Beijing gold medal coxswain Mary Whipple can recall the last time she raced in an eight with U.S. teammates Ali Cox and Caryn Davies. It was seven years ago in Lucerne at the 2004 Rowing World Cup. The women’s eight won gold that year, and went on the take silver at the Olympic Games in Athens.
She also recalls that, much like yesterday’s sudden strong storm, the weather did not cooperate.
“This weekend reminds me of when we raced here in 2004, because it was the last time Ali and Caryn and I raced together in the eight,” said Whipple. “And I do believe there was hail on the day of the final, as well. I'm just hoping that the hail stays away during race time this year.”
Whipple, Cox and Davies are seasoned veterans in this particular women’s eight lineup that represents a mixed bag of international racing experience. If the U.S. crew has anything to prove here in Lucerne, it’s off to a good start.
At the conclusion of Friday’s heats, repechages and quarterfinals, nine U.S. crews, in addition to the women’s eight, advanced at the 2011 Samsung World Cup 3.
Lined up next to 2010 worlds bronze medalist Romania in the second of two heats, the U.S. crew of Whipple (Orangevale, Calif.), Kady Glessner (Seattle, Wash.), Jamie Redman (Spokane, Wash.), Davies (Ithaca, N.Y.), Kara Kohler (Clayton, Calif.), Eleanor Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine), Cox (Turlock, Calif.), Amanda Polk (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.), took the lead from the start.
The U.S. crew put the pressure on for the entire length of the race to finish 2.6 seconds ahead of Romania in a 6:05.43 and advance directly to Sunday’s final. Romania clocked a 6:08.02, edging just 0.33 seconds ahead of Great Britain at the line. Poland finished fourth in a 6:28.15.
“It was a really tough and exciting race, because we've only been together for a short time,” said Whipple. “We wanted to make sure that we trusted each other and backed each other up no matter what.”
Today’s heat marks just the second time the crew has raced internationally this year. Last week’s debut resulted in a Remenham Challenge Cup win at the Henley Royal Regatta. Whipple says she is looking forward to “fine-tuning” the boat’s rhythm over the course of the weekend in the lead-up to Sunday.
“The final is going to be a good test of where we are at this point of our selection process.”
In addition to the women’s eight, two other U.S. crews won their heats Friday to advance.
The USA 1 women’s pair of Taylor Ritzel (Larkspur, Colo.) and Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.) defeated Australia, Germany, and two Canadian crews in the third heat of the event, and will now race in the semifinals. Ritzel and Lind led the race from wire-to-wire, posting a 7:07.09 at the line. Australia’s Sarah Tait and Phoebe Stanley finished second to advance in a 7:09.48.
In the first heat of the women’s pair, USA 2’s Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.) and Meghan Musnicki (Naples, N.Y.) also advanced to the semis with its second-place finish of 7:14.55 to Romania’s 7:12.67.
In the lightweight women’s double sculls, Hamburg World Rowing Cup gold medalists Julie Nichols (Livermore, Calif.) and Kristin Hedstrom (Concord, Mass.) won their heat by more than five seconds over New Zealand’s Lucy Strack and Louise Ayling.
Nichols and Hedstrom were first off the start, and gained an open-water lead on New Zealand in the first 1,000 meters. The U.S. posted a 7:05.09 at the finish to advance to the semifinals.
Racing in the third heat of that same event, USA 2’s entry of Ursula Grobler (Pretoria, South Africa) and Abby Broughton (Tetonia, Idaho) fell just short of qualifying for the semifinal. Grobler and Broughton posted the fastest final 500 meters of the course, but the sprint wasn’t enough to take the top spot. The U.S. finished second to Canada’s 7:03.26 with a 7:05.16.
In the afternoon repechage, the duo turned it around. Grobler and Broughton took center stage and led the entire length of the course, posting a winning time of 7:23.90 to advance to the semifinals.
Next up, the USA 1’s Justin Stangel (Madison, Wis.) and Tom Peszek (Farmington Hills, Mich.) advanced to the quarterfinal from the fifth heat of the men’s pair. Stangel and Peszek clocked a 6:38.64 for third place. Hungary’s Adrian Juhasz and Bela Simon, Jr. won the race in a 6:36.17, with Australia’s William Lockwood and Brodie Buckland in second (6:37.10). But then in the quarterfinal, the U.S. crew fell back to finish fourth and will now race in the C final.
Racing in the sixth heat of the men’s pair, the USA 2 entry of Tyler Winklevoss (Greenwich, Conn.) and Cameron Winklevoss (Greenwich, Conn.) finished just outside of qualifying position. The Beijing Olympians in the event finished posted a 6:50.27 for fourth place. Germany won the race in a 6:38.19, followed by South Africa (6:44.27) and Czech Republic (6:47.50).
After finishing second in its heat of the women’s double sculls, the U.S. crew of Sarah Trowbridge (Guilford, Conn.) and Kate Bertko (Oakland, Calif.) came back to qualify for the semifinal in the afternoon repechage.
In the heat, Trowbridge and Bertko, who will represent the U.S. at the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Bled next month, led for the first half of the course before Czech Republic’s Lenka and Jitka Antosova took the lead around the 1,500-meter mark. The Antosova sisters crossed in a 6:54.72 to the U.S. crew’s 6:55.61.
Then in the rep, a determined U.S. crew led over the middle half the course before getting edged out at the finish line by Belarus’ Tatsiana Kukhta and Yuliya Bichyk. Trowbridge and Bertko finished in a 7:13.60 to Belarus’ 7:13.49, good for a spot in the semifinals.
After a fourth-place finish in its heat, the men’s double sculls crew of Glenn Ochal (Philadelphia, Pa) and Will Miller (Duxbury, Mass.) won its rep to advance to the semifinals.
In the afternoon race, the U.S. crew sat in fourth place through the 1,000-meter mark before moving through the two Italian entries and Czech Republic for a win in 6:27.57. Ochal and Miller finished fifth in the event in the first Samsung World Rowing Cup stop in Munich, and aim to better that ranking in Lucerne.
The back-to-back repechages of the men’s fours may have been the most exciting U.S. moment of the day.
In the equally dramatic finishes, both crews won their respective afternoon reps to advance to the semifinals. USA 1’s Scott Gault (Piedmont, Calif.), Charlie Cole (New Canaan, Conn.), Brett Newlin (Riverton, Wyo.) and Giuseppe Lanzone (Annandale, Va.) finished second in its heat, clocking 6:05.65 to Great Britain’s 6:01.14. In the repechage, the U.S. came back from third place at the 500-meter mark to hold off Italy and Canada at the line, posting a 6:05.99.
After finishing third in its heat, USA 2’s Silas Stafford (Santa Rosa, Calif.), Ryan Monoghan (Pittsford, N.Y.), Sam Stitt (McLean, Va.) and David Banks (Potomac, Md.) followed suit, holding off France at the line to win in a 6:11.04.
Men’s single sculler Ken Jurkowski (New Fairfield, Conn.) had a successful day of racing, overall, with two big races under his belt and a ticket to the semis. He was first off the start in the morning heat and although he fell behind Sweden’s Lassi Karonen in the second 500 meters, Jurkowski held on to second place through the line. The five-time U.S. national team member posted a 6:59.26 to Karonen’s 6:56.61.
In the afternoon quarterfinal, Jurkowski, easily won in a 7:04.32 advance to the semifinal. Lithuania’s Mindaugas Griskonis (7:07.45) and New Zealand’s Mahe Drysdale (7:17.49) also advanced from the race.
In the women’s quadruple sculls, the crew of Natalie Dell (Clearville, Pa.), Esther Lofgren (Newport Beach, Calif.), Megan Kalmoe (St. Croix Falls, Wis.) and Stesha Carle (Long Beach, Calif.) was edged out by Germany in the second of two heats. The U.S. quad clocked a 6:26.72 to Germany’s 6:25.23, and will have a second chance to advance in Saturday’s repechage.
In the final event before the lunch break, the U.S. men’s eight finished second in its heat and will also race in the repechages Saturday for a shot at the semis. Coxswain Ned DelGuercio (Media, Pa.), Nareg Guregian (North Hills, Calif.), Josh Inman (Hillsboro, Ore.), Stephen Coppola (Buffalo, N.Y.), Dan Walsh (Norwalk, Conn.), Henrik Rummel (Pittsford, N.Y.), Alex Osborne (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), Ross James (DeKalb, Ill.) and Grant James (DeKalb, Ill.) held the second-place position the length of the course behind Germany. The U.S. crew challenged the defending world champions in the sprint, but fell just 0.22 seconds short. Germany won in a 5:25.20, to the U.S. crew’s time of 5:25.62.
In the lightweight men’s four, the U.S. crew of Robin Prendes (Miami, Fla.), Will Daly (Vail, Colo.), Ryan Fox (Edgerton, Wis.) and Anthony Fahden (Lafayette, Calif.) led the third heat for the first half of the race, before slipping back behind Denmark and Serbia. Crossing the line third in a 6:05.58 left the U.S. outside of qualifying position and headed to the reps.
Then in the afternoon race, the U.S. crossed each of the 500-meter marks in fourth place, finishing in a 6:19.27. The top three crews – Switzerland, France and Poland – advanced to the semifinals, while the U.S. will now race in the C final.
After finishing fifth in its heat of the men’s quadruple sculls, Jamie Koven (Green Village, N.J.), Warren Anderson (Paso Robles, Calif.), Wes Piermarini (West Brookfield, Mass.) and Elliot Hovey (Manchester-By-The-Sea, Mass.) again fell short in the repechage, and will race in the C final.
The U.S. quad was fifth crossing the 500-meter mark in the heat, and then managed to slip past Italy and take seats on France. The French crew held them off, however, and the U.S. crossed just 0.39 seconds outside of third place and the last qualifying spot in a 5:53.36. Germany won the race in a 5:49.77, followed by Russia (5:52.06).
Similarly, the rep saw the U.S. advance from fifth to fourth over the length of the course, and nearly catch a flailing Italian crew. Koven, Anderson, Piermarini and Hovey crossed in a 6:00.22, and will now race in the C final. Slovenia posted a winning time of 5:57.11, followed by Estonia (5:58.11) and Italy (5:58.44).
In the women’s single sculls, Gevvie Stone (Cambridge, Mass.) finished fourth in her heat and was forced to row an afternoon repechage. Stone was fifth crossing each of the 500-meter marks and overtook Denmark’s Fie Udby Erichsen in the final stretch. Stone attempted a similar late sprint strategy in the rep, but crossed the line just short of the second-place position that would have guaranteed her a spot in the semifinals. Stone finished third in a 7:49.70 and will race in the C final.
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