For immediate release

June 13, 2019

West Windsor, NJ – The Mercer Youth Men’s 4 with coxswain (4+) finished second in the country at the USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida held June 6-9, 2019. PNRA/Mercer had impressive results over the course of the 4 day championship and tied for second among all programs, with six crews finishing in the top 10. A total of nine boats and 39 athletes competed in the national championship held at the Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida.

“Nationals was a great experience and getting second in the nation was something truly special” said senior co-captain Brady Stergion (Notre Dame High School). “It’s moments like these that remind me how much effort those around me have put into that race, this season, and Mercer. I feel truly blessed to have been able to compete at the national level.” The other members of the boat include senior coxswain AnneMarie Huber (Stuart Academy of the Sacred Heart), senior co-captain Jack Gallagher (Council Rock North), and juniors Leon Deng (Princeton High School) and Grant Smith (Montgomery High School). The crew finished in a blazing fast time of 6:21.15, less than three tenths of a second behind first place.

Head Varsity Boys Coach Jamie Hamp, who just completed his first year at the helm of the Mercer Boys program, was pleased with the performance of all the Mercer boats. “We had a really young team this spring and definitely had a lot of work to do to get to where we are now. There are some moments we wish we could have back, but overall the boys had a great weekend and raced hard across all levels against the top boats and teams in the country. Everyone learned something from the regatta and I’m excited to see what these guys can do in the coming years.”

The Youth Women’s 8+ had a great regatta, winning both the time trial and their semi-final to race in the A Final. In one of the closest finishes of the event, they placed 4^th in a time of 6:28.071 which was a mere .016 seconds behind the bronze medal boat. “Nationals was such an amazing experience this year,” said senior coxswain Helena Wolk (Princeton High School). “We had tight racing at the end, and while having such a close finish is disappointing when you don’t medal by .016 seconds, it was an awesome race and I know all 9 of us put it all out on the course. The entire girls’ team showed how deep the Mercer girls are and I’m so proud of how every boat placed.” In addition to Wolk, the lineup included junior Sophia Craver (Princeton High School), senior Sylvie Tuder (Princeton High School), junior Erin Heyeck (Pennington School), senior Catherine Dyevich (Princeton High School), senior Morgan Linsley (Princeton High School), senior Logan Sudholz (Pennridge High School), senior Caroline Gibson (Princeton High School), and junior Ava Wisnowski (Northern Burlington).

Matt Carlsen, in his third year as Head Coach of the Mercer Varsity Girls, was very pleased with the results from the season culminating national championship. “One of the goals for this year was to have one of the deepest teams in the country and I think after seeing our results from this past weekend, we achieved that goal.  We were the only girls team to send five boats, and all five of those boats finished within the top 20 nationally and that was with nobody double racing.  We would not have had the results we did this past weekend without all 46 varsity girls believing in what our end goals were and pushing each other every day from the start of the fall season to the end of spring season.  We also would not have been able to become the racers that we all saw over the weekend if we didn’t race the boy’s boats over the past few weeks. If we continue the momentum that we have built over the past year into next year, we will have another amazing year.”

PNRA/Mercer had two Youth Men’s pairs (2-) competing. Sophomores Andrew Griesinger (Princeton Day School) and Julian Thomas (Pennington School) placed second in the B Final for 8^th in the country just ahead of teammates senior Spencer Stengle (Princeton High School) and junior John Mongelli (Hunterdon Central) who finished 10^th. Griesinger and Thomas also doubled into the Youth Men’s 8+.

The Youth Women’s Lightweight 4+ placed 8^th in the country with junior coxswain Emma Dziedzic (Robbinsville High School), senior Chloe Couillens (Hopewell Valley Central High), junior Riddhi Singh (Stanford Online High School), junior Cara Barkenbush (West Windsor-Plainsboro South), and junior Natalie Verlinde (Princeton High School).

The Youth Women’s 2- earned 9^th place in the nation with sophomore Riley Cooper (Hunterdon Central High School) and junior Elyse Szych (North Hunterdon High School).

In the Youth Women’s 4+, the combination of junior coxswain Sunny Hu (Stuart Country Day School), senior co-captains Sarah Closser (Princeton High School) and Jacqueline Armetta (Villa Joseph Marie High School), junior Kristen Harkins (Notre Dame High School) and sophomore Eva Wojnovich (Council Rock North) placed 12^th in the nation.

PNRA/Mercer raced the Youth Women’s Lightweight Double (2x) which is the first sculling boat the program has ever qualified for the Youth National Championship. The duo of juniors Eveline Enthoven (Princeton High School) and Abigail McAleer (Council Rock North) finished 4^th in the C Final putting them 16^th in the nation in that event.

The Youth Men’s 8 with coxswain (8+) placed 24^th overall in a very deep field of competition. The boat included sophomore coxswain Kyle Rutter (West Windsor-Plainsboro South), sophomores Andrew Griesinger, Julian Thomas, Joseph DiRusso (Notre Dame High School), George Drago (Notre Dame High School), Thomas Closser (Princeton High School), Theodore Schneider (Pennsbury High School), Matthew Bigga (Montgomery High School), and senior Brian Radvany (Princeton Day School).

The Mercer junior summer program begins June 24 which is when the novice summer camps kick off as well. To learn more about rowing opportunities with the Mercer Juniors, please visit www.rowpnra.org.

May 21, 2019
West Windsor, NJ

Princeton National Rowing Association’s Mercer Junior Rowing qualified nine boats, including the first ever sculling boat, for the USRowing Youth National Championships. The teams walked away with plenty of hardware also winning Boys Novice 4+ and 8+, Girls Novice 8+, and Girls 2nd Varsity 4+ at the May 11-12 Mid-Atlantic Youth Regional Championships. The Mother’s Day weekend regatta on Mercer Lake marked the last home race for the 2019 spring season. The weather shortened event drew 56 teams from seven states competing in 36 events. The USRowing Youth National Championships, which will take place June 6-9, 2019 in Sarasota, Florida.

Mercer Varsity Girls’ Head Coach Matt Carlsen stated “All year I have been saying how I wanted to have our team as one of the deepest teams in the country. It has been a truly competitive season and our results at the regional championships show that the girls bought into that concept and went above and beyond the call of duty. Qualifying 5 boats on the girls’ side is truly remarkable, and this is our first sculling boat that has ever qualified from Mercer!”

On the boys’ side, the team qualified double the number of seats from last year and is looking to improve and continue building on a bronze medal in the 4+ at Nationals last year. “It’s a really young team – over half the team is sophomores – and to qualify as many boats as we did and have such solid results really speaks to the type of program and culture we’re trying to build here,” said Mercer Varsity Boys’ Head Coach Jamie Hamp. “I’m excited for Florida in a few weeks.”

The Mercer Junior Rowing Program provides opportunities for area high school students to participate in rowing. This Spring 2019 Mercer Junior Rowing is comprised of 153 athletes from 35 area schools. The 34 athletes who qualified the following boats for the USRowing Youth National Championships represent the following high schools:

Women’s Varsity 8+
C: Helena Wolk- Princeton HS
8: Sophie Craver-Princeton HS
7: Sylvie Tuder-Princeton HS
6: Erin Heyeck-The Pennington School
5: Morgan Linsley-Princeton HS
4: Logan Sudholz-Pennridge HS
3: Catherine Dyevich-Princeton HS
2: Caroline Gibson-Princeton HS
1: Ava Wisnoski-Northern Burlington HS
Women’s 2-
2: Riley Cooper-Hunterdon Central Regional HS
1: Elyse Szych-N Hunterdon HS
Women’s Varsity 4+
C: Sunny Hu – Stuart School
4: Kristen Harkins-Notre Dame HS
3: Eva Wojnovich-Council Rock HS North
2: Sarah Closser-Princeton HS
1: Jacqueline Armetta-Villa Joseph Marie HS
Women’s Lightweight 4+
C: Emma Dziedzic-Robbinsville HS
4: Chloe Couillens-Hopewell Valley Central HS
3: Riddhi Singh-Stanford Online HS
2: Cara Barkenbush-West Windsor Plainsboro HSS
1: Natalie Verlinde-Princeton HS
Women’s Lightweight 2x
2. Eveline Enthoven-Princeton HS
1. Abigail McAleer- Council Rock HS North

Men’s 8+
C: AnneMarie Huber-Stuart School
8: Jack Gallagher-Council Rock HS North
7: Brady Stergion-Notre Dame HS
6: Leon Deng-Princeton HS
5: Julian Thomas-The Pennington School
4: Joseph DiRusso-Notre Dame HS
3: Brian Radvany-Princeton Day School
2: Grant Smith-Montgomery HS
1: Andrew Griesinger-Princeton Day School

Men’s 4+
C: AnneMarie Huber – Stuart School
4: Jack Gallagher-Council Rock HS North
3: Grant Smith-Montgomery HS
2: Leon Deng-Princeton HS
1: Brady Stergion-Notre Dame HS

Men’s A 2-
2: Andrew Griesinger – Princeton Day School
1: Julian Thomas – The Pennington School

Men’s B2-
2: Spencer Stengle- Princeton HS
1: Thomas Closser – Princeton HS

About the Princeton National Rowing Association
The Princeton National Rowing Association, a 501(c)3 organization, operates the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center located on the shores of Mercer Lake, Mercer County Park in West Windsor, New Jersey. The Princeton National Rowing Association is dedicated to operating a world-class training site for our nation’s elite athletes, providing opportunities for area youth to excel in the sport of rowing and to expand rowing in the area through community-based programs. PNRA runs the Mercer Junior Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for youth from over 35+ area schools and the Mercer Masters Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for adults. In addition, PNRA offers the Rowing Is Growing Outreach program to economically-disadvantaged students in Mercer County. The center is a home to the USRowing National and Olympic Teams, as well as rowing clubs and schools.
For more information, contact Kristopher Grudt, tel: 609-799-7100 x100, krisgrudt@rowpnra.org or visit www.rowpnra.org.

This past weekend, the Mercer Junior Rowing program took to the road and traveled to the Saratoga Invite. All in all, there were 75 athletes, 6 parent chaperones and 4 coaches who represented Mercer. The typical spring weather in Saratoga Springs, NY produced chilly and windy conditions on Saturday that resulted in changes to the race schedule. Read below for more details on each squad’s races:

Varsity Boys
The Varsity boys had a very successful weekend up at the Saratoga Springs Invitational and there was great racing across all levels, despite some challenges with the weather and schedule! On Saturday, the Varsity 8 got 2^nd in the only 1500m race for Mercer that day. Soon after, all racing was moved to 1000m, and the 2V and 3V both raced in rough and windy conditions. The 2V came just short of beating Greenwich and got 3^rd, while the 3V got 6^th. Soon after the rest of the racing was cancelled for the day due to weather.

On Sunday, the boys again raced the 8s in the morning, with all 3 boats being in the Champ final. The Varsity and 2V both placed 3^rd overall, only losing to Row America Rye and CRI, while the 3V again placed 6^th. In the afternoon, the 1V4 placed 3^rd, while the 2V4s placed 1^st and 2^nd and the 3V4 placed 3^rd. The lightweight 4 placed 8^th in a tough race in the Champ final. Overall, the team raced hard and had a very successful weekend, with many returning with multiple medals! The team now turns its attention to Mid-Atlantics held right here on Mercer Lake May 11-12.

Varsity Girls
Saturday was a DOOZY of a day.  We were able to get in three 1000m races before the weather cancelled the rest of the day.  The girls that did not race on Saturday got a solid workout in at the hotel to stay loose for Sunday’s finals.  On Sunday we were able to see how truly deep we are against some of the best teams in the country.  The results were very good across the board and every girl came home with at least one medal. We will continue to stay hungry and work hard to qualify boats for the Youth National Championships.

Saturday Results:
1st Varsity 4+ B- 3rd
1st Varsity 4+ A- 2nd
LTWT 4+ – 2nd

Sunday Results:
3rd Varsity 4+ A- 1st
3rd Varsity 4+ B- 1st
LTWT 4+ – 1st
2nd Varsity 4+ – 2nd
1st Varsity 4+ – 4th
1st Varsity 8+ – 3rd
2nd Varsity 8+ – 1st
3rd Varsity 8+ – 1st

Novice Boys
On Saturday, the novice boys were scheduled for the first flight of the Men’s Frosh/Novice Eight. When they arrived at the line, there was an abrupt change and they were forced to race in the second flight. Instead of getting flustered and letting the situation get the better of them, they dug in and won their first race of the weekend.

The following day, the novice boys were scheduled to race in the Men’s Novice Eight and afterwards split up the eight and race two fours in the Men’s Frosh/Novice four. Thankfully, both Sunday races were uneventful and they raced where they were supposed to. In the eight, our guys put up a good fight and pulled a third place. To wrap up the weekend, the guys raced two fours. Despite relative inexperience in the fours, they were both able to win their flights and receive their third medals of the weekend.

Novice Girls
While the novice girls were disappointed not to be able to race in the combined Freshman/Novice 8+ event on Saturday, they had a successful day on Sunday, each person returning home with at least one medal. They raced two Novice 4+s, one of which won their flight, as well as the 8+ in the Novice 8+ event (in which they placed second behind Greenwich, losing by half of the margin that they lost by at the scrimmage a couple weeks ago.) Other highlights included seeing Avengers: Endgame, some very large fluffy dogs, and a miniature horse (see photos below).

Mercer Junior Jack Gallagher has been invited to attend the USRowing Under-23 National Team Lightweight Selection Camp in Princeton, NJ this summer.  The camp will select the Lightweight 4x to represent the USA at the Under-23 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida, in July this year.  The Camp will also explore options to race in the Under-23 National Team Trials for the Lightweight 2x, 2- and 1x.  The Trials will be held on Mercer Lake in early July.

http://www.usrowing.org/news/2019/04/11/usrowing-names-2019-under-23-selection-camp-invitees/

This past Saturday, April 6, the Mercer Juniors competed in the Steve Neczypor Regatta on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, NJ. The highlight of the day include winning the Overall Team Points! Below is a recap from Head Varsity Boys Coach Jamie Hamp and Head Varsity Girls Coach Matt Carlsen.

Mercer Boys
The Varsity and novice boys all officially opened their seasons this past Saturday at the Steve Neczypor Regatta in Cherry Hill, NJ. After a few early morning showers, the sun came out and there was little to no wind for most of the day, making for a great day of racing! Thanks to all the parents who contributed food and helped make this day a success for all the Mercer teams!

The novice boys had a great first race for many of the rowers, as the 1^st Novice 8 won its flight and the overall event, recording the fastest time of the day in the process. The 2^nd novice 8 got 4^th in their race with many first season novices.

The varsity boys raced tough from top to bottom and displayed the depth and fitness the team has been building this winter. The Lightweight 4+ placed 3^rd in the final, just a second from 2^nd, and the Varsity 4+ got silver in a tough race with Christian Brothers Academy. The team swept the three JV 4+ flights and had 3 of the 4 fastest times in the event, as well as the fastest time in the JV 8+, earning another overall event win. The 3^rd varsity 8 had a great race and finished 3^rd in their flight. In the last race of the day, the Varsity 8+ pulled out a hard fought win over Mountain Lakes, giving them their 3^rd event win for the day. The boys came in second for the men’s points trophy and helped win the overall team points trophy with the Mercer girls successful day.

Mercer Girls
You never know what to expect in the first race of the Spring season, and this weekend was definitely a good starting point for our Spring season. We definitely showed our depth, and I am looking forward to finding more speed before our next races. The Varsity 8+ won their first race in the new boat – the Sean T. McCourt. We will be having a boat christening ceremony later this summer, stay tuned for more details on that.

Here are full results for the girls:

Women’s Novice 8+ 3rd in Flight 1
Women’s Novice 8+ 3rd in Flight 3
Women’s Novice 4+ 2nd in Flight 1
Women’s JV 4+ 1st place in flight 1 (fastest time of the day)- Winner of the Robin Jones Trophy
Women’s JV 4+ 1st place in flight 2
Women’s LTWT 4+ 1st place in Grand Final- Winner of the Cindy Sands Trophy
Women’s Varsity 4+ 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th in Grand Final- Winner of the Mike and Gabi Cipollone Trophy
Women’s JV 8+ 1st in Flight 2- Winner of the Margie Skinner Trophy
Women’s JV 8+ 4th in Flight 1
Women’s Varsity 8+ 1st, 2nd, 4th in Grand Final- Winner of the Leonard Insurance Group Trophy

Go Mercer!

http://www.usrowing.org/news/2018/10/22/usrowing-training-center-crews-fare-well-at-the-head-of-the-charles-regatta/

USRowing announced today that PNRA has been named the USRowing 2018 Club of the Year!!

http://www.usrowing.org/news/2018/10/19/usrowing-announces-pnra-as-2018-club-of-the-year/

USRowing has announced their 2018-2019 Scholastic Honor Roll.  Mercer Junior rower Sylvie Tuder was named to the list.  Congratulations Sylvie!

USRowing Announces 2018-2019 Scholastic Honor Roll

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

The Caspersen Rowing Center came alive on Wednesday afternoon with some friendly, intra-boathouse competition among the different high school crews that train here. The Lawrenceville School, Hun School, Peddie School and Mercer Junior Rowing all took part in two co-ed events, each a 4.6K ‘round the lake’ timed race in two boat classes. The first group to go off was the 4+ (coxed 4s), 4X (quads), and  event. Next the teams seated 8s for the same trip. 

The weather cooperated and the Mercer Lake Challenge gave the crews a chance to test their speed as the Fall Head racing season gets underway.

Next up on Mercer Lake will be the Small Boat Challenge on October 6^th & 7^th , 2018.  The Mercer Juniors and Mercer Masters will compete at the Head of the Housatonic in Derby CT on October 6,^, 2018.

2018 Mercer Lake Challenge Results

            Men’s 8+ – 4:30pm                                         

Place    Bow                               Team                          Final Time
1           1                                     Mercer “A”                     16:11.3
2           3                                     Lawrenceville “A”                   16:48.1
3           4                                     Hun                                 16:58.3
4           5                                     Mecer “B”                       17:03.1
5           2                                     Peddie “A”                      17:07.6
6           7                                     Lawrenceville “B”                   17:46.1
7           6                                     Peddie “B”                      18:39.0
8           9                                     Peddie “C”                      19:17.1
9           8                                     Mercer “C”                     20:19.0            

            Women’s 8+ – 4:35pm        

Place    Bow                               Team                          Final Time
1           12                                   Mercer “A”        4+             18:05.4
2           14                                   Mercer “B”        4+             18:35.0
3           15                                   Mercer “C”        4+             19:26.9
4           16                                   Mercer “D”        4+             19:42.1
5           13                                   Lawrenceville    4+             20:26.1
1           17                                   Peddie “A”         4x             19:21.0
2           18                                   Hun                    4x             19:46.3
3           19                                   Peddie “B”         4x             20:09.2
4           20                                   Peddie “C”         4x             24:34.9
3           23                                   Hun “C”              2x             23:35.0
1           21                                   Hun “A”              2x             23:59.0
2           22                                   Hun “B”              2x             26:58.6
             24                                   Hun “D”             2x    DNS

             Men’s 8+ – 5:10pm                                         

Place    Bow                               Team                          Final Time
1           27                                   Mercer “A”                     15:22.5
2           29                                   Lawrenceville “A”                   16:03.4
3           31                                   Mercer “B”                     16:28.0
4           30                                   Hun                                 16:44.5
5           28                                   Peddie “A”                      17:05.2
6           33                                   Mercer “C”                     17:31.9
7           32                                   Peddie “B”                      19:03.0
8           34                                   Mercer “D”                     20:12.5

             Women’s 8+ -5:20pm                                    

Place    Bow                               Team                          Final Time
1           35                                   Mercer “A”                     16:41.6
2           37                                   Mercer “B”                     17:11.2
3           38                                   Mercer “C”                     18:24.0
4           39                                   Mercer “D”                     19:27.4
5           36                                   Peddie                             20:17.2

USRowing will sponsor its National Learn to Row Day on June 2 but due to a conflict at the Mercer Lake venue with the IRA Championships, PNRA will host a Learn to Row event on Saturday, June 9, 2018. Led by Mercer Masters rowers, you will be introduced to the sport of rowing, including a tour of the boathouse facilities, learning the basics of the stroke on the indoor rowing machines (ergometers) and finally, getting out on the water to take some strokes in a boat!

Click here to register.

Due to the forecasted winter storm, all practices scheduled for Wednesday March 7, 2018 are cancelled.

Mercer Junior Varsity Athletes are asked to check with their team captains for alternative workouts.

Additionally, the Caspersen Rowing Center will be closed on Wednesday, March 7, 2018.

October 13, 2017

The Mercer Juniors and Masters competed at the Head of the Housatonic Regatta this on Saturday, October 7, 2017. The crews raced in ideal conditions on the 4.5 mile course at Indian Well State Park in Shelton, Connecticut, and all of the Mercer crews had strong showings.

The Mercer Junior Girls, coached by Matt Carlsen, sent three varsity boats to Connecticut. Their first varsity crew of 8 competed in the 8+ Junior 1V women’s division. Rowers Katryna Niva, Sarah Closser, Elyssa Aronson, Emmanuelle Adamson, Bridget Parker, Kieran Wild, Mia Barkenbush, Sara Hansen and coxswain Maddie Peel finished the course in 14:19.4. Their time earned them a 4th place finish out of 18 boats.

The Mercer Junior Girls had two boats competing in the 8+ Junior 2V division. Their second varsity boat, coxed by Lauren Preston, consisted of rowers Sophie Craver, Julia Berdzik, Catie Vinch-Buck, Morgan Linsley, Jaqueline Armetta, Erin Dobbs, Chloe Couillens, and Eveline Enthoven. Their time of 14:54.7 earned them an impressive first place finish in a field of 20 boats. Following closely behind them was the Mercer Junior Girls’ third varsity boat, who finished in second place with a time of 15:05.2. Rowers Sylvie Tudor, Catherine Dyevich, Caroline Gibson, Erin Heyeck, Kristin Harkins, Olivia Andersen, Maheera Bawa, and Nathalie Verlinde, along with coxswain Helena Wolk, proved that talent runs deep for the Mercer Junior Girls.

The Mercer Junior Boys, coached by Justin Ochal, brought two varsity boats with them to Shelton. Rowers Dana Gajewski, Leon Dang, Evan Kinter, Jack Gallagher, Eli Kalfaian, Herbert De Cokere, Brady Stergion, and Pavel Zhelnin were coxed by Annie Huber in the 8+ Junior 1V Men’s Division. Their time of 13:27.6 earned them a 6th place finish out of a field of 24. The Mercer Junior Boys’ second varsity boat, rowing in the 8+ Junior 2V Men’s Division, finished in the top half of the field in 11th place. Coxswain Lauren Glogoff and rowers Chase Panfili, Andrei Dumitriu, Alex Brodowski, Brian Radvany, Aiden Sarafin, Alex Fradkin, Grant Smith, and John Mongelli finished the course in 14:59.7.

The Mercer Masters, also coached by Matt Carlsen, joined their junior counterparts at the Head of the Housatonic. The Masters Women’s 8+, coxed by Annie Huber, consisted of rowers Kristin Appleget, Sharon Waters, Rebecca Findlay, Terri Gruber McDonough, Cheryl Baldino, Ellen Tormey, Natasha Gajewski, and Cassandra Cohen. They placed 5th out of 9 boats with their time of 15:59.0. The Masters Women’s 4+ was coxed by Lauren Preston. Rowers Kristin Appleget, Cassandra Cohen, Rebecca Findlay, Terri Gruber McDonough finished the course in 18:07.2 to finish 12th out of 14 boats.

The Mercer Masters Men’s 4+, coxed by Maddie Peel, included rowers Miles Truesdell, David Potts, Michael Vaccaro, and Charles Gilbert. Their time of 16:39.0 earned them an 11th place finish in a field of 13.
The top Mercer Junior Rowing Program and Masters crews are now looking ahead to the Head of the Charles Regatta on October 21 and 22. This elite regatta attracts thousands of rowers to Boston each year, and the Mercer rowers are looking forward to proving themselves on the Charles River.

About the Princeton National Rowing Association

The Princeton National Rowing Association, a 501(c)3 organization, operates the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center located on the shores of Mercer Lake, Mercer County Park in West Windsor, New Jersey. The Princeton National Rowing Association is dedicated to operating a world-class training site for our nation’s elite athletes, providing opportunities for area youth to excel in the sport of rowing and to expand rowing in the area through community-based programs. PNRA runs the Mercer Junior Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for youth from over 30 area schools and the Mercer Masters Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for adults. The center is a home to the USRowing National and Olympic Teams, as well as rowing clubs and schools.

For more information, contact Kristopher Grudt, tel: 609-977-1094, krisgrudt@rowpnra.org or visit www.rowpnra.org.

July 11, 2017

West Windsor, NJ – Daniel Stoddard (West Windsor, NJ) and Andrew Hickey (Yardley, PA) have one more competition before they leave junior rowing behind them and join the ranks of collegiate rowers, and it will be the most significant.  Stoddard and Hickey will compete as part of the U.S. Junior National team at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Trakai, Lithuania on August 2-6.  The duo qualified for the team by winning the un-coxed pair event at the Under 19 World Championship Trials at Mercer Lake on June 29.

“It will be an honor to represent the United States in international competition,” said Hickey.  “I can’t wait for the moment at the starting line when we hear the referee announce our boat as ‘U.S.A’,” he added.

Stoddard and Hickey served as senior co-captains for the Princeton National Rowing Association’s Mercer Rowing Club this spring and competed in the varsity eight with coxswain event at the 2017 Youth National Championships.

“We feel like the pair is our best event,” said Stoddard.  “We have been good friends since we started rowing five years ago.  We communicate well, which is really important in a pair” he added. The pair, also referred to as the 2-, is the most challenging boat for rowers to learn to row because the rowers must handle the tasks of steering and communicating the stroke rate which are the coxswain’s responsibility in most other boats.  One rower, Stoddard, steers the boat with a foot apparatus, and the other rower, Hickey, calls out adjustments to the stroke rate.  The rowers don’t have the benefit of facing in the direction the boat is travelling, as a coxswain would.

Stoddard and Hickey will be accompanied to the World Rowing Junior Championships by their coach, Justin Ochal, who has coached them for the past three years as varsity boys coach at PNRA/Mercer. 

“Coach deserves a lot of the credit for getting us to this point,” said Stoddard.  “Over the years, he has worked with us on technique and conditioning but also has taught us a lot about the mental part of rowing,” added Stoddard.

“Coach always finds opportunities to give us lessons on character, teamwork, and commitment,” commented Hickey. “He really cares about the guys he coaches,” he added.

The pair will continue training at Mercer Lake until they depart for Lithuania.  They are fundraising to help cover the costs associated with competing at a world championship.  More information is available at www.nrf.rallyme.com/rallies/8073. 

Other PNRA/Mercer junior rowers have seen success in competition this summer as well.  Emmanuelle Adamson (Princeton, NJ) and Eli Kalfaian (Millstone, NJ) were invited to be part of the U.S. Junior National Development Team and competed in CanAmMex events at Elk Lake in British Columbia, Canada this past weekend.  Adamson rowed in the girls’ varsity eight with coxswain boat which took first place.  Kalfaian rowed in the boys’ varsity eight with coxswain which also took first place.  Adamson and Kalfaian will return to PNRA/Mercer in the fall and serve as co-captains for the team. 

About the Princeton National Rowing Association 

The Princeton National Rowing Association, a 501c3 organization, operates the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center located on the shores of Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey.  The Princeton National Rowing Association is dedicated to operating a world-class training site for our nation’s elite athletes, providing opportunities for area youth to excel in the sport of rowing and to expand rowing in the greater Mercer County area through community based programs.  The Mercer Junior Rowing Program provides rowing opportunities for the youth from over 25 Mercer County area high schools. The center is a home to the USRowing National and Olympic Teams, as well as rowing clubs and schools, including the Hun School, Lawrenceville School and Peddie School. PNRA received generous support from JLRacing, Holiday Inn and Residence Inn by Marriott. 

For more information, contact Kristopher Grudt, tel: 609-977-1094, krisgrudt@rowpnra.org or visit www.rowpnra.org.

March 1, 2017

West Windsor, NJ – The first annual Mercer Indoor Row for the Cure took place on Sunday, February 26, 2017 at Peddie School’s Ian H. Graham ’50 Athletic Center. This is the only indoor Row for the Cure competition in the country. All proceeds from this event will go to breast cancer research supported by the Central and South Jersey Affiliate of Susan G. Komen located in Lawrenceville, NJ.

There were a total of 99 entries over 7 events including competitors from PNRA/Mercer, Peddie School, Navesink Rowing, Haddonfield, and Carnegie Lake Rowing. Winners of each event received a pink hammer. The Varsity Junior Women and Varsity Junior Men had the most entries with 32 and 26 competitors respectively. PNRA/Mercer Junior Emmanuelle Adamson won the 2000 meter race in a time of 7:15.3. Leila Shehab and Mia Barkenbush both of PNRA/Mercer placed 2^nd and 3^rd. In the Varsity Junior Men’s event, PNRA/Mercer rower Carter Levine won in a time of 6:10.3 followed by teammates Eli Kalfaian in 2^nd place and Chris Silva in 3^rd place.

The Novice Junior events raced 1000 meters and PNRA/Mercer rower Sylvie Tuder won the Girls event in 3:53.6 with teammates Michele Granozio and Anna O’Neill placing 2^nd and 3^rd. For the Novice Boys, PNRA/Mercer rower Jake Bouldin won the 1000 meter race in 3:22.1 with Nick Cushman in 2^nd and Will Griesinger in 3^rd also from PNRA/Mercer. There were 4 competitors from the Trenton 9^th Grade Academy Winter Erg Team. Ulises Quiñonez finished 14^th out of 17 in the Novice Boys event. Marshella Thomas finished in 6^th place out of 12 in the Novice Girls event with Trenton teammates Alisheh Mott and Rachel Marshall competing as well.

The Coxswain event was also a 1000 meter race with three PNRA/Mercer coxswains fighting for the title and the pink hammer. Kate Takacs came from behind to win in a time of 4:28.8 with Caroline Galati a close second and Kira Sung in 3^rd.

There were two competitors in the Masters Men event – Steven Schultz of Carnegie Lake Rowing Association who won the race, and John McClatchy from PNRA/Mercer placing 2^nd.

PNRA would like to thank Peddie School for serving as the host venue, as well as USRowing, RegattaCentral, Row2K, Concept2, Row for the Cure, and the Central and South Jersey Susan G. Komen.

About the Princeton National Rowing Association

The Princeton National Rowing Association, a 501(c)3 organization, operates the Finn M.W. Caspersen Rowing Center located on the shores of Mercer Lake, Mercer County Park in West Windsor, New Jersey.  The Princeton National Rowing Association is dedicated to operating a world-class training site for our nation’s elite athletes, providing opportunities for area youth to excel in the sport of rowing and to expand rowing in the area through community-based programs.  PNRA runs the Mercer Junior Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for youth from over 30 area schools and the Mercer Masters Rowing Program which provides rowing opportunities for adults.  The center is a home to the USRowing National and Olympic Teams, as well as rowing clubs and schools. PNRA received generous support from Killarney’s Publick House, JLRacing, Bai, Holiday Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, and Residence Inn by Marriott.

For more information, contact Kristopher Grudt, tel: 609-977-1094, krisgrudt@rowpnra.org or visit www.rowpnra.org.