Day 2 Results: Finals Set for Summer Speed Orders

Racing continued today on Mercer Lake in New Jersey as athletes battled for spots in Sunday's finals. The men's and women's single sculls and men’s pairs contested semifinal races, while the men's and women's single sculls also completed their D-F finals. Tomorrow's racing will feature finals in all events, with Para and U23 athletes competing for spots on the U.S. National Team. In the men's and women's single sculls, the top two finishers from each semifinal advanced to the A Final, while the top three crews in each men's pair semifinal earned spots in the championship final.

In the first men's single sculls semifinal, Olympian Ben Davison (California Rowing Club) claimed the win in 7:07.13. Davison built a lead of more than three seconds over second-place finisher Willem Drescher (USTC-Sarasota), who crossed in 7:10.76. Drescher edged Evan Falstrup in a photo finish to secure the final qualifying spot for the A Final. In the second semifinal, California Rowing Club's James Wright defeated Penn AC's Matthew Skubas by 1.58 seconds to earn the victory. California Rowing Club's James Fetter, a former U23 National Team athlete, closed out the semifinal racing with the fastest time of the day, winning in 7:04.66, more than a second ahead of Penn AC's Kevin Cardno.

In the women's single sculls, Olympian Kristi Wagner (USTC-Boston) won the opening semifinal in 7:38.74, followed by USTC-Princeton's Alina Hagstrom in 7:41.38. The second semifinal featured another thrilling photo finish as Arion's Katy Flynn edged Green Racing Project's Paige Wheeler by just 0.49 seconds to claim the final qualifying spot for the A Final. Olympian Lauren O'Connor, won the race in 7:37.36. Olympian Grace Joyce (California Rowing Club) captured the final semifinal in 7:34.99, followed by Cambridge Boat Club's Maggie Fellows.

In the men's pairs, Olympian Pieter Quinton and Madison Molitor (USTC-Sarasota) continued their strong form after winning silver at World Rowing Cup III last weekend, taking their semifinal in 6:33.16. Blake Vogel and Samuel Halbert finished second in 6:36.65, followed by California Rowing Club's James Robinson and Declan Fry. Andrew LeRoux and Olympian Billy Bender won the second semifinal in 6:34.90, ahead of Wilson Morton and Charles Fargo. Green Racing Project's Thomas Woods and Jesse Ryno rounded out the top three to advance to the A Final.

The morning concluded with the D-F finals in the men's and women's single sculls. Gabriel Pfister (Riverside) won the men's D Final by a comfortable margin, while Alexandria Alton captured the women's D Final by just over two seconds ahead of Green Racing Project's Jane Doyle.

Racing concludes tomorrow with the Para and U23 National Team Trials and the Summer Speed Orders. Complete results can be found here.