Skip to main content

Nov 08, 2022

Team USA

Pan Am Qualifier Trials and Fall Speed Order Start Wednesday


USRowing will be hosting the 2022 Pan American Games Trials and 2022 Fall Speed Order this week on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.

The Pan American Games Trials will select that athletes who will represent the U.S. at the 2023 Pan American Games Qualification Regatta this coming March in Chile, while the Fall Speed Order serves as an opportunity for up-and-coming athletes to test their speed as they head into winter training.

The Pan American Games Trials features racing in six events including the lightweight men's and women's single sculls, men's and women's single sculls, and men's and women's pairs. The top two finishers in the lightweight single sculls will represent the U.S. in the lightweight double sculls at the qualification regatta. In the open weight single sculls, the winner will represent the U.S. in the single sculls, the second and third-place finishers will compete in the double sculls, and the top four finishers will race the quadruple sculls at the qualifier. On the sweep side, the winner of the pair will represent the U.S. at the qualifier, with the top two pairs earning spots in the four.

The women's single sculls event leads the way in terms of entries with 21. Seven of the women represented the U.S. at the 2022 World Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic, including Tokyo 2020 Olympian Kristi Wagner (Weston, Mass./Yale University/ARION), who finished fifth with Sophia Vitas (Franklin, Wis./University of Wisconsin/Texas Rowing Center High Performance) in the double sculls. Savannah Brija (Lemont, Ill./Ithaca College/ARION), Maggie Fellows (Warwick, Mass./St. Lawrence University/Boston Rowing Federation), and Grace Joyce (Northfield, Ill./University of Wisconsin/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) all raced in the quadruple sculls at this year's world championships. Others to watch include Lauren O'Connor (Belleville, Wis./University of Wisconsin/ARION), who recently won the women's single at the U.S. Lotman Challenge, and Alie Rusher (West Bend, Wis./Stanford University/Cambridge Boat Club), who was a Tokyo 2020 Olympian in the women's quadruple sculls. Fellows won two medals at the 2019 Pan American Games.

The men's single sculls event has 20 entries, with three members of this year's national team scheduled to compete. Jacob Plihal (Vashon Island, Wash./Northeastern University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) was part of the U.S. men's quadruple sculls crew in Racice, while Michael Knippen (Germantown, Wis./University of Wisconsin/California Rowing Club) and Chris Carlson (Bedford, N.H./University of Washington/California Rowing Club) were part of the men's eight at this year's world championships. Plihal recently won the men's single at the U.S. Lotman Challenge, while Carlson finished second in the championship single at last month's Head of the Charles Regatta.

Sixteen scullers are entered in the lightweight men's single sculls including three members of the 2022 World Rowing Championships roster. Jimmy McCullough (Philadelphia, Pa./University of Delaware/Texas Rowing Center High Performance) raced in the lightweight men's single sculls in Racice, while Ashton Knight (Weston, Mass./Tufts University/Riverside Boat Club) and Sean Richardson (Beverly, Mass./University of Massachusetts/Riverside Boat Club) competed in the lightweight men's quadruple sculls. Sam Melvin (Huntington Beach, Calif./Columbia University/New York Athletic Club), the 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships' gold medalist, is also scheduled to race.

Nine scullers are entered in the lightweight women's single sculls including Tokyo 2020 Olympians Michelle Sechser (Folsom, Calif./University of Tulsa/Cambridge Boat Club) and Molly Reckford (Short Hills, N.J./Dartmouth College/Sarasota Crew), who won the silver medal in the lightweight women's double sculls at the 2022 World Rowing Championships. Mary Jones Nabel (Huntsville, Ala./University of Tennessee/Cambridge Boat Club), who raced the event at the world championships and won a couple of gold medals in the event on the World Rowing Cup circuit this summer, also is scheduled to race, as are Sarah Maietta (Wayland, Mass./Boston University) and Elizabeth Martin (Lexington, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Riverside Boat Club/ Whitemarsh Boat Club), who competed in the lightweight women's quadruple sculls in Racice. Sechser won two medals at the 2011 Pan American Games, while Jones Nabel won gold in the lightweight single at the 2015 Pan American Games.

Seven women's pairs are scheduled to race this week including four from the USRowing Training Center – Princeton. 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), and Charlotte Buck (Nyack, N.Y./Columbia University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) raced in the women's eight at this year's world championships, while Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas/University of Washington) and Allyson Baker (North Royalton, Ohio/The Ohio State University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) were part of the women's four. Lineups include Cohen and Hagstrom, Reelick and Buck, Thoeness and Baker, and Salmons and Brooke Mooney (Keene Valley, N.Y./University of Washington/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), who served as an alternate at this year's world championships. Tokyo 2020 Olympians Madeleine Wanamaker (Neenah, Wis./University of Wisconsin/New York Athletic Club) and Claire Collins (McLean, Va./Princeton University/New York Athletic Club), who won the bronze medal in the event at the 2022 World Rowing Championships, will be representing the New York Athletic Club this week.

The men's pair only has three entries. In addition to racing in the single, Carlson and Knippen will race in the pair. Craftsbury Green Racing Project's boat includes Ezra Carlson (Eureka, Calif./University of Washington/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), who was an alternate on this year's national team and won the championship single at the Head of the Charles, and Alexander Hedge (Morristown, N.J./Columbia University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project).

Racing in the Pan American Games Trials starts Wednesday with time trials. Thursday's racing includes quarterfinals (where necessary) and semifinals. Finals in the pairs and lightweight singles will be held on Friday, as will the semifinals in the open weight singles. Finals in the open singles will be held Saturday.

The Fall Speed Order has 16 entries across two events, with 12 scullers entered in the women's single sculls and four in the men's single sculls. Time trials will take place on Wednesday, with finals being held on Thursday.

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.