June 28, 2012

Oklahoma City Athletes Compete for National Titles

Finals are set following the afternoon repechages Thursday at the 2012 USRowing National Championships on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, NJ.

In the AM session, competitors racing in the women’s single sculls, men’s single sculls, women’s lightweight single sculls, men’s lightweight single sculls and men’s pair needed to win their respective heats in order to earn an automatic bid in Friday’s finals and avoid the repechages.

Setting the distance between his boat and the remainder of the field, 2008 Beijing Olympian and 2011 Pan American Games competitor Tom Paradiso of the New York Athletic Club won the first heat of the men’s lightweight single sculls. Paradiso, who clocked the fastest time in yesterday’s time trial, finished the course in a 7:00.784 and sent the remaining rowers in the first heat to the repechage, icluding OKC's Frank Petrucci.

In the men’s single sculls, Matthew Brown of Vesper Boat Club won his heat. Brown rowed the course in 7.06.066 and created a 5.702 second margin between himself and the next fastest competitor - OKC's Greg Ansolabehere.

In the first heat of the men’s pair, Oklahoma City's Will Newell and Anthony Fahden took first in the heat with a time of 6:39.605. Newell and Fahden are both members of the lightweight men’s four that will race at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Also from the USRowing Training Center-OKC and members of the 2012 Olympic squad, Silas Stafford and Tom Peszek won the second heat of the men’s pair. Stafford and Peszek finished the course in 6:26.833.

In the evening repechage #1, the men’s pair of OKC's Christian Klein and Kyle Traub finished in 6:41.770. The stern pair of the U.S. Olympic lightweight four – Robin Prendes and Nick LaCava – took first in the second repechage with a time of 6:44.041. Will Daly and Greg Flood also of the USRowing Training Center-OKC took second in the second repechage. St. Catherines’ Mark Alm and Matt Wortley will join a total of five USRowing Training Center- OKC crews in tomorrow’s final.

Gregory Ansolabehere from the USRowing Training Center-OKC was the first-place finisher in the men’s single sculls repechage with a time of 7:11.678. David Judah from Atlanta Rowing Club finished 6.60 seconds back, also advancing from the first repechage. Both Potomac rowers in the second repechage will race for the men’s single sculls national title. Taylor Frank took first in the repechage with a time of 7:13.33. Joe Ledvina will join his teammate and the three other singles after clocking in at a 7:18. 484.

In the men’s lightweight single sculls, Jacob Georgeson from Riverside took the first repechage with a time of 7:10.759. Rowing for Peterborough City Rowing Club, Alan Payno Montoya came in second in the first repechage. Greg Ruckman of the Colorado Rowing and Guatemalan Erickssen Catalan progressed from the second repechage. Frank Petrucci of Oklahoma City failed to advance to Friday's final by finishing third in the first repechage.

Racing for the last day of the championships begins tomorrow at 8 a.m. In addition to the rowers that progressed through today’s heats and repechages, the women’s pair, men’s pair with coxswain, men’s double sculls, men’s and women’s lightweight double sculls, women’s and men’s quadruple sculls, men’s four without coxswain and men’s lightweight quadruple sculls are set to race for national titles.

Two crews will race in the legs, trunk and arms mixed four with coxswain, including the recently named U.S. Paralympic crew. In addition, the Olympic women’s pair of Sarah Trowbridge and Margot Shumway will race in an exhibition race.

Among the competitors vying for the sixteen national titles at 2012 USRowing National Championship are eight U.S. Olympians and five U.S. Paralympians in training for London.

Finals racing on Friday can be seen on live streaming at broadcasting at http://www.ustream.tv/usrowing.

No comments:

OKC National High Performance Center TV

Search This Blog