MILAN, Italy -- At the 2002 FISA World Championships, the United States brought home seven medals including gold in the women's eight and bronze in the men's eight. At the 2003 World Championships scheduled for August 24-31 in Milan, Italy, the U.S. will try to improve on last year's medal haul and qualify its 14 Olympic-class boats for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
The 2003 World Championships serve as the initial qualifier for next year's Olympic Games as 130 of the 202 boat spots will be determined. Rowers in the men's single sculls, women's single sculls, men's double sculls, women's double sculls, men's quadruple sculls, women's quadruple sculls, lightweight men's double sculls, lightweight women's double sculls, men's pair, women's pair, men's four, lightweight men's four, men's eight and women's eight will be fighting for their countries' Olympic berth in each of the disciplines. Countries that do not qualify in a particular category in Milan will have a second chance to qualify for the Games early next summer.
The U.S. women's eight is coming off a gold medal at last year's world championships. This year's crew of Mary Whipple (Sacramento, Calif.), Megan Dirkmaat (San Jose, Calif.), Ali Cox (Turlock, Calif.), Jen Dore-Terhaar (Kearny, N.J.), Anna Mickelson (Bellevue, Wash.), Maite Urtasun (Riverside, N.J.), Michelle Guerette (Bristol, Conn.), Sam Magee (Simsbury, Conn.) and Kate Johnson (Portland, Ore.) returns five members of last year's boat. The U.S. won the first two 2003 Bearing Point World Cup stops earlier this summer, while Romania and Germany finished one-two at the third world cup stop in Lucerne, Switzerland, a race in which the U.S. did not compete. Racing in a strong eight-boat field, the U.S., Romania and Germany will face challenges from Canada, Australia, China, the Ukraine and Belarus in Milan.
The men's eight won a bronze medal at last year's worlds. This year's boat is loaded with experience. The crew of coxswain Pete Cipollone (Ardmore, Pa.), Jon Watling (Greenwich, Conn.), Joey Hansen (Bakersfield, Calif.), Mike Wherley (Sun Prairie, Wis.), Jeff Klepacki (Kearny, N.J.), Wolf Moser (Moultonboro, N.H.), Bryan Volpenhein (Cincinnati, Ohio), Jason Read (Ringoes, N.J.) and Ryan Torgerson (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) includes five Olympians and a total of 54 national team appearances. The crew has yet to race internationally this year but should be a medal contender along with defending world champions Canada, Germany, Australia, Croatia, Great Britain and Italy. In total, 16 crews are entered in the men's eight in Milan.
The women's quadruple sculls quartet of Danika Harris (Durham, N.H.), Sarah Jones (Stanwood, Wash.), Laurel Korholz (La Jolla, Calif.) and Hilary Gehman (Wolfeboro, N.H.) won the gold medal at this year's second world cup stop in Munich, Germany, and will be looking to repeat that performance in Milan. The crew's top competition should come from the other world cup winners, Australia and the Ukraine, as well as Germany, Great Britain, Russia and Belarus. Fourteen crews will be racing for medals at the world championships.
The lightweight men's double sculls tandem of Greg Ruckman (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Steve Tucker (Mooresville, Ind.) also had a strong world cup performance this summer, winning the gold medal in Munich and the bronze medal in Lucerne. Ruckman and Tucker are focused on reaching the medal stand again in Milan. With a 28-crew field scheduled to race, the duo's toughest competition should come from Italy, Japan, Hungary, Denmark and Ireland.
The lightweight men's four of Steve Warner (Livonia, Mich.), Paul Teti (Upper Darby, Pa.), Erik Miller (Renton, Wash.) and Matt Smith (Woodbridge, Va.) won a bronze medal at the world cup stop in Milan and will be looking to repeat or better that performance in its return trip to the Idroscalo course. The hosts from Italy, as well as the boats from Denmark, Canada, Hungary, Ireland and Japan, join the U.S. as top contenders in the 22-boat field.
Kristin Goodrich (Portola Valley, Calif.) returns as the women's single sculler and will be looking to improve on her 13th-place finish. Twenty scullers are scheduled to compete including Bulgaria's Roumiana Neykova, the 2002 world champion; Germany's Katrin Stomporowski, the 2001 world champion; and Belarus' Ekaterina Karsten, the 2000 Olympic champion and 1997 and 1999 world champion.
First-time senior national team member Mike Perry (Ann Arbor, Mich.) will face an extremely tough field in the men's single sculls. Germany's Marcel Hacker, last year's world champion in the event; Slovenia's Iztok Cop; the Czech Republic's Vaclav Chalupa; and Norway's Olaf Tufte will be the top competitors in the 28-person field.
In the women's double sculls, veterans Laura Rauchfuss (Riverside, Conn.) and Kelly Salchow (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished fifth at the world cup stop in Munich and will be looking to improve in Milan. The duo will face a 16-boat field that includes top crews from New Zealand, Russia, Germany, Great Britain and Belarus.
In the men's double sculls, Steve Gillespie (Renton, Wash.) and Brett Wilkinson (Hyde Park, N.Y.) return to the national team with their sites set on improving on last year's 14th-place finish. The Czech Republic won two of the three world cups. Other top contenders include Australia, France, Great Britain, Slovenia and the Ukraine. In total, 25 crews will be racing in Milan.
In the lightweight women's double sculls, Lisa Schlenker (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and Rachel Anderson (Darien, Conn.) finished fifth at the world cup stop in Munich. Both women have reached the medal stand at previous world championships and are hoping to repeat those performances in Milan. The duo will face 23 crews including top contenders from the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, China, Great Britain and Romania.
In the women's pair, 2000 Olympian Lianne Nelson (Seattle, Wash.) and Katie Hammes (La Crosse, Wis.) are looking to improve on their fifth-place finish at the world cup stop in Munich. With 17 entries in the event, Nelson and Hammes' top competition should come from Canada, Belarus, Great Britain, Germany, Romania and South Africa.
In the men's pair, Artour Samsonov (Stoneham, Mass.) and Luke Walton (Poway, Calif.), who both raced in the four with coxswain last year, will be racing together internationally in the pair for the first time. The duo will face an extremely difficult, 28-crew field that includes strong boats from Great Britain, South Africa, Croatia, Australia, Italy, New Zealand and the Czech Republic.
The men's four of Dan Walsh (Norwalk, Conn.), Jason Flickinger (Big Flats, N.Y.), Matt Deakin (San Francisco, Calif.) and Jamie Schroeder (Wilmette, Ill.) will try to improve on last year's 12th-place finish. Deakin and Schroeder are newcomers to the team after racing at the World Under 23 Regatta last year, while Walsh and Flickinger each have been on two previous national teams. The four will face 23 other crews in Milan. Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland and Slovenia have all shown good speed at this year's world cup stops.
The U.S. men's quadruple sculls quartet of Wyatt Allen (Portland, Maine), Erik Winters (Lakeville, Conn.), Ben Holbrook (Hartland, Wis.) and Henry Nuzum (Chapel Hill, N.C.) is looking to improve on last year's 10th-place finish in the event. The crew will face a deep field that includes Poland, which won two of the three world cups; Germany, which won the race in Lucerne; Italy; Russia; and the Czech Republic. In total, 22 boats are entered in the men's quadruple sculls.
National team newcomer Julie Nichols (Livermore, Calif.) will try to get the U.S. back on the medal stand in the lightweight women's single sculls in Milan. At last year's world championships, Lisa Schlenker brought home the silver medal. This year's top contenders in the 21-person field include Croatia, Ireland, Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
Two-time national team member Andrew Liverman (Oakton, Va.) moves from the lightweight men's eight to the lightweight men's single sculls. Earlier this month, Liverman won a bronze medal in the open men's single sculls at the 2003 Pan American Games. In Milan, he will face 28 other scullers. His toughest competition should come from Italy, Germany, Hungary, Spain and France.
In the lightweight women's pair, national team newcomers Meghan Sarbanis (Hampstead, N.H.) and Rene Hykel (Haverford, Pa.) will try to keep the United States' streak alive. The U.S. has won a medal in the event every time it has entered. The final-only race includes crews from Spain, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary and Romania in addition to the U.S. boat.
The lightweight men's pair of Simon Carcagno (Pennington, N.J.) and Mike Altman (Marin County, Calif.) finished fifth at last year's world championships, the best finish ever for a U.S. crew in the event. This year, the duo will take on 10 crews in its quest to reach the medal stand.
The pair with coxswain of Andy Kelly (Philadelphia, Pa.), Matt Rich (Duluth, Minn.) and Dan Beery (Oaktown, Ind.) will try to duplicate or improve on the silver medal won by last year's crew, which included Beery. Seven crews are entered in the event including Italy and Egypt, which won medals at this year's only world cup stop in the event.
The lightweight women's quadruple sculls crew of Stacey Borgman (Homer, Alaska), Michelle Whitcomb-Borkhuis (Walworth, N.Y.), Mary Obidinski (Oneonta, N.Y.) and Maria Picone (Pownal, Maine) will try to improve on last year's bronze medal performance. U.S. crews have won medals in the event four of the last five years. Top contenders in the 10-crew field include Australia, the Netherlands, Germany and China.
The men's lightweight quadruple sculls quartet of Michael Aller (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Tim Larson (North Augusta, S.C.), Stephen Arthur-Wong (Orlando, Fla.) and Shawn Stephenson (Raleigh, N.C.) will race together internationally for the first time in Milan. Larson and Aller were both members of last year's lightweight quad that finished sixth. The crew will face nine additional crews including top contenders from Italy, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
In the women's four, Wendy Wilbur (East Bridgewater, Mass.), Liane Malcos (Carlisle, Mass.), Caryn Davies (Ithaca, N.Y.) and Whitney Webber (Sacramento, Calif.) will try to improve on last year's fifth-place finish. Racing in a final-only race, the quartet will face crews from Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the Netherlands.
The U.S. men's four with coxswain will try to get back on the medal stand this year after failing to medal the past two years. This year's crew includes rookies Marcus McElhenney (Lansdowne, Pa.) and Brian McDonough (Spring, Texas), as well as veterans Luke McGee (Madison, Conn.), Mark Flickinger (Big Flats, N.Y.) and Garrett Klugh (Los Angeles, Calif). Top competitors in the 10-boat field include Germany, Croatia and Italy.
The lightweight eight of coxswain Joe Finelli (Boston, Mass.), Eric Feins (Rochester, N.Y.), Tom Paradiso (Blue Bell, Pa.), Andrew Bolton (Old Lyme, Conn.), Gus Maclaurin (Peterborough, N.H.), John Wall (North Wales, Pa.), Bill Fedyna (Maple Glen, Pa.), John Wachter (Mt. Laurel, N.J.) and Patrick Todd (Cincinnati, Ohio) will try to win a medal in the event for the U.S. for the sixth consecutive year. The final-only race includes boats from Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany and Italy in addition to the U.S.