U.S. Crews Set for Henley Royal Regatta

June 28, 2011

Henley-on-Thames, England – When the storied Henley Royal Regatta gets underway this week, nine United States crews will be there to compete.

U.S. crews will be facing international competition in the tradition Henley head-to-head format in the women’s single sculls, men’s double sculls, men’s and women’s quadruple sculls, men’s pair, men’s four, and men’s and women’s eights.

The men’s teams race as entries from the Chula Vista Training Center. The women are entered as the Princeton Training Center.

The regatta begins Wednesday, but only a few, non-open events will be raced. Most of the U.S. crews will not begin racing until Friday, when the quarterfinals begin, but three events begin Thursday including the men’s pair, men’s double and women’s single.

First up is the men’s pair of Tom Peszek (Farmington Hills, Mich.) and Justin Stangel (Madison, Wis.), which will compete for the Silver Goblets & Nickalls. Stangel finished fourth in the event at the 2010 World Rowing Championships, while Peszek finished sixth in the men’s eight.

They will face a field of tough international competition among 20 entries, beginning with Javier and Diego Aquirregomezcorta of Spain.

Racing next is the double of Glenn Ochal (Philadelphia, Pa) and Will Miller (Duxbury, Mass.) who will race for the Double Sculls Challenge Cup. This is the second international race for the duo that won the 2011 USRowing National Selection Regatta #2 and then finished fifth in the event in the first of three Samsung World Rowing Cup stops in Munich, Germany.

Gevvie Stone (Newton, Mass.), will race for the Princess Royal Challenge Cup. Stone won the first of the national selection regattas and also raced in Munich. She will be facing, among others, Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic, the reigning champion in the event.

In racing Friday, the U.S. will send crews to the line in four events. Highlighting that group will be the defending Olympic and world championship women’s eight crew of Mary Whipple (Orangevale, Calif.), Taylor Ritzel (Larkspur, Colo.), Meghan Musnicki (Naples, N.Y.), Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.), Jamie Redman (Spokane, Wash.), Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.), Kady Glessner (Seattle, Wash.), Amanda Polk (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.).

The U.S. will be facing seven other crews, including the British eight, racing as Leander Club & Thames Rowing Club that finished fourth in last year’s world championships. The British have made two changes and are hoping to challenge the U.S. for the Remenham Challenge Cup.

One of the big storylines of the regatta is the return to international competition of Jamie Koven (Green Village, N.J.). Koven retired from rowing with a severe back injury after the 2000 Olympic Games, but started rowing again in 2010.

Now 38 years old, the 1997 single sculls world champion will be racing in the men’s quadruple sculls for the Queen Mother Challenge Cup with Warren Anderson (Paso Robles, Calif.), Wes Piermarini (West Brookfield, Mass.) and Elliot Hovey (Manchester-By-The-Sea, Mass.).

The U.S. will be tested in this event and face Olympic champions Poland and world-champion Croatia, along with Great Britain and Australia, both world finalists last year.

The United States will send two crews to the line in the women’s quadruple sculls in the Princess Grace Challenge Cup. Both crews of Ali Cox (Turlock, Calif.), Natalie Dell (Clearville, Pa.), Megan Kalmoe (St. Croix Falls, Wis.) and Stesha Carle (Long Beach, Calif.) and Caryn Davies (Ithaca, N.Y.), Kara Kohler (Clayton, Calif.), Eleanor Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) and Esther Lofgren (Newport Beach, Calif.) will have their hands full in the field of 12 entries that includes the reigning world champion British quad.

Also racing Friday will be the men’s four team of Scott Gault (Piedmont, Calif.), Charlie Cole (New Canaan, Conn.), Brett Newlin (Riverton, Wyo.) and Giuseppe Lanzone (Annandale, Va.) that will race for the Stewards’ Challenge Cup. Competition includes crews from Australia, China and Belarus.

The men’s eight team of coxswain Ned DelGuercio (Media, Pa.), Nareg Guregian (North Hills, Calif.), Josh Inman (Hillsboro, Ore.), Steven 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.) will race for the Grand Challenge Cup. Because the field has just four entries, they will advance straight to the quarterfinals on Saturday.

While the field is limited in size, it is huge in competition and the crew of will be tested by the German and British eights which were gold and silver, respectively, at last year’s world championships and have already renewed their rivalry this year with again going first and second in the first world cup in Munich.

For complete regatta coverage, visit www.worldrowing.com.

About USRowing
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Ed Moran