Oklahoma City Takes Home Six National Titles

15 crews to were crowned national champions at the conclusion of three days of racing at the USRowing National Championships in West Windsor, NJ.

On a day that started with booming thunderstorms and then cleared to sunny skies, the racing was uninterrupted and began with two USRowing Training Center-Oklahoma City pairs with coxswain going head-to-head in a two boat race.

The entry of Justin Stangel, Blaise Didier and coxswain Stephen Young edged the entry of Ryan Shelton, Max Goff and coxswain Marcus McElhenney, 7:04.464 to 7:05.526. The race provided a preview of nexts week's World Championship Trial when both crews will battle for the right to represent the United States in Bulgaria.

In the men’s single sculls Matt Brown of Vesper finished first in a time of 7:11.132. OKC's Greg Ansolabehere was second in 7:13.9.

In the men’s pair, five boats from USRowing’s Oklahoma City Training Center lined up with an entry from St. Catharines Rowing Club and took the first five spots. The first three boats to cross the line were powered by six 2012 U.S. Olympians.

Winning the race in a time of 6:29.397 was Silas Stafford and Tom Peszek, followed in second by Will Newell and Anthony Fahden and in third by Robin Prendes and Nick LaCava. Will Daly and Greg Flood finished fourth in 6:39.8 and were followed closely by Christian Klein and Kyle Traub in fifth place in 6:40.9.

Stafford and Peszek will represent the United States in the men’s pair. Newell, Fahden, Prendes and LaCava will row the lightweight men’s four in London.

In the men’s double, the composite entry from Long Beach Rowing Association and Cambridge Boat Club of Nick Trojan and Austin Meyer won over the composite entry from the Potomac Boat Club and the USRowing Training Center-Oklahoma City team of Greg Ansolabehere and Taylor Frank and Philadelphia Sculling Club’s Andrew Ramsey and Ryan Allen in a time of 6:25.247.

The lightweight women’s double event was won by USRowing Training Center – OKC’s entry of Michelle Sechser and Chelsea Smith in a time of 7:07.363. The composite entry from Pocock and Riverside of Lindsey Hochman and Hillary Saeger were second followed by Ottawa’s Juliette Robert Bigras and Victoria Ozimkowsk.

Hochman and Saeger were also in the lightweight women’s quad at the 2011 World Rowing Championships and will compete with Smith and Sechser for a spot in the event at the 2012 Non-Olympic Senior World Championship trials.

After rowing in the men’s pair event, the Olympic lightweight men’s four crew of Prendes, LaCava, Newell and Fahden went back on the water and took the gold medal in the men’s four event in 5:58.601. Finishing second was USRowing Training Center-OKC, followed by the Craftsbury entry.

The women’s quadruple sculls event was won by the USRowing entry in a time of 6:39.105. The Pocock/Riverside/USRowing Training Center-OKC entry was second followed by the crew from Craftsbury.

The morning racing was concluded with a dual race in the mixed legs, trunk and arms four with coxswain adaptive event between two USRowing entries. The winning boat, made up of five 2012 Paralympians Alexandra Stein, Eleni Englert, OKC's Emma Preuschl and Andrew Johnson, and Dorian Weber, finished with a time of 3:30.771.

For full results visit, http://www.usrowing.org/Events/EliteNationals/2012NCResults.aspx.