When the New York Athletic Club won the men's team points trophy last year, the women's squad made the focus of their 2016 USRowing Club National Championships preparation about adding more points to the total and going for the Colgan Cup overall team points title.
"The team is so much stronger than it was last year and hopefully we can be in the running for the overall points," said Allison Sullivan, after both NYAC boats in the women's intermediate four with coxswain final earned first and second place. It's been our goal for the whole summer."
Starting early Friday morning, 215 boats took to the water for the first half of finals. Racing was seen from all angles, as spectators were able to watch both on land and via an overhead drone livestream on USRowing's YouTube channel.
Community Rowing Inc.'s Adam Randall and Luke Wilhelm fought their way to first place in the men's intermediate double and earned the fastest time of any double on the water at club nationals so far this weekend at 6:40.73. The duo is part of the most represented club at Harsha with an impressive 100 entries.
"I'm having fun, a lot of races on all levels and a lot of competitiveness," said Luke Wilhelm, who is one of 5,000 rowers that row at CRI. "Once you understand the craziness that happens there every day, this seems normal."
In preparation for more racing to come next week, Emily Delleman and Carolina Sharis of Y Quad Cities are using club nationals to prepare for the 2016 Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championship Trials beginning Monday, July 18.
A first-place finish was exactly the confidence boost the duo needed in the women's under 19 quadruple sculls, finishing ahead of Maritime Rowing Club and an Oak Neck Rowing Academy/Detroit Women's Rowing Association composite boat.
"We were just kind of practicing different race strategies and race plans," said Emily Delleman, who went on to win an additional gold medal in the women's under 19 single sculls final. "Getting the opportunity to practice out here has been great; we have loved racing here."
Racing continued through the afternoon with time trials. On land, rowers, coxswains and spectators alike powered through the Ohio heat and humidity to erg another 129,283 meters for the USRowing Row to Rio Challenge, bringing this week's total meters to 317,536.