Lightweight Women’s Double Wins Heat, Five Additional Crews Advance Monday at 2022 World Rowing Championships

Molly Reckford (Short Hills, N.J./Dartmouth College/Sarasota Crew) and Michelle Sechser (Folsom, Calif./University of Tulsa/Cambridge Boat Club) won their heat of the lightweight women's double sculls, while five other crews moved on to the next round of racing to highlight Monday's racing at the 2022 World Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.

In addition to the lightweight women's double sculls, the women's pair, men's four, women's double sculls, and women's quadruple sculls moved on to the semifinals out of their heats, while the lightweight men's single sculls advanced to the quarterfinals out of the repechages.

With only one to advance to the semifinals, Reckford and Sechser took the early lead in the second of four heats and then pulled away from the field during the middle 1,000 meters to win the race in a 6:57.60. Greece finished second in a 7:06.91.

"We knew it was going to be a test today – pretty cold, pretty rainy, pretty windy," Sechser said. "Molly and I have an approach that attitude is everything, so it is showing up with expectations of that type of weather, making sure we are prepared and that we don't let it make us go negative or lose any excitement we had about getting back on the start line together today. It was good to be back on the blocks and get the first heat completed, so we could advance. We certainly have a few things we are looking to sharpen up over the next few days."

Reckford and Sechser clocked the second fastest time of the day, with Great Britain recording the top time in the first heat. The Americans now will race in the semifinals on Thursday.

"It's an interesting field this year because you have your top three podium lineups from the Tokyo lightweight women's double, which is incredible to see all three of those boats' lineups return for another cycle, but also that it's a post-Olympic year, so you have a lot of new crews who are young and untested. It's interesting to see that dichotomy in the field this year."

Madeleine Wanamaker (Neenah, Wis./University of Wisconsin/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) and Claire Collins (McLean, Va./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), who will be doubling up in the pair and eight in Racice, finished second in their heat of the women's pair to advance to Thursday's semifinals. With three to advance, the Czech Republic held the top spot through the 1,000-meter mark before the U.S. duo took the lead. Over the final 500 meters, Romania's Ioana Vrinceanu and Denisa Tilvescu used their sprint to overtake the American crew to win the race in a 7:02.89. Wanamaker and Collins finished a second behind in a 7:03.98, with Croatia claiming the other qualifying spot in a 7:08.57.

"It was nice to get out on the course, get used to the warm-up area, and get in the starting blocks again," Wanamaker said. "We haven't raced since Poland in the pair, so we were just hoping to build from our performance there and perform what we've been doing in practice, which has been pretty good, and I think we accomplished that. We've been watching all the world rowing racing, and we've seen (Romania) at Lucerne and Europeans. They've been up there with the Brits and won the European championship – were really close to the Kiwis – so I think it's a good measuring stick right now of where we are, and I'm excited to go into the semis with that performance."

With the top two crews advancing, the men's four of Henry Hollingsworth (Dover, Mass./Brown University/California Rowing Club), Nick Mead (Strafford, Pa./Princeton University/New York Athletic Club), Gus Rodriguez (Rye, N.Y./Brown University/California Rowing Club, and Rhett Burns (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Northeastern University) won a tight battle with Switzerland to finish second and earn a spot in the semifinals. Australia led the entire way down the course, finishing in a 5:53.31. The U.S. was second off the line before the Swiss crew moved into second position at the midway point. The U.S. put its bowball ahead with 500 meters to go and then won the sprint to finish second in a 5:55.13. Switzerland finished 0.25 seconds back in third.

"We've known in our training sessions that we have a good back half," Burns said. "It's many of our first (senior) national team races – Gus, Henry, and I – but we knew we had something left that we could move to, so I think we really just leaned on that. When Switzerland made a move, it wasn't like a scared thought to us. We were able to keep calm and collected and move back on them in the end."

Racing in the second of three heats in the women's double sculls, the U.S. crew of Kristi Wagner (Weston, Mass./Yale University/ARION) and Sophia Vitas (Franklin, Wis./University of Wisconsin/Texas Rowing Center High Performance) overtook Germany in the third 500 meters to take second place and earn a spot in Friday's semifinals. The Netherlands' duo of Roos de Jong and Laila Youssifou took control early in the race, with Germany sitting in second position at the midway point. The Dutch boat continued to maintain its advantage through the 1,500-meter mark before the U.S. was able to cut into the lead over the final stretch of the race. The Dutch crew finished with a time of 6:53.58, with Wagner and Vitas crossing less than two seconds behind in a 6:55.45.

"I think we just wanted to come top two to avoid the rep," Wagner said. "We did that. It was our first race together, so just looking forward to the rest of the racing. Obviously, it is good to skip (the repechage). There will be a lot of fast crews in the semis, so we'll just stay internal and focus on what we can do."

The women's quadruple sculls crew of Maggie Fellows (Warwick, Mass./St. Lawrence University/Boston Rowing Federation), Savannah Brija (Lemont, Ill./Ithaca College/ARION), Emily Delleman (Davenport, Iowa/Stanford University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Emily Kallfelz (Jamestown, R.I./Princeton University/Cambridge Boat Club) qualified for Thursday's semifinals thanks to a third-place finish in the third of three heats. The U.S. got off the line in fourth position but passed New Zealand in the second quarter of the race to move into a qualifying position. Switzerland held a slight advantage 500 meters in before Great Britain grabbed the top spot before the midway point. The British crew pulled away from the field over the back half of the course, winning with a time of 6:21.51. Switzerland finished second, with the U.S. coming in third with a time of 6:28.11.

"It was a very quick start for everyone," Kallfelz said. "I was looking at the splits, and we were going pretty fast. We were still a bit down off the start, but I think that is something we've noticed might happen, and we've been working on our starts. It was solid. I think there is definitely some room for improvement, but it was a solid first heat, first 2k together. Honestly, I think it's just improving each point in the race that we've been focusing on. Each race, one step better. We're a new crew and relatively young, and I think if we can get one step better each race that would be a huge step."

Racing in the first of two heats in the PR3 mixed four with coxswain, the new U.S. lineup of Molly Moore (Indianapolis, Ind./Harvard University/Community Rowing, Inc.), Alex Flynn (Wilmington, Mass./Tufts University), Andrew Wigren (Providence, R.I./Hobart College), Saige Harper (Easthampton, Mass./Sacred Heart University), and coxswain Emilie Eldracher (Andover, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology) finished fourth and now will race in tomorrow's repechages. The U.S. crew sat in fourth the entire way down the course. Great Britain, which has won 11 consecutive Olympic and world titles in the event, won the race in a 7:14.84 to move on to the final. The U.S. finished with a time of 7:32.87.

The women's four of Vicky Opitz (Middleton, Wis./University of Wisconsin/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas/University of Washington), Erin Boxberger (Shady Shores, Texas/University of Notre Dame/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), and Allyson Baker (North Royalton, Ohio/The Ohio State University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) finished fifth in its heat and will race in tomorrow's repechages. With the top three to advance, the U.S. rowed in fourth position for the middle half of the race but could not track down Denmark for a qualifying spot. Great Britain moved into the lead in the opening 500 meters before taking control during the second quarter of the race. The British crew finished with a time of 6:29.44 to defeat The Netherlands by more than two seconds. The U.S. clocked a 6:39.60.

The men's quadruple sculls crew of Jacob Plihal (Vashon Island, Wash./Northeastern University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Jonathan Kirkegaard (Philadelphia, Pa./Purdue University/Texas Rowing Center High Performance), Kevin Cardno (Huntsville, Ala./University of Alabama, Huntsville/Texas Rowing Center High Performance), and Dominique Williams (Madison, Conn./University of Pennsylvania/Vesper Boat Club) finished fifth in the first of three heats and now will race in tomorrow's repechages. With two to advance to the semifinals, Italy kept The Netherlands at bay to win in a 5:43.94. The Dutch crew held off Lithuania to take the other qualification spot. The U.S. finished with a time of 5:56.61.

In addition, six U.S. boats rowed in preliminary races for lanes on Monday.

With injuries causing multiple lineup changes, the lightweight women's quadruple sculls crew of Grace D'Souza (Milwaukee, Wis./University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee Rowing Club/Whitemarsh Boat Club), Sarah Maietta (Wayland, Mass./Boston University), Cara Stawicki (Wall, N.J./Lehigh University/Whitemarsh Boat Club), and Elizabeth Martin (Lexington, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Riverside Boat Club/ Whitemarsh Boat Club) got its first race together in today's race of lanes. D'Souza and Maietta were late replacements for Sophia Luwis (McLean, Va./The College of William & Mary/Whitemarsh Boat Club) and Audrey Boersen (West Olive, Mich./Grand Valley State University/Whitemarsh Boat Club) just before the crew left for worlds. With only two boats entered, Italy won the race in a 6:47.54, with the U.S. finishing in a 7:05.20.

In the PR2 men's single sculls, Russell Gernaat (Redwood City, Calif./Lake Casitas Rowing Club) finished third in his race for lanes behind The Netherlands' Cornelis de Koning and Italy's Gian Filippo Mirabile. The Dutch sculler took the lead off the start, with the Italian behind in second position. Gernaat and Uzbekistan's Otabek Kuchkorov challenged each other for third place through the first 500 meters before Gernaat began to pull away. At the line, de Koning clocked an 8:50.66 to win the race by nearly seven seconds. Gernaat finished with a time of 9:25:02. The six scullers will do it again in Friday's race for the medals.

In the PR3 mixed double sculls, Pearl Outlaw (Charlottesville, Va./Ithaca College/Portland Boat Club) and Todd Vogt (Rochester, N.Y. /Portland Boat Club) finished fourth in their race for lanes. Brazil took the lead from the start and won the race in a 7:33.39, with Ukraine finishing four seconds back. Ukraine was able to chase down France in the final 500 meters. The U.S. sat in fifth position for much of the race before overtaking Israel in the final quarter. Outlaw and Vogt crossed the line in a 7:48.35. The crews will race for the medals on Friday.

Jennifer Fitz-Roy (Glen Ridge, N.J./Boston College/Community Rowing, Inc.) finished fourth in her race for lanes in the PR2 women's single sculls. Australia's Kathryn Ross won the race in a 9:25.84, with Ireland's Katie O'Brien finishing second. O'Brien led through the 500-meter mark before Ross took the lead as the scullers approached the midway point of the race. Fitz-Roy finished with a time of 11:23.73 and will race again in Friday's final.

In the lightweight men's quadruple sculls, the crew of Mats Terwiesch (Wynnewood, Pa./Bates College/Riverside Boat Club), Ashton Knight (Weston, Mass./Tufts University/Riverside Boat Club), Ian Richardson (Amesbury, Mass./University of Connecticut/Riverside Boat Club), and Sean Richardson (Beverly, Mass./University of Massachusetts/Riverside Boat Club) finished fifth in the race for lanes. The U.S. boat sat in fifth the entire way down the course, finishing with a time of 6:25.05. Italy won the race in a 5:58.42, finishing just over two seconds ahead of China.

In the lightweight men's pair, Harrison Tsavaris (Pelham Manor, N.Y./Fordham University/New York Athletic Club) and Justin Stevens (Knoxville, Tenn./Vanderbilt University/New York Athletic Club) finished sixth in their race for lanes. Turkey took the lead in the opening 500 meters and kept Italy at bay over the final half of the race to win in a 6:47.36. The U.S. finished with a time of 7:33.84. The six crews will race for medals on Friday.

Jimmy McCullough (Philadelphia, Pa./University of Delaware/Texas Rowing Center High Performance) advanced to Wednesday's quarterfinals by winning his repechage on Monday afternoon. With the top two to advance, McCullough, Georgia's Giorgi Kanteladze, and Finland's Kasper Hirvilampi were basically even through the 500-meter mark before Hirvilampi took a slight advantage as the scullers approached the midway point. McCullough was able to move past the Finnish sculler with about 700 meters to go and pulled away for a three-second victory. McCullough clocked a 7:14.34, with Hirvilampi finishing in a 7:17.55.

In the second repechage of the women's single sculls, Kara Kohler (Clayton, Calif./University of California, Berkeley/Texas Rowing Center High Performance) finished third behind the Czech Republic's Lenka Antosova and Switzerland's Jeanine Gmelin, missing the semifinals. Kohler will now race in Thursday's C/D semifinals. With two to advance, the top three scullers had separated from the rest of the field by the midway point, with Gmelin holding a slight lead on Antosova and Kohler less than a second back. Gmelin continued to hold off Antosova coming into the final 500 meters, but the Czech sculler was able to chase her down in the final few strokes. Antosova won the race in a 7:31.01, with Gmelin just 0.20 second behind. Kohler clocked a 7:32.97.

Four U.S. crews will hit the water for the first time on Tuesday.

The men's eight of Alex Karwoski (Moultonborough, N.H./Cornell University), Nick Rusher (West Bend, Wis./Yale University), Michael Clougher (Canton, Mass./Connecticut College/Penn Athletic Club), Liam Corrigan (Old Lyme, Conn./Harvard University/California Rowing Club), Michael Knippen (Germantown, Wis./University of Wisconsin/California Rowing Club), Andrew Gaard (Madison, Wis./University of Washington/California Rowing Club), Chris Carlson (Bedford, N.H./University of Washington/California Rowing Club), Pieter Quinton (Portland, Ore./Harvard University/California Rowing Club), and coxswain Jimmy Catalano (Greenwich Conn./University of Wisconsin) will race in the first of two heats, with the winner moving on to the final. The U.S. will take on crews from Ukraine, China, Great Britain, Italy, and Romania. Great Britain won the European championship last month.

In the PR1 men's single sculls, Andrew Mangan (Buffalo, N.Y./Stanford University/West Side Rowing Club/Bair Island Aquatic Center) will make his national team debut in the first of three heats. Mangan will take on scullers from Germany, Great Britain, Ukraine, Mexico, and Japan. Ukraine's Roman Polianskyi is the reigning Paralympic champion. The top two finishers in the heat advance directly to the semifinals.

The lightweight women's pair of Solveig Imsdahl (Eutin, Germany/Cornell University/Vesper Boat Club) and Elaine Tierney (West Chester, Pa./Temple University/Vesper Boat Club) will take on Germany, Italy, and Brazil in a preliminary race for lanes ahead of Friday's final.

The women's eight also will race for lanes on Tuesday. The crew of Molly Bruggeman (Dayton, Ohio/University of Notre Dame/USRowing Training Center-Princeton/University of Minnesota), Kelsey Reelick (Brookfield, Conn./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Alina Hagstrom (Seattle, Wash./Oregon State University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Regina Salmons (Methuen, Mass./University of Pennsylvania/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Jessica Thoennes (Highlands Ranch, Colo./University of Washington/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Charlotte Buck (Nyack, N.Y./Columbia University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Madeleine Wanamaker (Neenah, Wis./University of Wisconsin/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Claire Collins (McLean, Va./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), and coxswain Hannah Broadland (Sacramento, Calif./San Diego State University/San Diego Rowing Club/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) will race against China, Australia, Romania, Canada, and The Netherlands. The final will be held on Sunday.

In addition, lightweight women's single sculler Mary Jones Nabel (Huntsville, Ala./University of Tennessee/Cambridge Boat Club), who finished fourth in her heat on Sunday, will race in the second of four repechages tomorrow. Jones Nabel will take on scullers from Japan, South Africa, Switzerland, and Kazakhstan, with the top two finishers moving on to the final.

Racing continues on Wednesday with the quarterfinals and the remaining repechages. Semifinals get underway on Thursday, while the medal races will take place starting on Friday. More than 900 athletes from 65 countries are scheduled to compete in the eight-day regatta. The U.S. has entered the most boats with 25, followed by Italy with 23.

Click here for USRowing's daily coverage of the 2022 World Rowing Championships. Click here for USRowing's photo galleries. Click here for the official schedule, heat sheets, and results on worldrowing.com.

USRowing would like to thank Filippi Lido, the Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Senior, Under 23, and Para Rowing National Teams. Under the agreement, Filippi is providing USRowing a fleet of boats for international competitions including the World Rowing Cup regattas, World Rowing Under 23 Championships, World Rowing Championships, Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games, as well as a domestic training fleet for the USRowing Training Center.