The U.S. will have nine more crews hitting the water for heats on the second day of competition at the 2006 FISA World Rowing Championships on Dorney Lake in Eton, England.
The men's eight won a gold medal at last year's world championships in Gifu, Japan, and returns five people from that boat. This year's crew, which has yet to race internationally, includes coxswain Marcus McElhenney (Lansdowne, Pa.), Beau Hoopman (Plymouth, Wis.), Chris Liwski (Sarasota, Fla.), Dan Walsh (Norwalk, Conn.), Steven Coppola (Buffalo, N.Y.), Giuseppe Lanzone (Annandale, Va.), Ken Jurkowski (New Fairfield, Conn.), Matt Deakin (San Francisco, Calif.), and Paul Daniels (Burlington, Wis.). Racing in the first of three heats on Monday, the boat will take on crews from Poland, Canada, Switzerland, Russia, and the Netherlands. Poland is the lone crew in the heat to have won a medal on this year's world cup circuit. The top two finishers in each heat advance to Friday's semifinals, while the remaining crews go on to Wednesday's repechages, or second-chance races.
The lightweight women's double sculls tandem of Julie Nichols (Livermore, Calif.) and Renee Hykel (Haverford, Pa.) won silver at last year's world championships and bronze at this year's final world cup event in Lucerne, Switzerland. Nichols and Hykel will race France, Sweden, Ireland, and Thailand in the fourth of four heats. The Irish boat, which won a bronze medal at the world cup stop in Poznan, Poland, finished just behind the American boat in Lucerne. The winner of each heat advances to the semifinals, while the remaining boats move to the repechages.
The women's eight won a silver medal at the world cup stop in Lucerne in July, but that crew included four substitutes from the top lineup as the coaching staff wanted to limit each rower to one event during the regatta. The crew racing in Eton has been retooled to the same lineup that won the Henley Royal Regatta in early July and includes four women who are competing in a second event at the world championships. Racing in the second of two heats on Monday, the crew of coxswain Mary Whipple (Sacramento, Calif.), Caryn Davies (Ithaca, N.Y.), Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.), Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.), Anna Mickelson (Bellevue, Wash.), Lindsay Shoop (Charlottesville, Va.), Anna Goodale (Camden, Maine), Megan Cooke (Los Gatos, Calif.), and Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif.) will take on boats from China, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, and the Czech Republic. China is the other world cup medalist in the heat, having won silver in Poznan. The heat winners advance directly to Sunday's final, while the remaining crews will race in the repechages.
The men's quadruple sculls crew of Matt Hughes (Ludington, Mich.), Wyatt Allen (Portland, Maine), J. Sloan DuRoss (South Portland, Maine), and Sam Stitt (McLean, Va.) won a bronze medal in Lucerne and will be trying to repeat or better that performance this week. The U.S., which last reached the final in the quad at the world championships in 2001, has only won one medal in the event's history - silver at the 1996 Olympics. In the first of three heats, the quartet will take on crews from China, Italy, France, and Romania. Like the U.S., France also reached the medal stand during the world cup circuit. The top three crews will advance to the semifinals, while the remaining crews will race in the repechage.
The women's quadruple sculls crew of Jennifer Kaido (West Leyden, N.Y.), Liane Malcos (Carlisle, Mass.), Ala Piotrowski (Manchester, N.H.), and Lia Pernell (Seattle, Wash.) finished fourth at the world cup stop in Lucerne and will be looking for a podium finish in Eton. Racing in the second of two heats, the crew will take on boats from Great Britain, Russia, and Canada. The British boat won the world title in 2005 and all three world cup stops this year. Russia won bronze at last year's world championships and at two world cup events in 2006. The winner of each heat moves on to the final, while the remaining crews will race in the repechage.
The lightweight men's double sculls tandem of Cody Lowry (Bristow, Okla.) and Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg (Philadelphia, Pa.) will be racing at its first world championships. The duo finished 13th at the world cup race in Lucerne. Racing in the first of six heats, the boat will take on crews from France, Poland, Egypt, and Hong Kong. Poland won a bronze medal in the event at last year's world championships. The top two finishers in each heat move on to the semifinals, while the remaining crews will race in the repechages.
The lightweight men's four of Tom Paradiso (Blue Bell, Pa.), Simon Carcagno (Pennington, N.J.), Matt Muffelman (Mathews, Va.), and Colin Farrell (Oaklyn, N.J.) will take on Canada, South Africa, Egypt, Germany, and Japan in the first of four heats on Monday. Germany won the world cup race in Munich and finished third in Lucerne, while Egypt finished third in Poznan. The winner of each heat advances to the semifinals, with the remaining crews heading to the repechages.
Andrew Bolton (Old Lyme, Conn.) and Richard Montgomery (Batavia, Ill.) will take on Spain, Australia, and Serbia in the second of three heats of the lightweight men's pair. Serbia finished fourth at last year's world championships. The top three crews from each heat move on to the semifinals, with the other crews going to the repechage.
The lightweight women's quadruple sculls quartet of Michelle Trannel (East Dubuque, Ill.), Katie Sweet (Seattle, Wash.), Abby Broughton (Tetonia, Idaho), and Anne Finke (North Palm Beach, Fla.) will take on Canada and Great Britain in its heat. Canada won gold in the event at last year's world championships, with Great Britain winning bronze. The winner of the heat moves on to the final, with the rest of the crews going to the repechage.