 6:23.48.
For complete trials results, visit www.usrowing.org. A full athlete roster will be announced early next week. Video clips of all finals races will be available for purchase following the event at http://www.usrowing.org/Multimedia/VideoDownloads.aspx.