Semifinals Set at 2022 National Selection Regatta 1 and Speed Order

Semifinals at the 2022 National Selection Regatta 1 and Senior/Para Speed Order are now set after the completion of Wednesday morning's repechages in the men's and women's single sculls at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla.

World cup berths are on the line this week in the two NSR events – the men's and women's single sculls. While the regatta features racing across seven boat classes, the men's and women's singles are the only two with world cup implications. The winners of those two events will earn the right to race at World Rowing Cup 2 in Poznan, Poland, where a top-six finish, or top 50 percent finish if there are fewer than 12 entries, would earn the athletes the opportunity to represent the U.S. in the event at the 2022 World Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.

In Wednesday's repechages of the women's single sculls, Boston Rowing Federation's Maggie Fellows (Warwick, Mass./St. Lawrence University) recorded the fastest time of the day, winning the fourth repechage in a 7:37.25. Fellows, who reached the finals in the event at last year's U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Rowing, finished 3.10 seconds ahead of Cambridge Boat Club's Mary Jones Nabel (Huntsville, Ala./University of Tennessee), who crossed the line in a 7:40.35. Green Racing Project's Grace Joyce (Northfield, Ill./University of Wisconsin) clocked the third fastest time of the morning, winning the second repechage in a 7:41.18 ahead of USRowing Training Center – Princeton's Michalina Fili (Sparks, Md./ Washington College). Cambridge Boat Club's Emily Kallfelz (Jamestown/R.I./Princeton University) won the third repechage in a 7:41.55, with ARION's Savannah Brija (Lemont, Ill./Ithaca College) winning the first repechage in a 7:42.54.

Semifinals in the women's single are scheduled to take place Thursday morning starting at 8:30 a.m. Texas Rowing Center's Sophia Vitas (Franklin, Wis./University of Wisconsin) won yesterday's time trial to secure the top seed in the semifinals. Vitas will race against Craftsbury Green Racing Project's Emily Delleman (Davenport, Iowa/Stanford University), who also advanced from the time trial, as well as Fellows, Brija, Fili, and ARION's Hannah Paynter (Lyme, Conn./Princeton University) in the first semifinal. Texas Rowing Center's Kara Kohler (Clayton, Calif./University of California, Berkeley) and ARION's Kristi Wagner (Weston, Mass./Yale University), who both competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, finished second and third, respectively, in yesterday's time trial to advance to the semis. The two will face Kallfelz, Joyce, Nabel, and ARION's Lauren O'Connor (Belleville, Wis./University of Wisconsin) in the second semifinal. The top three in each semifinal will advance to Friday's final.

In the repechages of the men's single sculls, California Rowing Club's Michael Knippen (Germantown, Wis./University of Wisconsin) crossed the finish line with the fastest time of the morning, winning the third repechage in a 6:53.59. Knippen finished nearly five seconds ahead of Vesper Boat Club's Dominique Williams (Madison, Conn./University of Pennsylvania). Penn AC's Eliot Putnam (Littleton, Mass./Cornell University) bested San Diego Rowing Club's Tom Peszek (Farmington Hills, Mich./University of Michigan) to win the fourth repechage in a 6:56.88. Peszek edged out Craftsbury Green Racing Project's Luke Rein (College of Charleston) by 0.24 seconds to secure a spot in the semifinals. California Rowing Club's Andrew Gaard (Madison, Wis./University of Washington) won the first repechage in a 6:58.23, while Texas Rowing Center's Jonathan Kirkegaard (DeForest, Wis./Purdue University) won the second repechage in a 7:04.10.

The men's single semifinals are scheduled to start on Thursday at 8:46 a.m. California Rowing Club's Ben Davison (Inverness, Fla./University of Washington) recorded the fastest time in the time trial, earning the top seed in the semis. Davison will take on California Rowing Club's Sorin Koszyk (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Cornell University), who also advanced from the time trial, as well as Putnam, Knippen, Penn AC's Thomas Phifer (New York, N.Y./Middlebury College), and Penn AC's Shane O'hEochaidh. Texas Rowing Center's Kevin Cardno (Huntsville, Ala./ University of Alabama, Huntsville) and Craftsbury Green Racing Project's Jacob Plihal (Vashon Island, Wash./Northeastern University) reached the semifinals thanks to their second- and third-place finishes in yesterday's time trial. They will take on Gaard, Kirkegaard, Williams, and Peszek in the second of two semifinals. The top three in each semifinal will advance to Friday's final.

While world cup selection is taking place in the two NSR events, the speed order events provide rowers the opportunity to test their speed early in the season.

In the lightweight women's single sculls time trial, Sophia Luwis (The College of William and Mary) clocked the fastest time of the time trial to secure the top seed in the semifinals. Luwis will race against Vesper Boat Club's Solveig Imsdahl (Scheelholz 15, Germany/Cornell University), Riverside Boat Club's Elizabeth Martin (Lexington, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Sarasota Crew's Sarah Maietta (Wayland, Mass./Boston University), and New York Athletic Club's Alex Morss (Concord, Mass./Princeton University) in the first semifinal. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Molly Reckford (Short Hills, N.J./Dartmouth College), who finished second in yesterday's time trial, headlines the second semifinal. She will race against Potomac Boat Club's Audrianna Boersen (Grand Valley State University), Vesper Boat Club's Eva Harris (Sarasota, Fla.), and Oklahoma City High Performance Center's Brooke Ruszkiewicz (Madison, Wis.) The top three in each semifinal will advance to Friday's final.

In the time trial of the lightweight men's single sculls, Texas Rowing Center's Zachary Heese (Pelham, N.Y./University of Virginia) and Jasper Liu (Phoenix, Ariz./University of Pennsylvania) finished first and second, respectively. Heese will race against New York Athletic Club's Sam Melvin (Huntington Beach, Calif./Columbia University), Hugh McAdam (Hollis, N.H./Washington College), Riverside Boat Club's Ian Richardson (University of Connecticut), and Potomac Boat Club's Brian Kungl (University of Delaware) in the second semifinal. Liu will take on Riverside's Alex Twist (Boston, Mass./University of Puget Sound), TRC teammate James McCullough (Philadelphia, Pa./University of Delaware), Sarasota Crew's Cameron Kielty (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./United States Coast Guard Academy), Oklahoma City High Performance Center's Hilton Park (Edmond, Okla./University of Oklahoma), and Miami Rowing Club's Rodrigo Silva Urbaneja. The top three in each semifinal will advance to Friday's final.

In addition to the semifinals, C, D, E, and F-level placement finals are scheduled to take place on Thursday. Friday's schedule includes A and B finals in the men's and women's open and lightweight single sculls.

Click here for Wednesday's complete results. Click here for today's photo gallery.

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