WEST WINDSOR, N.J. - Eight boats earned senior national team berths, while 11 crews made the under 23 national team on the final day of competition at the 2008 World Championships Trials at Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J. Winners of the senior races earned the right to compete at the 2008 FISA World Rowing Senior and Junior Championships July 22-27 in Linz/Ottensheim, Austria, while winners in the under 23 races garnered the opportunity to attend the 2008 FISA World Rowing Under 23 Championships July 17-20 in Brandenburg, Germany.
Unlike, most of the other trials this year, the senior and U23 trials were held in a one-and-done format, so save for the four events that required heats (light men's and women's singles, the Senior men's coxed pair, and the U23 light men's single), this was the first and last time these crews would meet up. Additionally, there are no time standards this year for any events; my sense is that this was in part to avoid a multi-day trial and sitting around waiting for a tailwind during an Olympic year that presents many other more pressing challenges. As a result, several of the events were true row-overs - uncontested events with no real requirement to go fast, (and a few were very nearly that, with wide margins separating the contestants). That said, some clubs had explicit or approximate "internal standards" that would determine if the crew would accept the nomination to the team to race at the World Championships. As noted below, fully three crews declined.
In the senior events, the closest race of the day was in the women's four. The USRowing Training Center quartet of Esther Lofgren (Newport Beach, Calif.), Karen Colwell (Pawcatuck, Conn.), Stesha Carle (Long Beach, Calif.) and Sarah Trowbridge (Guilford, Conn.) defeated its USTC teammates to win the race. The winning four was down by about a half-length with 500 to go, and by a little more shortly thereafter, but a steering problem in the lead boat that required the referee to intervene briefly cost them their lead, and ultimately the race - by 0.066 seconds, ouch. The crew that did win included a few folks who had not been named to the Olympic team, and had really only convened in the preceding 24 hours, so it is reasonable to hope that the crew will find more speed as they work together over the next month.
Riverside Boat Club's Rob Zechmann (Lincoln, Neb.) won the lightweight men's single sculls by more than eight seconds over Undine Barge Club's Greg Kaplan. Zechmann led Penn AC's Ivan Baldychev (Newark, Del.) by a little more than two seconds at the midway point of the race before pulling away from the rest of the field. Zechmann finished first with a time of 7:15.71, followed by Kaplan and Baldychev.
In what was a tight race to the finish line, Vesper Boat Club's Julie Nichols (Livermore, Calif.) held off Undine Barge Club's Meghan Sarbanis (Hampstead, N.H.) by half a boat length to win the lightweight women's single sculls. Nichols. Coming into the final 500, Nichols had a solid lead, she had clearly paid to get where she was, while Sarbanis had some fuel left in the tank. Sarbanis surged dramatically as the finish line approached, but Nichols dug deep to hang on for the win. Nichols clocked a 7:52.83, with Sarbanis finishing in a 7:54.05. Riverside Boat Club's Heather Moon (Windsor, Vt.) finished third, followed by Vesper Boat Club's Carey Brezler (Waynesboro, Pa.).
Riverside Boat Club's Alex Rothmeier (Boston, Mass.) and John Nichols (Palo Alto, Calif.) dominated the final of the lightweight men's pair. The duo finished with a time of 6:58.81, more than 14 seconds ahead of the second Riverside boat.
The USRowing Training Center men's pair with coxswain of Vince Puma (Irvington, N.Y.), Ted Farwell (Madison, Wis.) and Ben Harrison (Dedham, Mass.) defeated the Vesper Boat Club combination of David Florio (Marlton, N.J.), Patrick Godfrey (Gorham, Maine) and Jaime Velez (San Jose, Calif.) by a little more than four seconds to win the final. The USTC boat finished with a time of 7:12.77, with Vesper finishing in a 7:16.95.
Vesper Boat Club's Libby Peters (New Hartford, N.Y.), Wendy Tripician (Needham, Mass.), Rebecca Smith (Torrington, Conn.) and Hannah Moore (Niskayuna, N.Y.) won the lightweight women's quadruple sculls by more than seven seconds to qualify for the world championships. The boat finished with a time of 6:39.83, while Pocock Rowing Center finished second in a 6:47.06.
The Potomac composite crew of Gavin Frase (Orinda, Calif.), Mike Aller (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Andy Quinn and Shane Madden (Ambler, Pa.) clocked a 5:55.70 to finish just over three seconds ahead of GMS Rowing Center's 5:59.05.
Racing uncontested, the USRowing Training Center lightweight men's eight crew of Ned DelGuercio (Media, Pa.), Matt Muffelman (Mathews, Va.), Pat Todd (Cincinnati, Ohio), Will Daly (Vail, Colo.), Tom Paradiso (Blue Bell, Pa.), Mike Altman (Marin County, Calif.), Colin Farrell (Oaklyn, N.J.), Andrew Bolton (Old Lyme, Conn.) and Simon Carcagno (Pennington, Colo.) crossed the finish line with a time of 5:47.83 to earn a spot on the team. The light men's eight consists of the four athletes from the selected Olympic four racing with four other oarsman from the camp. The crew will head to Europe to race at the Senior Worlds, which end on July 27, then the straight four will head to Beijing a couple days after the rest of the US team, which travels on July 25.
In addition, 11 crews secured spots on the 2008 Under 23 National Team on Thursday.
In the men's single sculls, Minneapolis Rowing Club's Zachary Ellison clocked a 7:13.46 to defeat Peter Van Vliet by 3.09 seconds.
In the women's single sculls, Potomac Boat Club's Helen Tompkins easily won the final over Emily Dreissigacker. Tompkins finished with a time of 8:09.93, more than 13 seconds in front.
Penn AC's Bryan Pape and Andrew Hatzenbuhler had no trouble winning the men's pair. The duo crossed the line with a time of 7:09.03, with Taylor Brown and Christopher Brennan finishing more than 12 seconds behind.
Clemson Development Camp's A boat of Jessica Leidecker, Meg Bendik, Stefanie Kozuszek and Hillary Cumbest defeated its Clemson Development Camp teammates by 6.63 seconds to win the women's four. The winning boat crossed the line with a time of 7:01.11.
In the lightweight men's single sculls, Malta Boat Club's Sam Cunningham held off GMS Rowing Center's Michael Orzolek to win the race. Cunningham clocked a 7:27.55 to finish less than three seconds ahead of Orzolek.
Detroit Boat Club's Katie Bucien won the lightweight women's single sculls over a trio of Pocock Development Camp scullers. Bucien crossed the line in an 8:22.99, with Lindsay McAlpine finishing second in an 8:28.72.
USRowing Training Center's Nathanael Kielt and Ryan Andre pulled away from Penn AC's Sean Rader and Carl Nunziato in the final 1,000 meters to easily win the lightweight men's pair. The duo finished with a time of 7:08.34.
USRowing Training Center's Robin Prendes and James Donovan dominated the final of the lightweight men's double sculls, winning by more than 25 seconds. The duo clocked a 6:41.66, while Bachelor's Barge Club finished in a 7:06.68.
There was a reversal of fortunes in the U23 coxed four as well, as the Vesper crew failed to convert a solid mid-race lead into a victory down the stretch as Penn AC rowed through their neighbors in the final strokes. Penn AC's Kereeti Pisapati, Joe McMullin, Matt Wheeler, Greg Yurkow and row2k favorite David Weir won by 5.27 seconds over Vesper Boat Club. Penn AC trailed by almost two seconds at the midway point of the race before crossing the line in a time of 6:32.41.
Several crews raced uncontested. California Rowing Club's Max Goff, Colin Keogh, Zach Krupp and Ed Newman won the men's four with a time of 6:16.14. In the lightweight women's double sculls, Pocock Development Camp's Lisa D'aniello and Kristin Hedstrom finished with a time of 7:34.28.
Three boats that raced uncontested decided to decline their spot on the under 23 team, so the U.S. will not send crews in those events to Brandenburg. Detroit Boat Club's Jason Koch and Stephen Lambers won the men's double sculls in a 6:56.78, while Malvern Preparatory School's Mike Donohue, Mike Bohs, Mike Rawlings and Brandon Hanna clocked a 6:22.33 to win the men's quadruple sculls. In the women's pair, the New York Rowing Association duo of Catherine Crowley and Luisa Maldonado crossed the line with a time of 8:22.47.
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