ON TO LONDON: OKC Athletes Qualify Lightweight Men's Four

The US entry comprised of Oklahoma City National High Performance athletes Robin Prendes, Nick LaCava, Will Newell, and Anthony Fahden lead by head coach Bryan Volpenhein has qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The boat needed a top two finish in today's final competing against The Netherlands, Brazil, New Zealand, Serbia and Spain. USA came through the 500 meter mark in third, moved to second by the halfway point and from there moved into first and held the lead to the finish. USA won in a time of 6:01.85 followed in second place by The Netherlands in 6:01.99. Both crews have earned the right to represent their countries in the Olympic Games. New Zealand finished in third place, Serbia in fourth, Spain in fifth and Brazil in sixth place.

Congrats to our athletes and coach Bryan Volpenhein!

Olympic Qualification: OKC Rowers Charge into Final

The U.S. lightweight men’s four won its repechage to highlight racing Monday at the 2012 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland. The lightweight four, along with the women’s double sculls and the men’s eight, will race in the finals Tuesday for a chance to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

After a 90-minute weather delay Monday evening, OKC's Robin Prendes, Nick LaCava, Will Newell and Anthony Fahden led from the start in the first repechage of the lightweight men’s four, gaining open water on New Zealand by the 1,500-meter mark. The U.S. posted a 6:11.11 at the line. New Zealand also advanced with a second-place time of 6:13.26.

The final is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:50 p.m. local time. Racing Brazil, Spain, The Netherlands, Serbia and New Zealand, the U.S. will need to place in the top two to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Solid Start for Team USA at Final Olympic Qualification Regatta



Prendes, LaCava, Newell, Fahden

U.S. crews fared well overall on the first day of competition at the 2012 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland. Five of the six crews are headed to the finals, while the lightweight men’s four, comprised of four Oklahoma City National High Performance Center athletes, will have a second opportunity to advance in Monday’s repechage.

The women’s double sculls crew of Sarah Trowbridge and Margot Shumway kicked off the afternoon for the United States – winning its heat to advance directly to Tuesday’s final.

Trowbridge and Shumway led from the start, crossing each of the 500-meter marks in first place. The U.S. posted a 6:59.97 at the finish line, followed by Spain in 7:02.10 and Denmark in third (7:02.27).

Racing next for the U.S., Warren Anderson and Sam Stitt finished second in their heat of the men’s double sculls to advance to the semifinals Tuesday. Italy was first out of the starting blocks, with China staying in a solid second through the halfway point. The U.S. crew was able to walk through the Chinese in the final stretch, edging ahead by 0.05 seconds for a second-place finish in 6:26.76.

In the women’s single sculls, Gevvie Stone also finished second to secure her spot in Tuesday’s semifinals. In a gusty cross-tailwind, Stone moved from third to second place by the 1,000-meter mark, crossing the finish line in a 7:32.00. Australia won the heat in 7:29.48. Stone finished 11th at the world championships on Lake Bled last summer and will be looking to finish in the top four in order to qualify for London.

Racing in the third heat of the lightweight men’s double sculls, Will Daly and Andrew Campbell pushed through Spain and held onto the lead to secure a spot in the semifinals on Tuesday. The U.S. crew posted a time of 6:24.40 to Spain’s 6:24.71. Switzerland also advanced with a third-place time of 6:35.65.

OKC's Robin Prendes, Nick LaCava, Will Newell and Anthony Fahden coach by OKCNHPC Head Coach - Bryan Volpenhein, finished second in the first heat of the lightweight men’s four, just missing a spot in the final. The U.S. was in the lead crossing over the 1,500-meter mark, but could not challenge the Dutch crew that pushed through for the win. The Netherlands posted a time of 5:57.55 to the United States’ 6:00.47. The U.S. will have a second opportunity to qualify for the final in Monday’s repechage, scheduled for 6:31 p.m. local time.

The final race of the evening was the much-anticipated race for lanes in the men’s eight. The U.S. crew blasted through New Zealand and France for the win, posting a time of 5:34.01 for the top seed in Tuesday’s final.


The U.S. crew of Vlahos, Grant James, David Banks, Steve Kasprzyk, Jake Cornelius, Brett Newlin, Ross James, Will Miller and Giuseppe Lanzone took the lead by the 500-meter mark, and extended it over the course of the race to finish more than eight seconds ahead of New Zealand and more than 17 seconds ahead of France.

The U.S. will need to win Tuesday’s final in order to secure a spot in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Olympic Hopefuls to Compete in Exhibition at Central District Youth Rowing Championships

Each year the Central District Youth Rowing Championships brings together top junior crews from Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, Louisiana and Texas for a day of spirited racing, district championships and the opportunity to race at the USRowing National Youth Championship in June. The championships will take place May 12-13 on the Oklahoma River.


Three exhibition races are scheduled to be run on Saturday, May 12th, showcasing athletes from the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center. Several athletes who have represented the United States at the World Championships, will go head to head in the three events - the Men's Coxless Pair, Women's Single, and Men's Single.


Racing in the Men's Coxless Pair are Ryan Shelton and Max Goff. Goff represented the United States in the Men's Eight at the 2009 Under 23 World Rowing Championships in the Czech Republic. Also looking to test their speed is the entry of Greg Flood and Kyle Traub. This lightweight combination is stroked by Flood who raced in the Lightweight Men's Four at the 2011 Under 23 World Rowing Championships. The final boat racing in this event is Christian Klein and Frank Petrucci. Klein competed in the 2011 World Rowing Championships in the Lightweight Men's Eight and the Lightweight Men's Pair at the 2010 U23 World Rowing Championships, while Petrucci raced in the Lightweight Men's Four at the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico.


The next race will feature training center athletes Grace Luczak, Michelle Sechser, and Chelsea Smith. Luczak is a world champion in the U23 Women's Pair at the 2011 World Rowing Under 23 Championships and also finished third in the eight. She finished third in the four at the 2010 World Rowing Championships and won gold in the eight at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. Michelle Sechser and Chelsea Smith teamed up to win a bronze medal in the Lightweight Women's Double and Women's Quadruple Sculls at the 2011 Pan American Games.


Blaise Didier, Anders Corbett, William Schnittman, Vincent Lepeltier, and Greg Ansolabehere will compete in the Men's Single. Didier is a gold medallist in the Men's Eight at the 2011 Pan American Games and finished sixth in the pair with coxswain at the 2011 World Rowing Championships. He also finished second in the eight at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships and won gold in the eight at the 2008 World Rowing Under 23 Championships.


The Men's Pair race is scheduled to take place at 12:16 PM on Saturday, while the Men's Single will take place at 12:22 PM followed by the Women's Single at 12:28 PM. More information will be available at okcbf.org.

Crunch Time: OKC Rowers Head to Olympic Qualifier

Will Newell

The selection process has come to an end for the men’s eight and the lightweight men’s four crews that will represent the U.S. at the Final Qualification Regatta May 20-23 in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Representing the U.S. in the lightweight men’s four are Oklahoma City residents Robin Prendes, Nick LaCava, Will Newell and Anthony Fahden. Prendes and Fahden return from the boat that finished 13th at the 2011 World Rowing Championships. LaCava and Newell won the lightweight men’s pair event at the first National Selection Regatta and were members of the lightweight eight that finished fifth in Bled.

The men’s eight lineup consists of coxswain Zach Vlahos, Grant James, David Banks, Steve Kasprzyk, Jake Cornelius, Brett Newlin, Ross James, Will Miller and Giuseppe Lanzone. Banks, Newlin and Lanzone were members of the men’s four that finished ninth at the 2008 Olympic Games. Grant and Ross James trained in Oklahoma City for a year before being selected to the men's eight at the 2011 World Championships. Kasprzyk joins the lineup from the men’s eight that won gold at the 2011 Pan American Games.

Selection for the men’s eight was determined based on lineup evaluations and training camp performance in Berkeley, Calif., under U.S. men’s eight coach Mike Teti. The U.S. will need to win the event in order to qualify the boat for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Selection for the lightweight four was based on training camp performance and results of the first National Selection Regatta lightweight men’s pair racing. The crew coached by, Oklahoma City National High Performance Center Head Coach and three-time Olympian Bryan Volpenhein, will need to place in the top two at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta to qualify for London.