National Time Trials completed
Tom Dethlefs (Lawrenceville, N.J.) and Conor Harrity (Weston, Mass.) edged out Austin Hack (Old Lyme, Conn.) and Alex Karwoski (Moultonborough, N.H.) by 0.09 seconds to take the top spot in the time trial of the men’s pair Tuesday morning, as racing got underway at the 2019 National Selection Regatta I in Chula Vista, Calif.
Dethlefs and Harrity, who raced together in the men’s eight at the 2018 World Rowing Championships, crossed the line in a 6:14.84 to claim the top seed in Thursday’s semifinal, with Hack and Karwoski coming home in a 6:14.93. Karwoski also raced in the eight at last year’s world championships, while Hack is returning after a two-year absence form international racing.
Nick Mead (Strafford, Pa.) and Tom Peszek (Farmington Hills, Mich.) finished third in the time trial with a time of 6:17.57, followed by the crew of Kyle Flagg (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Ezra Carlson (Eureka, Calif.).
On the women’s side, Tracy Eisser (Fair Lawn, N.J.) and Megan Kalmoe (St. Croix Falls, Wis.), the 2017 World Rowing Championships’ silver medalists in the event, crossed the line in a 6:47.87, finishing more than five seconds ahead of their nearest competitors. Emily Huelskamp (Sainte Genevieve, Mo.) and Allyson Baker (North Royalton, Ohio) finished second in a 6:53.44, followed by Erin Reelick (Brookfield, Conn.) and Felice Mueller (Cleveland, Ohio) in a 6:55.90. Kristine O’Brien (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) and Molly Bruggeman (Dayton, Ohio) finished fourth.
The national selection regatta is the first step in making the team that will compete this August at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Linz-Ottensheim, Austria. In the women’s pair, the NSR winner earns the right to compete at World Rowing Cup I or II. A top-three finish at one of the two world cup races would give the crew the option of being named to the national team in the event. In addition, a top-four finish at the NSR earns the athletes an automatic invitation to the women’s national team selection camp for the camp-selected big boats. While no world cup selection is up for grabs in the men’s pair in Chula Vista, a top-four finish at the NSR earns the athletes an automatic invitation to the men’s national team selection camp for the camp-selected big boats.