National Squad Members Perform Well at US Champs

US lightweight women’s quadruple sculls crewmember Stacey Borgman looks in top form going into the World Championships, picking up two titles at the US Rowing National Championships in Camden, New Jersey at the weekend.

The world lightweight coxless pair silver medallist was one of several US national team rowers getting some valuable racing time in just three weeks from the start of the World Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Borgman won the lightweight women’s single sculls and then went on to win the lightweight women’s quad with the same crew that she will race with at Lucerne.

But a third title was not to be in her grasp. She and fellow quad member Abigail Cromwell lost out by 0.4 seconds in the lightweight women’s double to Canadian national team scullers Shona McLaren and Lisa Ludwich.

Also earning double titles were Michelle Whitcomb Borkhuis and Suzi Walter who took both the heavyweight and lightweight women’s coxless pair. The women plan to row both boats in Lucerne.

The national men’s eight has not yet been selected for Lucerne but a crew packed with likely candidates from the national Princeton Training Centre (PTC) took the national title.

Three-time world champion Mike Wherley, two-time world champion Brian Volpenhein, former world champion Garret Klugh, Eric Mueller, Jason Read, John Watling, Jason Flickinger, Ryan Torgerson and world champion cox Nick Anderson finished four seconds ahead of a second PTC boat.

Lightweight men’s eight world champions Steve Warner and Gabe Winkler joined forces with Patrick Todd and Lucas Ahlstrand in the PTC lightweight men’s coxless four.

The combination proved a formidable one, taking gold by 26 seconds. They are also up for national selection.

The women’s single sculls was taken by US women’s double crew member Laura Rauchfuss, while Rich Montgomery took the elite men’s single sculls in the absence of new US world championships representative Tim Whitney.

The US small boats and lightweight quads have been selected for the 2001 World Championships with the rest of the crews to be named next week.

Full details and results from the US national championships are available on the US Rowing website.