Virginia Rowers Successful At U-23 World Championships
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CHARLOTTESVILLE – Seven members of the 2009 Virginia rowing team, including head coach Kevin Sauer, competed at the Under 23 World Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic, from July 23-26.
Rowing for the United States in the lightweight quad, Victoria Burke (Redding, Conn.) and Summers Nelson (Kansas City, Mo) won the silver medal in that event. Burke, a senior in 2009, rowed with UVa’s Varsity Eight, while Nelson, a junior, rowed with the Varsity Four.
Burke and Nelson’s quad was chasing Germany for the gold medal, but the German crew was able to capture first place with a time of 6:34.99. The United States won silver (6:37.04), holding off third-place Australia (6:37.74).
Helen Tompkins (Friendswood, Texas), who rowed in the Varsity Eight in 2009 and will be a senior next season, competed in the ‘B’ final of the women’s single at the regatta. With 400 meters gone, Tompkins was in sixth place in her race, but battled all the way up to be in first place with 500 meters left to row. She finished second in the race (eighth overall) to Poland (7:42.35), with a time of 7:43.42.
Lauren Hutchins, a captain and member of the 2009 Varsity Eight, represented Canada in the women’s eight at the championships. Hutchins is a native of North Vancouver, Canada. The Canadians finished fourth in that race (6:28.67) behind the Great Britain (6:20.71), the United States (6:21.80) and Poland (6:23.16).
Class of 2009 graduate, captain and All-American Amanda Chase (Woodbridge, Va.) rowed in the open quad, along with rising senior and fellow All-American Desiree Burns (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.). Sauer was the coach of that boat representing the United States. Both Burns and Chase were members of Virginia’s Varsity Eight that finished as the silver medalist at the 2009 NCAA Rowing Championships.
In the repechage, the United States trailed in the first 750 meters, but Chase and Burns’ boat had the fastest next 1,000 meters and had an edge on Romania for second place with 200 meters to go. The Italians ended up taking the race, with Romania coming in second, relegating the United States to the ‘B’ final. In that race, the crew finished third (6:50.29) behind Russia (6:43.20) and Australia (6:46.58). Romania went on to win the bronze medal in the ‘A’ final.
With six student-athletes competing at the Under-23 World Championships, Virginia had the most women participate from any collegiate program.
In addition to those rowers that competed at the Under 23 Championships, two incoming UVa freshmen, Kristine O’Brien (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) and Betsy Nilan (Milford, Conn.), will be in action at the Junior World Rowing Championships. That regatta is being held in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, from August 5-8.