 |
|
|
|
|
|
Two Crews Win Trials
By Brett Johnson // USRowing // May 16, 2008
Men’s single sculler Ken Jurkowski and the USRowing Training Center lightweight women’s double sculls duo of Jen Goldsack and Renee Hykel took their first step towards making the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team on Friday by sweeping the finals at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Rowing on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.
Jurkowski (New Fairfield, Conn.) completed a sweep of the finals in the men’s single sculls. After winning the first final on Thursday by more than five seconds, he recorded nearly a 12-second victory in Friday’s second final. Jurkowski established his lead off the start and was never really challenged, clocking a 7:40.34. California Rowing Club’s Patrick O’Hea (Culver City, Calif.) finished second in a 7:52.01, while New York Athletic Club’s James Dietz (Amherst, Mass.) finished third.
“It was a good race, but there is still a lot of work to do,” Jurkowski said following the race.
In the lightweight women’s double sculls, Goldsack (Henley-on-Thames, United Kingdom) and Hykel (Haverford, Pa.) also completed their sweep of the finals on Friday. After winning the first final by more than eight seconds, Goldsack and Hykel repeated that performance in the second final. The duo clocked a 7:34.38 to finish 8.22 seconds ahead of Vesper Boat Club’s Julie Nichols (Livermore, Calif.) and Libby Peters (Utica, N.Y.), who stroked a 7:42.60. Vesper’s Carey Brezler (Waynesboro, Pa.) and Wendy Tripician (Needham, Mass.) finished third.
“We came in feeling confident,” Hykel said. “We’ve had a great season training together so far. Jen and I click well, and we have a good dynamic. The conditions today were not ideal. There was a strong headwind and rain, but we were focused on keeping a steady rhythm.”
“It was a solid race” Goldsack said. “We came to do the job, and that’s what we accomplished. This is just the start of a really exciting summer.”
In the lightweight men’s double sculls, the USRowing Training Center/Bachelor’s Barge Club tandem of Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Cody Lowry (Bristow, Okla.) forced a third final by defeating yesterday’s winners, the California Rowing Club/Potomac Boat Club duo of Michael Aller (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Gavin Frase (Orinda, Calif.), by a little less than four seconds. Aller and Frase led during the first 1,000 meters, but Urevick-Ackelsberg and Lowry made a strong charge in the second half of the race to earn the victory. The duo finished with a time of 6:58.43, while Aller and Frase clocked a 7:02.28. The Malta Boat Club/Penn AC combination of Bjorn Larsen (Lake Stevens, Wash.) and Richard Montgomery (Batavia, Ill.) finished third. The winners of the first two finals will face off in the third final on Saturday at 8 a.m.
Referred to as the non-qualified small boat trials, this week’s winners are taking their first step towards making the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. With the U.S. failing to qualify these three boat categories for the 2008 Olympic Games at last year’s world championships, the winners of the trials will have to compete at the 2008 Olympic Qualification Regatta scheduled for June 15-18 in Poznan, Poland, in order to qualify to race in Beijing. Qualification spots at that regatta are available to the top three finishers in the men’s single sculls, top two finishers in the lightweight men’s double sculls and top two finishers in the lightweight women’s double sculls.
For a complete schedule and results, please visit http://www.usrowing.org/. For a complete explanation of USRowing’s selection procedures, please visit http://www.usrowing.org/News_Media/2008OlympicGames/08olselexp.aspx.
About USRowing
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 Sponsor is Johnson & Johnson; its Official Suppliers are Hudson Boat Works, NIKE, Inc., and Rosetta Stone; its Official Patron is Concept2; its Official Electronics Outfitter is Nielsen Kellerman; its Official Timer is Powerhouse Timing; its Official Registrar is RegattaCentral; and its Preferred Printer is Sport Graphics Printing. USRowing also receives generous support from the National Rowing Foundation.
About Princeton National Rowing Association
Located on the shores of Lake Mercer, the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center is home to the Princeton National Rowing Association, a world-class training site and racing venue – complete with state-of-the art rowing equipment, a seven-lane buoyed course and well-equipped workout facilities – that uniquely combines youth and masters programs with elite rowing and international racing. The center accommodates USRowing, as well as rowing clubs and schools. It is an official U.S. Olympic Training Site.
2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Rowing Results
May 16, 2008
Men’s Single Sculls
Final Two: 1. Unaffiliated (Jurkowski), 07:40.340; 2. California Rowing Club (O'Hea), 07:52.009; 3. New York Athletic Club (Dietz), 07:54.508.
Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls
Final Two: 1. USRowing Training Center (Goldsack, Hykel), 07:34.381; 2. Vesper Boat Club (Nichols, Peters), 07:42.597; 3. Vesper Boat Club (Brezler, Tripician), 07:51.743.
Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls
Final Two: 1. USRowing Training Center/Bachelor's Barge Club (Urevick-Ackelsberg, Lowry), 06:58.425; 2. California Rowing Club/Potomac Boat Club (Aller, Frase), 07:02.279; 3. Malta Boat Club/Penn AC (Larsen, Montgomery), 07:12.817.
|
|
|
 |
|
Enter your e-mail;
get free U.S. Olympic Team News
|
|
|
|
|
