Finals in the pairs and semifinals in the single sculls highlighted Saturday’s racing at the 2009 USRowing National Selection Regatta #1 at the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J.

The USRowing Training Center/California Rowing Club duo of Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.) and Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.) won the final of the women’s pair in a 7:22.548, finishing less than two seconds ahead of Olympic boatmates Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.) and Lindsay Shoop (Charlottesville, Va.). Lind and Shoop finished with a time of 7:24.482. USTC’s Jamie Redman (Spokane, Wash.) and Megan Smith (Templeton, Calif.) finished third in a 7:30.729.

In the men’s pair, USRowing Training Center’s Charlie Cole (New Canaan, Conn.) and David Banks (Potomac, Md.) clocked a 6:39.561 to win the final. The duo finished nearly eight seconds ahead of USTC’s Josh Inman (Hillsboro, Ore.) and Brett Newlin (Riverton, Wyo.). Inman and Newlin stroked a 6:47.219, while teammates Steven Coppola (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Jake Cornelius (Brooktondale, N.Y.) finished with a time of 6:51.256.

USRowing Training Center’s Will Daly (Vail, Colo.) and John Dise (Boston, Mass.) won the final of the lightweight men’s pair in a 6:54.388. The duo finished nearly seven seconds ahead of Riverside Boat Club’s Andrew Diebold (North Wales, Pa.) and Anthony Fahden (Lafayette, Calif.). Diebold and Fahden clocked a 7:01.327.

USRowing Training Center/California Rowing Club’s Warren Anderson (Paso Robles, Calif.) clocked the fastest time of the semifinals in the men’s single sculls. Racing in the second semifinal, Anderson clocked a 7:06.969 to finish more than four seconds ahead of New York Athletic Club’s James Dietz (Amherst Mass.). Dietz finished with a time of 7:11.079. USTC/CRC’s Sam Stitt (McLean, Va.) finished third in a 7:14.484, earning the other spot in tomorrow’s final. USTC’s  Glenn Ochal (Philadelphia, Pa.) won the first semifinal by just under three seconds. Ochal crossed the finish line with a time of 7:08.919. CRC’s William Benjamin (West Palm Beach, Fla.) finished second in a 7:11.619, while USTC/CRC’s Elliot Hovey (Manchester-By-The-Sea, Mass.) edged out USTC’s Ken Jurkowski (New Fairfield, Conn.) by less than 0.2 seconds to finish third and also advance to the final.

In the women’s single sculls, USRowing Training Center/California Rowing Club’s Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif.) won the first semifinal in a 7:46.376. Sickler finished a little more than two seconds ahead of USTC’s Ellen Tomek (Flushing, Mich.), who clocked a 7:48.703. USTC’s Kathleen Bertko (Oakland, Calif.) claimed third place and the other spot in tomorrow’s final, crossing the finish line in a 7:49.705. Potomac Boat Club’s Margot Shumway (Westlake, Ohio) won the second semifinal by just over one second. Shumway finished with a time of 7:51.987, while USTC’s Megan Kalmoe (St. Croix Falls, Wis.) clocked a 7:53.176. Cambridge Boat Club’s Gevvie Stone (Newton, Mass.) crossed the line in a 7:56.741 to finish third, also advancing to the final.

For complete results, please visit www.powerhousetiming.com. Finals in the single sculls and lightweight double sculls events will be held Sunday starting at 7 a.m.

For the men’s and women’s single sculls, NSR #1 serves as the first step towards making the 2009 Senior National Team that will represent the United States at the 2009 FISA World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland. The winner of the singles events will earn the right to compete at a world cup race of their choosing. If the NSR #1 winner finishes in the top four (or top half if there are fewer than eight entries), then he or she will be nominated to the team. For the remaining boat categories, NSR #1 serves as an opportunity for athletes to test their speed early in the season in preparation for future selection regattas, trials and selection camps.

USRowing is a nonprofit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States. USRowing’s Official Supplier is Hudson Boat Works; its Official Patron is Concept2; its Official Electronics Outfitter is Nielsen Kellerman; its Official Timer is Powerhouse Timing; and its Preferred Printer is Sport Graphics Printing. USRowing also receives generous support from the National Rowing Foundation.

-30-