OKC Athletes Outstanding at National Selection Regatta

The 2nd National Selection Regatta held on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, NJ is the first step to earning selection to the national team that will compete in Bled, Slovenia at the 2011 World Rowing Championships.

With impressive results in the semi finals, athletes representing the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center showed they were ready to compete against the best in the country.
In the women’s double sculls event - advancing with a win in the first semifinal were USRowing TC – Princeton’s team of Kate Bertko and Sarah Trowbridge in a 7:11.97. In second with a time of 7:13.99 was USRowing TC – Princeton’s Natalie Dell and Stesha Carle followed in third by USRowing TC – Oklahoma City’s Meg George and Potomac Boat Club’s Stefanie Kozuszek with a time of 7:18.18.

In the men’s pair, USRowing TC – OKC’s Andrew Melander and Ryan Monaghan won the first semifinal with a time of 6:42.38. In second was the USRowing TC – OKC's pair of Tom Peszek and Justin Stangel with a time of 6:42.59, followed in third by USRowing TC – Chula Vista’s Charlie Cole and Scott Gault in 6:42.78.

In the second semifinal of the men's pair, Brett Newlin and Giuseppe Lanzone won with a time of 6:48.70. In second was the pair of USRowing Training Center – OKC’s brothers Grant and Ross James with a time of 6:49.92, followed in third by USRowing TC – Chula Vista’s Alex Osborne and Steven Coppola with a time of 6:50.02.

Racing next were the lightweight women’s double sculls. Advancing in the first semifinal was USRowing TC – OKC’s Abby Broughton and Ursula Grobler with a time of 7:17.14. In second was the crew of USRowing TC – OKC Chelsea Smith and Michelle Sechser in a time of 7:25.79, followed in third with a time of 7:29.81 by the Vesper Boat Club’s Victoria Burke and GMS Rowing Center’s Jeannette Daley.

In the second semifinal, University of California, Berkley – Women’s Alumni’s Julie Nichols and University of Wisconsin’s Kristin Hedstrom won in a 7:20.95, followed in second by USRowing TC – OKC’s Hillary Saeger and Nicole Dinion with a time of 7:25.86. In third were Pocock Rowing Center’s Katherine Robinson and Lindsay Hochman with a time of 7:28.65.

Advancing out of the second semifinal of the lightweight men's double sculls, in first place with a time of 6:44.82 was GMS’s Richard Klein and Todd Mickleson. In second was USRowing Training Center – OKC’s Bob Duff and Vesper’s John Kapteyn with a time of 6:46.98. Advancing third in 6:50.37 were Vesper’s Mike Vukich and Dan Scholz.
Next came the finals...

In the women’s double sculls, the USRowing TC – Princeton duo of Kate Bertko and Sarah Trowbridge won with a time of 7:11.96. USRowing TC - Princeton’s Megan Kalmoe and Cambridge Boat Club’s Gevvie Stone were second in a time of 7:12.66. In third were USRowing TC – Princeton’s Natalie Dell and Stesha Carle in 7:12.92. USRowing TC – Oklahoma City’s Meg George and Potomac Boat Club’s Stefanie Kozuszek finished 6th with a time of 7:29.64.

The men’s pair final was next with the USRowing TC – Chula Vista crew of Charlie Cole and Scott Gault winning in a time of 6:44.56. Cole and Gault took the lead early and held through to the finish. The USRowing TC – Oklahoma City crew of Tom Peszek and Justin Stangel finished second in 6:46.15 and USRowing TC – OKC’s Andrew Melander and Ryan Monaghan were third in 6:47.09. In fifht was the pair of USRowing Training Center – OKC’s brothers Grant and Ross James with a time of 6:50.49.

“The race was great,” said Cole. “We had a tough path. There were a lot of good crews here. Those Oklahoma City guys are doing really well. We got out and we just wanted to have a better race than the semi and take control.”

The final two events were the lightweight men’s and women’s double sculls.

In the lightweight men’s final, GMS Rowing Center’s Brian de Regt and Jon Winter led the entire race and finished in a time of 6:38.77. Undine Barge Club’s Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg and Vesper’s Matt Bokermann was second in 6:43.89. USRowing Training Center – Oklahoma City’s Bob Duff and Vesper’s John Kapteyn finished third in 6:45.54.

In the lightweight women’s final, University of California – Berkley Women’s Alumni’s Julie Nichols and University of Wisconsin’s Kristin Hedstrom won with a time of 7:14.12. USRowing TC – OKC’s Abby Broughton and Ursula Grobler were second in 7:16.14. USRowing TC – OKC’s Hillary Saeger and Nicole Dinion followed in third with a time of 7:20.98. In 5th place was the crew of USRowing TC – OKC Chelsea Smith and Michelle Sechser in a time of 7:25.12.