VARESE, Italy – Of the nine United States crews that went to the start line Wednesday at the 2014 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, three won their heats and two others advanced. The event, which runs July 23-27, features more than 800 athletes from 51 nations racing in 21 events.
The U.S. women’s four and women’s pair are headed to the final following a stunning performance in the heats.
In the women’s four, Erin Reelick (Tauranga, New Zealand), Molly Bruggeman (Dayton, Ohio), Erin Boxberger (Overland Park, Kan.) and Kendall Chase (Evergreen, Colo.) were first off the start line and gained a boat length on second-place New Zealand by the 500-meter mark. The U.S. four maintained its lead and sprinted through the finish line, posting a 6:59.81 at the line. France also advanced from the heat with a time of 7:04.45.
“We knew there could be a good four from the beginning of our camp in California,” said U.S. women’s sweep coach Dave O’Neill. “The group had done a lot of racing in coxed fours, and this combination showed some good speed from the outset. They had some good competition against the junior four last week in Princeton, and that really helped them.
"Today was all about being aggressive and relaxed while racing, and it was great to see them set a good tone for the regatta. They've got some work to do before Saturday's final, but they'll be ready for a good race."
The women’s pair of Jessica Eiffert (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) and Agatha Nowinski (Sacramento, Calif.) followed suit, sprinting past Australia at 38 strokes per minute in the final 200 meters to win the heat and advance to the final with a time of 7:19.46. Nowinski, a member of the women’s quad that finished sixth at last year’s under 23 championships, raced in the pair at the 2014 World Rowing Cup I earlier this year.
"I give Jess and Aggie a lot of credit,” said O’Neill. “They're both tough competitors, and it was great to have them win that heat. They have not been together as a pair for too long, but this combination was good right away."
The six athletes will join coxswain Lindsay Meltz (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), Kate Roach (North Oaks, Minn.) and Elizabeth Youngling (Westport, Conn.) in the women’s eight on Thursday when they take on Great Britain, Australia and Italy in the first of two heats. The winner advances directly to the final.
"Coming off of a gold definitely defined my expectation for this summer," said Boxberger, who returns from last year’s world champion women’s eight. "I know what it's like to stand on the podium at U23s, and I want that again, but this is a new team with different challenges. I had to push my hype about last year aside to focus on going fast, today. Doubling up boats is a whole other level of challenge for me. It's exciting to be involved throughout the regatta rather than waiting around for a single event. I am pumped to show myself what I can do, racing nearly every day of competition and also adjusting from small boats to big boats over the course of the next five days."
On the men’s side, the U.S. saw defending under 23 gold medalist Andrew Campbell (New Canaan, Conn.) take the first step toward the podium in the lightweight men’s single sculls. Campbell secured his lead in the second 500 meters of the race, and won with a time of 7:00.36 to advance to the quarterfinals.
“Happy with that piece,” tweeted Campbell following his race Wednesday. “Looking forward to raising my game throughout week.”
Two other U.S. crews advanced to the semifinals from Wednesday’s heats. August Wherry (Chatanooga, Tenn.) and Robert McNamara (Lexington, Mass.) finished third in the first heat of the lightweight men’s pair. Wherry and McNamara had a rough start, but regained composure to walk through the field, clocking a 7:04.58 behind Germany and France.
The men's four of Justin Murphy (Montclair, N.J.), Joseph Simon (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Kyle Peabody (LaGrange, N.Y.) and Chase Buchholz (Norfolk, Mass.) also advanced in its heat, along with Italy and Croatia.
With Italy out front, the U.S. crew went back and forth with Croatia through the final sprint. Croatia edged ahead for the second-place spot in 6:02.31, with the U.S. in 6:05.38. Italy won the heat with a time of 6:00.06.
Four U.S. crews – the men’s four with coxswain, lightweight women’s quadruple sculls, women’s quadruple sculls and men’s single sculls – fell short of advancing from the heats, and will have another shot in Thursday’s repechages.
In addition to the women’s eight, ten other U.S. crews are scheduled to race in heats tomorrow.
Lightweight women's single sculler Katarina Floyd (Kleinmachnow, Germany) takes on Belgium, Austria, Germany and Tunisia in the second of four heats. The top two finishers advance to the semifinals, while the remaining crews go to the repechages.
Next up in the men's pair, Jordan Vanderstoep (Soquel, Calif.) and Cole Reiser (Dallas, Texas) race Spain, Serbia, Italy and Hungary in the second of three heats. The top two crews advance to the semifinals.
In the women's double sculls, Zoë Fleischmann (Aberdeen, Scotland) and Margaret Bertasi (London, England) race Ukraine, Sweden, France and Denmark in the first of two heats. A top-two finish will guarantee them a spot in the final.
Erik Frid (Madbury, N.H.) and Walter Banfield (Wake, Va.) are set to race in the men’s double sculls. The U.S. races in the first of four heats with Russia, Spain, Latvia and South Africa. The top two crews advance to the semifinals.
Next up in the lightweight women's double sculls, Shawna Sims (Sarasota, Fla.) and Devin Norder (Sarasota, Fla.) will represent the U.S. in the third heat of three. Sims and Norder take on Romania, Australia, Russia, Japan and Germany, with the top two crews moving on to the semifinals.
In the lightweight men's double sculls, Chris Wales (Seattle, Wash.) and Matthew Maddamma (Pittsburgh, Pa.) race Denmark, The Netherlands and Spain in the final heat of four. The top two crews advance to the semifinals of the event.
The lightweight men’s four of Matthew O'Donoghue (Bryn Mawr, Penn.), Joshua Mann (Glencoe, Ill.), Jordan Tewksbury Volpe (Naples, Italy) and Alexander Bonorris (Corte Madera, Calif.) will take to the water Thursday, racing in the second of two heats. The U.S. faces competition from Hungary, Switzerland, Turkey, Spain and Germany. The winner of the heat advances directly to the final.
The men's quadruple sculls crew of Carson Green (Dallas, Texas), Jackson Anderson (Mission Hills, Kansas), Stephen George (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Matthew Nelson (Phoenix, Ariz.) races next. Joining the U.S. in the third heat is Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands and Italy.
Samantha Casto (Dallas, Pa.) will represent the U.S. in the women's single sculls. The University of Virginia senior races Japan, Belarus, Hungary and Serbia in the second of four heats. The winner advances to the semifinals.
The last heat of the morning is the men's eight. Coxswain Louis Lombardi, Jr. (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.), Alexander Perkins (Westport, Conn.), Patrick Konttinen (Tiburon, Calif.), Trevor Weaser (Plymouth, Ind.), Spencer Hall (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Kaess Smit (Guadalajara, Mexico), Gregory Davis (Daly City, Calif.), James Hamp (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) and Justin Jones (Bellmawr, N.J.) will see Poland, Russia, Australia and Ukraine in the first of two heats. A top-two finish for the U.S. earns them a spot in the final.
For complete event information, athlete bios, photos, videos, news and features, visit USRowing’s coverage page at www.usrowing.org or visit World Rowing at www.worldrowing.com. Follow Team USA at #USAU23Worlds.