WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – Twelve crews earned national team berths on Friday at the 2009 World Championships Trials at the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. The selected crews earned the right to represent the United States at the 2009 World Rowing Championships August 23-30 in Poznan, Poland.
Potomac Boat Club’s Margot Shumway (Westlake, Ohio) swept the best two-out-of-three finals of the women’s single sculls. After winning yesterday’s first final by 2.9 seconds, Shumway, who stroked the women’s quadruple sculls at the 2008 Olympic Games, won in a 7:34.78. Sitting 0.79 seconds down at the halfway point, Shumway made a strong move to pull ahead of USRowing Training Center’s Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif.). Sickler responded with a surge in the sprint, but Shumway held on for the win. Sickler clocked a 7:36.24, followed by USTC’s Jessica Reel (Ojai, Calif.) in a 7:47.16.
USTC’s Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.) and Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.) swept the finals of the women’s pair, finishing off with a 3.45-second victory Friday over USTC teammates Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.) and Lindsay Shoop (Charlottesville, Va.). Cafaro and Francia led by 1.2 seconds at the halfway point, and held on to win in a 7:07.64. Lind and Shoop clocked a 7:11.09 in second place. All members of the women’s eight that won Olympic gold in Beijing – Cafaro, Francia, Lind and Shoop will also race in the women’s eight at the 2009 World Rowing Championships.
Olympic alternate Warren Anderson (Paso Robles, Calif.) of USTC continued his winning ways, sweeping the best two-out-of-three finals in the men’s single sculls. After dominating in yesterday’s first final with a 15-second win, Anderson crossed over 20 seconds ahead of Potomac’s William Greer to earn a national team berth Friday. Anderson clocked a 6:55.91, with Greer second in a 7:16.63. Ross Anderson of Penn A.C. Rowing Association finished in third with a 7:28.22.
In the men’s pair with coxswain, the USTC crew of coxswain Marcus McElhenney (Lansdowne, Pa.), Henrik Rummel (Pittsford, N.Y.) and Troy Kepper (Tallahassee, Fla.) swept the finals, capping off with a 2.7-second win in Friday’s race. USTC clocked a 6:59.31, followed by Penn A.C. Rowing Association’s Christopher DeFelice and Martin Reschke second in a 7:01.04. Penn A.C. teammates Joe Spencer and Joe Krajewski finished third in a 7:19.14. McElhenney coxed the men’s eight to bronze in Beijing, while Rummel was a member of the 2008 bronze-medal under 23 men’s eight and Kepper won silver in the men’s four with coxswain at the 2005 World Rowing Championships.
In the men’s double sculls, Craftsbury Sculling Center’s Thomas Graves (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Peter Graves (Cincinnati, Ohio) led from wire to wire to win the second final in a 6:17.31. The Graves’ crossed 3.5 seconds ahead of the USTC/Penn A.C. Rowing Association/GMS Rowing Center duo of Stephen Whelpley (Moquon, Wis.) and Michael Sivigny (Hudson, N.H.), who clocked a 6:20.80 in second. USTC’s Pat Sullivan (St. Paul, Minn.) and Deaglan McEachern (Portsmouth, N.H.) finished third in a 6:32.10.
Cody Lowry (Bristow, Okla.) of Bachelor’s Barge Club swept the finals of the men’s lightweight single sculls. Just 0.3 seconds separated Lowry and USTC’s Andrew Bolton (Old Lyme, Conn.) at the halfway mark, but Lowry pulled away in the final stretch to win in a 6:59.92. Bolton, an Olympic alternate in 2008, clocked a 7:02.26 in second place. Two-time Olympian Greg Ruckman (Cincinnati, Ohio) crossed third in a 7:02.66.
Undine Barge Club’s Meghan Sarbanis (Hampstead, N.H.) swept the best two-out-of-three finals in the lightweight women’s single sculls final to secure her spot on the team. After yesterday’s 14-second win over Union Boat Club’s Catherine Infantino (Boston, Mass.). Sarbanis continued her winning ways, clocking a 7:50.60 to win the second final. Infantino crossed second in a 7:55.17, followed by Pocock Rowing Center’s Carmel Zahran (Oakbrook, Ill.) in an 8:08.96.
The USTC women’s four lineup of Elle Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine), Jamie Redman (Spokane, Wash.), Amanda Polk (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Esther Lofgren (Newport Beach, Calif.) dominated in Friday’s race to sweep the finals en route to its national team berth. The crew crossed 6.6 seconds ahead of USTC teammates Megan Smith (Templeton, Calif.), Suzanne Van Fleet (West Chester, Pa.), Karen Colwell (Pawcatuck, Conn.) and Kelsie Chaudoin (Germantown, Tenn.) to win in a 6:37.83. Logan was a Beijing gold-medalist in the women’s eight, while Redman and Polk won gold in the 2008 under 23 women’s eight and Lofgren won silver in the event at the 2008 World Rowing Senior and junior Championships.
In the men’s lightweight quadruple sculls, the Vesper Boat Club/GMS Rowing Center/Malta composite crew of Sam Cunningham (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Dan Scholtz (Springfield, Ore.), Jon Winter (New Haven, Conn.) and Brian Tryon (Indianapolis, Ind.) swept the finals, winning Friday’s race by 3.4 seconds in a 6:01.46. The GMS/Vesper crew of Matt Carey (West Simsbury, Conn.), David Smith (Seattle, Wash.), Matt Bokermann (Chicago, Ill.) and Richard Klein (Westport, Conn.) finished second in a 6:04.84. Cunningham was a member of last year’s under 23 national team, while Winter and Klein won silver in the event at the 2006 FISA Under 23 World Championships.
In the women’s lightweight quadruple sculls, the USTC/Riverside Boat Club crew of Abby Broughton (Tetonia, Idaho), Stephanie Sydlik, Lindsey Hochman (Seattle, Wash.) and Hillary Saeger (Dedham, Mass.) won Friday’s second final in a 6:34.78 to sweep the finals. The Vesper/New York Athletic Club/Pocock Rowing Center crew of Jill Austin (Newport Beach, Calif.), Margaret Duggan (Bronxville, N.Y.), Michelle Hall (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and Hannah Moore (Niskayuna, N.Y.) crossed second in a 6:37.88. Broughton, Duggan and Moore all raced in the event at the senior national team level.
Rowing uncontested in the second final, the Riverside Boat Club duo of John Wainwright (Alameda, Calif.) and Alex Rothmeier (Edina, Minn.) completed the course to earn its berth in the men’s lightweight pair. Wainwright and Rothmeier clocked a 6:53.79. Wainwright stroked the lightweight men’s four at the 2008 Under 23 World Championships, while Rothmeier raced in the event at last year’s world championships.
Long Beach Rowing Association’s Ron Harvey (Long Beach, Calif.) also rowed down the course in 5:20.95 to earn his berth on the national team. A six-time national team member, Harvey raced in the event at the 2008 Paralympic Games.
For complete race results, visit www.powerhousetiming.com.
USRowing and Princeton National Rowing Association will co-host “Meet the 2009 U.S. National Team” on Saturday, August 8, from 11 a.m. until Noon at the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J. The free public event will give rowing supporters and the community a chance to meet the team as it prepares for the 2009 World Rowing Championships. For directions, visit http://www.rowpnra.org/directions.htm.
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 Suppliers are Hudson Boat Works and Boathouse Sports; 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.
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