(June 30, 2004) WEST WINDSOR, N.J. Four crews the mens pair, womens pair, mens double sculls and lightweight womens double sculls earned spots on the U.S. Olympic Team on Wednesday after sweeping the best two-out-of-three finals at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Rowing on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.
After winning the first final by 0.23 seconds, the New York Athletic Club/Princeton Training Center womens pair of Kate MacKenzie (Novi, Mich.) and Sarah Jones (Stanwood, Wash.) once again narrowly defeated PTCs crew of Liane Malcos (Carlisle, Mass.) and Portia Johnson (Seattle, Wash.) by only 0.52 seconds. MacKenzie and Jones stroked a 7:13.33 to Malcos and Johnsons 7:13.85. Katie Hammes (La Crosse, Wis.) and Maite Urtasun (Riverside, N.J.), also of PTC, clocked a 7:21.71 to finish third.
Artour Samsonov (Stoneham, Mass) and Luke Walton (Poway, Calif.) of Harvard University Boat Club won the second final in the mens pair with a time of 6:37.15. Princeton Training Centers Jamie Schroeder (Wilmette, Ill.) and Dan Walsh (Norwalk, Conn.) clocked a 6:40.41 to place second, while teammates Bob Kaehler (Huntington, N.Y.) and Ryan Torgerson (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) finished third in a time of 6:49.94.
In the mens double sculls, US Navy/Princeton Training Centers Henry Nuzum (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and Aquil Abdullah (Washington, D.C.) won the second final in a time of 6:23.59 to defeat Harvard University Boat Clubs duo of Ken Jurkowski and Adam Holland (Philadelphia, Pa.). Jurkowski and Holland clocked a 6:26.43. MLARCs Michael Callahan (Arlington, Va.) and Dave Friedericks (Port Townsend, Wash.) finished third, clocking a time of 6:34.53.
In the lightweight womens double sculls, the duo of Stacey Borgman (Homer, Alaska) and Lisa Schlenker (Lake Oswego, Ore.) of PTC/New York Athletic Club defeated Pocock Rowing Club/Undine Boat Clubs Julia Nichols (Livermore, Calif.) and Renee Hykel (Haverford, Pa.) by 6.75 seconds. Borgman and Schlenker stroked a 7:02.43 to Nichols and Hykels 7:09.18. The duo of Mary Obidinski (Oneonta, N.Y.) and Maria Picone (Pownal, Maine) of Capital Rowing Club/MLARC scratched Wednesday and did not race.
With four crews qualifying on Wednesday, USRowing has selected seven of its 12 Olympic crews. The womens single sculls, lightweight mens double sculls and the mens quadruple sculls qualified for the Games in mid June by placing high enough at the Olympic Qualification Regatta. The remaining five boats the lightweight mens four, mens four, womens quadruple sculls, mens eight, and womens eight will be selected by the coaches by July 7.