LUZERN, Switzerland - The U.S. lightweight men's four won its repechage to highlight racing Monday at the 2012 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland. The lightweight four, along with the women's double sculls and the men's eight, will race in the finals Tuesday for a chance to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
After a 90-minute weather delay Monday evening, Robin Prendes (Miami, Fla.), Nick LaCava (Weston, Conn.), Will Newell (Weston, Mass.) and Anthony Fahden (Lafayette, Calif.) led from the start in the first repechage of the lightweight men's four, gaining open water on New Zealand by the 1,500-meter mark. The U.S. posted a 6:11.11 at the line. New Zealand also advanced with a second-place time of 6:13.26.
The final is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:50 p.m. local time. Racing Brazil, Spain, The Netherlands, Serbia and New Zealand, the U.S. will need to place in the top two to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games.
The women's double sculls crew of Sarah Trowbridge (Guilford, Conn.) and Margot Shumway (Westlake, Ohio) won its heat Sunday to advance directly to Tuesday's final. Racing Denmark, Spain, The Netherlands, Greece and Italy, the U.S. crew will need to finish top two in order to qualify for London. The final is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. local time.
The U.S. men's eight is the top seed going into the final. Coxswain Zach Vlahos (Piedmont, Calif.), Grant James (DeKalb, Ill.), David Banks (Potomac, Md.), Steve Kasprzyk (Cinnaminson, N.J.), Jake Cornelius (Brooktondale, N.Y.), Brett Newlin (Riverton, Wyo.), Ross James (DeKalb, Ill.), Will Miller (Duxbury, Mass.) and Giuseppe Lanzone (Annandale, Va.) won its race for lanes against New Zealand and France Sunday, and will look to repeat that performance Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. local time.
In addition, three U.S. crews - the women's single sculls, lightweight men's double sculls and men's double sculls - will see semifinal action Tuesday.
First up, Warren Anderson (Paso Robles, Calif.) and Sam Stitt (McLean Va.) will race in the second semifinal of the men's double sculls. The U.S. crew finished second in its heat, and will take on Poland, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, China and Israel Tuesday at 10:10 a.m., with the top three crews advancing to the final.
In the women's single sculls, Gevvie Stone (Newton, Mass.) will race Latvia, France, Denmark, Estonia and Bulgaria in the second semifinal, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. local time. Stone finished second to Australia's Kim Crow in her heat on Sunday.
The lightweight men's double sculls crew of Will Daly (Vail, Colo.) and Andrew Campbell (New Canaan, Conn.) clocked the fastest time of the heats Sunday, and are set to race Slovenia, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland and Sweden in the first semifinal, scheduled for 11:00 a.m. local time.