Racing Underway at 2022 USRowing National Selection Regatta 2

Racing got underway Tuesday morning with finals in two events and time trials in the remaining four events at the 2022 USRowing National Selection Regatta 2 at Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.

The winners of this morning's finals in the lightweight men's and women's double sculls earned the right to race at World Rowing Cup 2 in Poznan, Poland, where they will have a chance to make this year's world championship squad, while time trials were held in the men's and women's pairs and double sculls.

World cup berths in six boat classes are on the line this week, with the winners of each event earning the right to race in Poland. A top six finish in Poznan, or top 50 percent finish if there are fewer than 12 entries, will earn the athletes the opportunity to represent the U.S. in the event at the 2022 World Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.

Rowing out of Sarasota Crew, Michelle Sechser (Folsom, Calif./University of Tulsa) and Molly Reckford (Short Hills, N.J./Dartmouth College) are back for another season in the lightweight women's double sculls. The duo, who finished fifth in the event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, raced uncontested this morning on Lake Mercer. The crew crossed the line in a 7:53.11 to secure their spot in World Rowing Cup 2. Both said it was an odd feeling to be racing uncontested in an Olympic-class boat.

"Being back racing is always exciting," Reckford said. "Time trials like this – it was a new experience for us. We've always had this pressure of, 'it's do or die; it's do or die,' so coming out was a new challenge today to try to find that fire and to really race hard in conditions where there is nobody next to you, pushing you. We're going to keep working and keep finding speed. Now we really get to focus on the World Cup in Poland."

Like their lightweight women's double counterparts, Texas Rowing Center's Zachary Heese (Pelham, N.Y./University of Virginia) and Jasper Liu (Phoenix, Ariz./University of Pennsylvania) raced uncontested in the lightweight men's double sculls final. The crew, who won the event at last year's U.S. Olympic Team Trials and then raced at the 2021 World Rowing Final Olympic Qualification Regatta (FOQR) in Lucerne, Switzerland, crossed the finish line this morning in a 7:14.73 to lock up their spot in World Cup 2. Heese and Liu also entered the men's double sculls event for a chance to get some additional racing against the open weight doubles. The duo finished fourth in today's time trial and will now race in the semifinals on Thursday.

Texas Rowing Center's Kevin Cardno (Huntsville, Ala./ University of Alabama, Huntsville) and Jonathan Kirkegaard (Philadelphia, Pa./Purdue University) clocked the fastest time in the time trial of the men's double sculls. Cardno and Kirkegaard, who won the event at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Rowing before racing at the FOQR, crossed the finish line in a 6:23.88, finishing nearly three seconds ahead of California Rowing Club's Chris Carlson (Bedford, N.H./University of Washington) and Ben Davison (Inverness, Fla./University of Washington). Carlson and Davison finished with a time of 6:26.50. Davison, a Tokyo 2020 Olympian in the men's eight, won the men's single sculls at the first NSR back in March. Craftsbury Green Racing Project's Jacob Plihal (Vashon Island, Wash./Northeastern University) and Vesper Boat Club's Dominique Williams (Madison, Conn./University of Pennsylvania), who finished second and third, respectively, in the single at NSR 1, finished third in today's time trial in a 6:27.59. Heese and Liu took fourth.

In the women's double sculls, the composite crew of Sophia Luwis (The College of William and Mary) and Audrianna Boersen (Grand Valley State University) recorded the fastest time of the time trials, crossing the line in a 7:05.05. Luwis and Boersen finished second and third, respectively, in the lightweight single sculls at the March speed order in Sarasota. Texas Rowing Center's Kara Kohler (Clayton, Calif./University of California, Berkeley), a two-time Olympian, and Sophia Vitas (Franklin, Wis./University of Wisconsin), a two-time national team member, finished second in the time trial. Kohler and Vitas finished one-two in the women's single at NSR 1. The duo finished less than a second behind Luwis and Boersen, clocking a 7:05.95. Cambridge Boat Club's Emily Kallfelz (Jamestown, R.I./Princeton University) and Mary Jones Nabel (Huntsville, Ala./University of Tennessee) finished third in a 7:07.24.

In the men's pair, California Rowing Club's Justin Best (Kennett Square, Pa./Drexel University) and Michael Grady (Pittsburgh, Pa./Cornell University), who were both members of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team, posted the best time of the time trials, finishing in a 6:41.96. Craftsbury Green Racing Project's Alexander Hedge (Morristown, N.J./Columbia University) and Ezra Carlson (Eureka, Calif./University of Washington) finished second, crossing just over one second behind in a 6:43.01. CRC's Andrew LeRoux (Venice, Fla./Princeton University) and Michael Knippen (Germantown, Wis./University of Wisconsin) finished third in a 6:43.89.

In the women's pair, USRowing Training Center – Princeton's Claire Collins (McLean, Va./Princeton University) and Madeleine Wanamaker (Neenah, Wis./University of Wisconsin) were the fastest to the finish line. The Tokyo 2020 Olympians crossed with a time of 7:15.52, finishing nearly five seconds ahead of teammates Kelsey Reelick (Brookfield, Conn./Princeton University) and Allyson Baker (North Royalton, Ohio/The Ohio State University). Reelick and Baker finished with a time of 7:20.44. USTC-Princeton's Charlotte Buck (Nyack, N.Y./Columbia University) and Jessica Thoennes (Highlands Ranch, Colo./University of Washington), who were both part of the Olympic women's eight last year, finished third in a 7:22.83.

Racing continues Wednesday with the repechages in the women's double sculls. Thursday will feature semifinal racing in the remaining four boat classes, with finals being held on Friday. Click here for today's results.

The 2022 World Rowing Championships are scheduled for September 18-25 in Racice, Czech Republic.