Princeton National Rowing Association’s Mercer Rowing Club topped the medal count at at USRowing Mid-Atlantic Junior Championships at Mercer Lake May 10-11.
Mercer had unprecedented success in the qualification events for USRowing Youth National Championships next month in California, winning gold medals in five of nine qualifying events in which it competed. In total, Mercer earned nine bids for boats to compete at the National Championships by also earning three silver medals and one bronze medal.
The marquee events of the weekend were the men’s and women’s youth varsity 8 with coxswain. Mercer won gold in both events.
The men’s boat featured Finn Ludwig, Dan Gleim, (West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South); Sean Kelly (WW-P North); Aaron Goodman, Tom Walker, Elias Abilheira, Alex Levine (Princeton HS); Kevin Borup (South Brunswick HS); and coxswain Matt Perez (Robbinsville HS).
The women’s boat featured Rena White, Beatrice Sclapari, Caitlin Cleary (Princeton HS); Kate Hickey (Notre Dame HS); Kelly Fischer, Badia Shehab (Hopewell Valley Central HS); Haley Bork (Robbinsville HS); Alex Natale (The Hun School); and coxswain Noa Rothstein (Council Rock North HS).
The men’s youth lightweight 8 with coxswain won a gold medal. The team features Dylan Mann (Lawrence HS); Ron Haines (Hamilton High West); Mark Hayton, Ryan Bass (Hopewell Valley Central HS); Drew Hickey (Notre Dame HS); Dylan Reim (The Pennington School); Dylan Mortman (Montgomery HS), Griffin Petri and Nikhil Modi (WW-P South).
Women’s youth lightweight 4 with coxswain won a gold medal. The boat includes Catherine Keve (Princeton HS); Kate Sessa (Mount St. Mary HS); Kathryn Miller, Lauren Miller (Steinert HS); and coxswain Kate Edmondson (Westfield HS).
Two boats in the men’s youth varsity pair without coxswain received bids. Sean Kelly and Tom Walker won a gold medal while Finn Ludwig and Aaron Goodman won silver.
Two boats in the women’s youth varsity pair without coxswain received bids. Rachel Calabro (Robbinsville HS) and Kate Sessa won a silver medal while Madeline Day (WW-P North) and Badia Shehab won a bronze medal.
Women’s youth varsity 4 with coxswain won a silver medal and featured Rachel Calabro, Kate Sessa, Madeline Day, Rachel Mumau and Katarina Stough (Princeton HS).
Given the expense of traveling to California, not every Mercer boat that received a bid will compete at Youth Nationals next month. A subset of the Mercer rowers will now begin their hardest four weeks of training of the entire year, sometimes supplementing their usual after-school workouts with early morning practice sessions.
The USRowing Youth National Championships is scheduled for June 13-15 near Sacramento, Calif.
More information is online at rowpnra.org.
Mercer women’s varsity 8 with coxswain team pose at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals at Mercer Lake May 10-11, 2014. Pictured are Beatrice Sclapari (Princeton High School), Caitlin Cleary (Princeton HS), Badia Shehab (Hopewell Valley Central HS), Alex Natale (The Hun School), coxswain Noa Rothstein (Council Rock North HS), Haley Bork (Robbinsville HS), Kelly Fischer (Hopewell Valley Central HS), Kate Hickey (Notre Dame HS) and Rena White (Princeton HS).,
