Three More Crews With UW Alums On To Finals In Rio
August 11, 2016 | Men's Rowing
Washington rowers will vie for medals in two races Friday and two more Saturday.
A total of nine former Washington rowers will vie for medals at the 2016 Olympics Friday and Saturday as two Canadian and one American boat qualified for A finals Thursday morning in Rio.
Also Thursday, former Washington rowers Megan Kalmoe and Adrienne Martelli, competing in the United States women's quadruple sculls, finished fifth in their A final.
Kalmoe (class of 2006) and Martelli (2010) won a bronze medal in the same event at the 2012 Games in London and took the gold at the World Championships in 2015. Thursday, however, they were unable to reel in any of the top three boats as Poland led most of the way before Germany sprinted to the gold medal to sweep the men's and women's quads events.
The U.S. and Ukraine both settled behind the top three boats (the Netherlands, as well as Germany and Poland) early on and could never quite get back into medal contention. Poland had nearly reached an open-water lead over Germany before the Germans caught and passed the Poles in the final 300 meters. The Dutch also rallied, edging the Polish shell for the silver medal. Poland won bronze.
UW alumni will have a chance to earn medals in two finals on Friday (the women's lightweight double sculls and men's four) and two more on Saturday (the men's and women's eight). The U.S. women qualified directly for the finals with its dominant heat victory on Monday.
After wet, windy weather wiped out the entire rowing program for the second time this week on Wednesday, the rowers were back on Lagao Rodrigo de Freitas on Thursday.
The first race to feature a Husky was the women's lightweight double sculls, with top medal hope Patricia Obee '14 and her partner, Lindsay Jennerich, rowing for Canada.
Needing a top-three finish in semifinal two to advance to the Friday's A final, Obee and Jennerich trailed only the Netherlands at 1,000 meters and, at 1,500, they'd fallen into third behind Ireland. However, all three of those boats were comfortably in the three qualifying spots.
In the final 200 meters, the Canadians made their move to pass Ireland and challenge the Netherlands, earning a second-place finish behind the Dutch in a time of 7:16.350, also the second-best time of both semifinals.
The Canada men's four, including Will Crothers '09 and Conlin McCabe '11, also needed a top-three finish in its semi to move on to the A final and a shot at a medal. The two former Huskies, who won silver in the Canada eight in 2012, had their boat in second position behind Great Britain at 500 and 1,000 meters, stretching their advantage over the Netherlands in third as they rowed.
In the end, the Canadian boat held off a charge from the Dutch to maintain its second-place finish behind the Brits. Crothers and McCabe will row again Friday with a medal on the line.
Four Huskies – Sam Ojserkis '12, Sam Dommer '13, Rob Munn' 12 and Hans Struzyna '11 – took to the racecourse in the United States men's eight. The U.S. required only a top-four finish in the five-boat repechage to join Great Britain and Germany in Saturday's medal final.
The Americans went in front from the start, grabbing the lead out of the gates and crossing 500 meters just ahead of Poland. At 1,000 meters, the U.S. held about a six-seat lead over the Netherlands, with Poland having fallen to third.
With the Americans still leading at 1,500 meters, the matter of deciding the four qualifying boats had been essentially decided as Italy fell well behind the other four, but with the Dutch still challenging, the U.S. boat responded, winning the repechage and moving on to Saturday's medal race with a time of 5:51.130.
Saturday morning, a total of six Huskies will row in the two U.S. eights, as coxswain Katelin Snyder '11, Kerry Simmonds '09 and the U.S. women will try to earn the Americans' third straight Olympic gold medal in the eight. The women race at 7:04 a.m. PT and the men follow at 7:24 a.m.
"Knowing that they're behind us is huge," Munn, a Redmond High graduate, said of the support he and his teammates are feeling from Seattle. "We're going to do our best for everyone back home."
In the men's quad sculls B final Thursday, Rob Gibson '09 and Canada battled their way down the race course alongside Lithuania, staying neck-and-neck through the first 1,000 meters where, on the stroke that moved them past the midway point, the Canadians edged in front. At 1,500 meters, Switzerland moved a few feet in front for the lead and rowed to the win, with Canada coming second.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE FOR RACES INVOLVING UW ALUMNI:
Friday, 6:32 a.m. PT: Women's lightweight double sculls A final (Obee, Canada)
Friday, 7:24 a.m. PT: Men's four A final (Crothers, McCabe; Canada)
Saturday, 7:04 a.m. PT: Women's eight A final (Snyder, Simmonds; USA)
Saturday, 7:24 a.m. PT: Men's eight A final (Ojserkis, Struzyna, Munn, Dommer; USA)
Also Thursday, former Washington rowers Megan Kalmoe and Adrienne Martelli, competing in the United States women's quadruple sculls, finished fifth in their A final.
Kalmoe (class of 2006) and Martelli (2010) won a bronze medal in the same event at the 2012 Games in London and took the gold at the World Championships in 2015. Thursday, however, they were unable to reel in any of the top three boats as Poland led most of the way before Germany sprinted to the gold medal to sweep the men's and women's quads events.
The U.S. and Ukraine both settled behind the top three boats (the Netherlands, as well as Germany and Poland) early on and could never quite get back into medal contention. Poland had nearly reached an open-water lead over Germany before the Germans caught and passed the Poles in the final 300 meters. The Dutch also rallied, edging the Polish shell for the silver medal. Poland won bronze.
UW alumni will have a chance to earn medals in two finals on Friday (the women's lightweight double sculls and men's four) and two more on Saturday (the men's and women's eight). The U.S. women qualified directly for the finals with its dominant heat victory on Monday.
After wet, windy weather wiped out the entire rowing program for the second time this week on Wednesday, the rowers were back on Lagao Rodrigo de Freitas on Thursday.
The first race to feature a Husky was the women's lightweight double sculls, with top medal hope Patricia Obee '14 and her partner, Lindsay Jennerich, rowing for Canada.
Needing a top-three finish in semifinal two to advance to the Friday's A final, Obee and Jennerich trailed only the Netherlands at 1,000 meters and, at 1,500, they'd fallen into third behind Ireland. However, all three of those boats were comfortably in the three qualifying spots.
In the final 200 meters, the Canadians made their move to pass Ireland and challenge the Netherlands, earning a second-place finish behind the Dutch in a time of 7:16.350, also the second-best time of both semifinals.
The Canada men's four, including Will Crothers '09 and Conlin McCabe '11, also needed a top-three finish in its semi to move on to the A final and a shot at a medal. The two former Huskies, who won silver in the Canada eight in 2012, had their boat in second position behind Great Britain at 500 and 1,000 meters, stretching their advantage over the Netherlands in third as they rowed.
In the end, the Canadian boat held off a charge from the Dutch to maintain its second-place finish behind the Brits. Crothers and McCabe will row again Friday with a medal on the line.
Four Huskies – Sam Ojserkis '12, Sam Dommer '13, Rob Munn' 12 and Hans Struzyna '11 – took to the racecourse in the United States men's eight. The U.S. required only a top-four finish in the five-boat repechage to join Great Britain and Germany in Saturday's medal final.
The Americans went in front from the start, grabbing the lead out of the gates and crossing 500 meters just ahead of Poland. At 1,000 meters, the U.S. held about a six-seat lead over the Netherlands, with Poland having fallen to third.
With the Americans still leading at 1,500 meters, the matter of deciding the four qualifying boats had been essentially decided as Italy fell well behind the other four, but with the Dutch still challenging, the U.S. boat responded, winning the repechage and moving on to Saturday's medal race with a time of 5:51.130.
Saturday morning, a total of six Huskies will row in the two U.S. eights, as coxswain Katelin Snyder '11, Kerry Simmonds '09 and the U.S. women will try to earn the Americans' third straight Olympic gold medal in the eight. The women race at 7:04 a.m. PT and the men follow at 7:24 a.m.
"Knowing that they're behind us is huge," Munn, a Redmond High graduate, said of the support he and his teammates are feeling from Seattle. "We're going to do our best for everyone back home."
In the men's quad sculls B final Thursday, Rob Gibson '09 and Canada battled their way down the race course alongside Lithuania, staying neck-and-neck through the first 1,000 meters where, on the stroke that moved them past the midway point, the Canadians edged in front. At 1,500 meters, Switzerland moved a few feet in front for the lead and rowed to the win, with Canada coming second.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE FOR RACES INVOLVING UW ALUMNI:
Friday, 6:32 a.m. PT: Women's lightweight double sculls A final (Obee, Canada)
Friday, 7:24 a.m. PT: Men's four A final (Crothers, McCabe; Canada)
Saturday, 7:04 a.m. PT: Women's eight A final (Snyder, Simmonds; USA)
Saturday, 7:24 a.m. PT: Men's eight A final (Ojserkis, Struzyna, Munn, Dommer; USA)
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