Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Reelick Repeats Gold In US W8+ To Highlight Tiger Week At U-23 Worlds
July 26, 2015 | Women's Rowing - Open
| HIGHLIGHTS: |
| • Erin Reelick wins second straight gold in USA W8+ |
| • Open V8 teammates Meghan Wheeler, Georgie Howe both make A finals |
| • V8 teammate Mary Ann McNulty earns Top 10 finish in single sculls |
| • Men's rowers James Goble (lights) and Tom George (heavies) reach A finals |
| • James Sincavage (lights) caps victorious summer with win in non-medal final |
It was another golden summer for Erin Reelick, who led a group of seven Princeton rowers to the U-23 World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Reelick repeated as a gold medalist in the US W8+, while four other Princeton rowers competed in their respective A finals.
Reelick, who won gold in both the eight and the four during the 2014 U-23 World Championships, returned to the eight and found a terrific challenge from both the Russian and British boats. The Russians actually held a lead after the 500-meter mark, but the Americans held a lead at the midway point and never trailed the rest of the way. They repeated as gold medalists in 6:19.49, more than 2.5 seconds faster than the Russians.
“I was very pleased with our response to the Russians in the middle of the race,” Reelick said. “Something we learned from the exhibition race was that we are definitely a crew that works to push the middle thousand, so we had some confidence being in the pack through the 500, knowing that once we crossed the 1000m mark, we would go.”
“Looking back on last year and having the opportunity to return and win another gold medal is just another unforgettable memory,” she added. “I'm so proud of all the women's selection camp boats this year. The quad had its best finish since 2007 and the pair and four dominated. I think what made this regatta most memorable was the success that everyone had and being able to share the experience together.”
Three of Reelick's teammates within the Princeton varsity eight this season also competed, including classmate Meghan Wheeler. She returned to the quad, which finished ninth last season, and helped the boat to a strong fourth-place finish. The Americans were in last early, but pushed past both Greece and Germany for its best finish in nearly a decade.
“Moving from last year to this year, ending up in fourth place is an incredibly satisfying finish,” Wheeler said. “We worked hard the past month to make sure that we could improve the quad's position from last year, and not just making the A final this year but coming so close to the medal stand was really exciting and rewarding. While coming in fourth is bittersweet, we are really proud of our effort and the improvement we made in the quad's finish.
“After spending two summers in the quad, I feel really connected to the event,” she added. “Moving from a ninth place finish last year to fourth this year, I cannot wait to see how things will turn out in the next few years for the quad. The whole U23 experience, from the start of selection camp to racing at Worlds, is amazing and teaches you a lot about how you function as an individual athlete. Racing at Worlds is an invaluable experience, it reminds you why you row and shows you the opportunities that can be achieved through rowing.”
Another member of the Princeton boat, rising junior Georgie Howe, helped the Australian four to a fourth-place finish in their A final. The boat faced some early struggles with wind, but they battled back to a finish in 6:57.97; the time was about one second off the medal stand.
“The race did not go as we had planned,” Howe said. “We are a very internally focused crew, but a swirl of wind blew us off course just as the starter called 'Attention', and at World level, a hand to signify not being ready means nothing. So we were off course from the first stroke, struggled to get our line straight, but once we did hit our line 750m to go, we didn't give up and laid down the fastest last 500m of the race to only just miss out on bronze. Our goal was a gold medal, and to have one of our more average rows in the final is heartbreaking.
“U23 World Championships is one of the most unpredictable and awesome events in the World calendar,” she added. “I guess you could say I love this event, so much heart and work goes into it over a very short five-week period. What makes it special also is the sheer amount of Tigers cheering for one and other despite identifying with different countries.”
The fourth member of the Tiger varsity eight to compete at the U-23 Worlds is rising senior Mary Ann McNulty, who competed in the difficult single sculls and still managed a Top-10 finish. McNulty, who earned her spot by winning the single sculls event at the U-23 National Team Trials on Mercer Lake, was outside the Top 10 at the 1000-meter mark, but she moved past Diana Serebrianska of the Ukraine to finish fourth in the B final in 7:55.37.
"Rowing the single is a love/hate event for me because the part of rowing I like best is to row down the course surrounded by my teammates," McNulty said. "When I'm in a single, it can be a little isolating out on the water. The great part about the single, though, is that I can make a technical change that brings my split down, and it rewards good rowing habits, whereas, on the erg, sometimes I can be so split-oriented that it reinforces bad rowing habits.
"I definitely grew as a racer over the course of the week. I can visualize international racing as much as I want, but there's nothing like actually experiencing it."
Three men were also in competition, including a pair of lightweights. Rising sophomore James Goble reached the A final in the pair for Great Britain and finished fifth overall in 6:57.81. The A field was tightly packed among the top five boats, with gold medalist Italy beating the fifth-place British by less than five seconds.
"For me it was the first time racing at the U23s and for the National team," Goble said. "As an experience it was awesome to see how you stack up against boats from all over the world and to have the opportunity to race at such a high level. Heading back to Princeton this fall I hope I can bring some of what I learned from the racing back to the 'Tyga-Lightz' and give something back to the team. I had some sterling upperclassmen to show me the ropes here last year so hopefully this experience can help me do the same for the new guys this year.
"And, Go Tigers."
Classmate James Sincavage competed in the double sculls, and he and teammate Austin Velte won the E final in 6:49.31. It was one of numerous victories this summer for Sincavage; he and Velte won the lightweight double sculls final, and they followed that up by winning the US Elite Nationals lightweight double sculls title.
"Representing the USA was a great honor and competing with the best in the world was both exciting and humbling," Sincavage said. "I've gained a new understanding of what it takes to improve and excell in rowing."
The lone heavyweight in competition was rising sophomore Tom George, who reached the A final for Great Britain in the pair and finished fourth in 6:30.80. His boat pushed Serbia for the final spot on the medal stand throughout the race, and it held off Germany for the top-four finish.
"Our final was a great row with really quick times," George said. "So I can't really complain on that front. Three hundred meters out we were just coming through in third before clipping a buoy. The nature of losing the medal was probably the hardest part to take. However, in a very competitive event I am proud of the way that we performed.
"It's always great to test your speed on the water compared to international crews," he added. "That's what makes the event so special, the intensity of racing is like nothing else out there. That's probably what I would take from the event. How to race at such a high intensity. Hopefully that will stand me in good stead when trying to break into the very competitive Princeton varsity."