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.

Petrucci Breezes Through Time Trial

The first boats to race in the 2012 USRowing National Championships rowed down a wind swept course on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, NJ. The Time Trial was run to sort out the 12 out of 14 entries in the lightweight men’s single sculls that would advance to Thursday heats.

OKC's Frank Petrucci finished 4th in 6:56.5 to earn at place in Heat #1 taking place at 9:00 AM.

First among the competitors was New York Athletic Club’s Tom Paradiso. The 2008 Olympian finished with a time of 6:49.168. The top 12 finishers move on to the morning heats.

OKC's Olympians and Paralympians to Compete at US National Championships

When the 2012 USRowing National Championships begin on Mercer Lake in West Mercer, N.J., not only will some of the best rowers in the country be on hand, but six athletes from Oklahoma City will get some final racing in before heading off to the London Olympic Games next month. The event will also feature the 2012 Paralympic LTA 4+ which includes OKC's Emma Preuschl and Andrew Johnson.

Among the 103 crews entered in the 18 events that will take place June 27-29 are the US Men’s Pair of Silas Stafford and Tom Peszek, and the US Lightweight Men’s four crew of Robin Prendes, Nick LaCava, Will Newell and Anthony Fahden. The lightweight men’s four will be racing in two events including the Men’s Pair and the Men’s Four.

The regatta will be held at the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center and will feature 18 boat classes and one adaptive event, the mixed legs, trunk and arms four with coxswain.

Oklahoma City will also be represented in the Men's Pair by 2008 Beijing Olympian Will Daly with teammate Greg Flood, a member of the 2011 U23 Lightweight Men's Four. They will take on OKC's Christian Klein and Kyle Traub. Klein competed in the Lightweight Men's 8+ at the 2011 World Rowing Championships.

Two OKC crews will go head to head in a straight final on Friday in the Men's Coxed Pair. Justin Stangel, Blaise Didier, and Stephen Young will race teammates Ryan Shelton, Max Goff and Marcus McElhenney. Stangel represented the US in the Men's Pair at the 2011 World Championships while Didier competed in the Men's Coxed Pair. Young coxed the Lightweight Men's Eight and the Men's Coxed Pair at the 2010 World Championships in New Zealand. McElhenney is a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the Men's Eight.

Frank Petrucci will race for OKC in the Lightweight Men's Single. Petrucci competed in the Lightweight Men's Four at the 2011 Pan American Games.

The duo of Michelle Sechser and Chelsea Smith will return to the Lightweight Women's Double for this event, while joining Lindsey Hochman (Pocock) and Hillary Saeger (Riverside) in the Women's Quadruple Sculls. Sechser and Smith won two bronze medals for the United States at the Pan American Games in the Lightweight Women's Double and Women's Quad.

Greg Ansolabehere will compete in the Men's Single and join Potomac Boat Club's Taylor Frank to race in the Men's Double.

Racing will begin Thursday morning with heats followed by afternoon repechages. Finals will take place Friday morning.

OKC Rowers Qualify for 2012 Games in London; 6 rowers heading to Olympics; 2 heading to Paralympics

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two years after the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center opened in the Devon Boathouse, home of OCU rowing, eight OKC-based athletes have earned berths to represent the USA on the most coveted world stage.

Yesterday in West Windsor, New Jersey, rowers Tom Peszek and Silas Stafford raced to a first-place finish in the men’s pair in the Olympic Trials – Rowing to earn a spot on Team USA for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Earlier this month, OKC adaptive rowers Emma Preuschl and Andrew Johnson were named to the legs, trunks and arms four with coxswain crew that will represent the USA at the 2012 Paralympic Games.

In May, OKC’s lightweight four of Robin Prendes, Nick LaCava, Will Newell, and Anthony Fahden won their race at the 2012 Olympic Qualification Regatta, a last-chance qualification event for countries vying to earn slots to London in various rowing events. The OKC crew took one of two spots for London in their event, qualifying their boat class for the USA and earning spots on the team.

The rosters for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Rowing Teams are currently pending approval by the United States Olympic Committee and will be officially announced later this month.

On to London: Stafford and Peszek Victorious in Olympic Trial

USRowing Training Center – Oklahoma City crew defeated the three other boats from the 14 crews that came to Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J., to row in the 2012 Olympic Trials in a last attempt to make the team that will race in London.

They were the last crew to be named to the Olympic team Thursday, pending final approval from the United States Olympic Committee after winning their respective events. Earlier in the day, three athletes were named to the team in the men’s single sculls and women’s pair.

Leading through much of the race and rowing in a stiff headwind, Stafford and Peszek crossed the finish line ahead of the USRowing Training Center crew of Michael Gennaro, and Ty Otto and the California Rowing Club crews of Ryan Monaghan and Deaglan McEachern, and Brandon Shald and Brad Bertoldo to win in a time of 7:14.988.

Results are available at www.usrowing.org.

Now or Never: Stafford and Peszek Race for Olympic Berth

The winners of the three trial events taking place tomorrow – men’s pair, men’s single sculls and the women’s pair – will earn an automatic berth to represent the United States this summer at the Olympic Games in London, pending final approval by the United States Olympic Committee.

Silas Stafford along with USRowing Training Center – Oklahoma City teammate Tom Peszek, won the first of two semifinals in the men’s pair to advance to the four-boat final.

While the first semifinal went off without a problem, and both Stafford’s boat and the USRowing Training Center crew of Michael Gennaro, and Ty Otto advanced; an injury in the USRowing Training Center crew of Jason Read and Nareg Guregian resulted in the second semifinal being pushed back to noon. Read was taken from his shell returned to the dock and sought medical treatment. Read and Guregian did not race.

A decision was then made to reschedule the final from tomorrow morning to tomorrow evening at 5:00 p.m. EST to allow all four advancing boats to have ample recovery time between races.

Advancing from the second semifinal were the California Rowing Club crews of Ryan Monaghan and Deaglan McEachern and Brandon Shald and Brad Bertoldo.

In the morning semifinal, Stafford and Peszek finished with a time of 6:39.465 followed by Gennaro and Otto in 6:43.350. Monaghan and McEachern won the second semifinal in 6:49.836 followed by Shald and Bertoldo in 6:50.906.

Results

Men’s pair, semifinal 1:

1. USRowing Training Center - OKC (Silas Stafford, Tom Peszek) 06:39.465

2. USRowing Training Center (Michael Gennaro, Robert Otto) 06:43.350

3. California Rowing Club (Andrew Melander, Derek Johnson) 06:45.937

4. California Rowing Club (Paul Marcy, Evan Cassidy) 06:59.460

Men’s pair, semifinal 2:

1. California Rowing Club (Deaglan McEachern, Ryan Monaghan) 06:49.836

2. California Rowing Club (Brandon Shald, Brad Bertoldo) 06:50.906

3. University of Wisconsin/Stanford (Austin Hack, Dariush Aghai) 06:54.882

Racing will resume with finals at 7:30 am in the men’s single sculls followed by the women’s pair. A full schedule and results will be available at www.usrowing.org.