June 28, 2012

U.S. Under-23 Trials results

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. - Stanford women's rower Daphne Martschenko earned a spot in the Under-23 World Championships this week, as she rowed with the Four boat that captured the U.S. Under-23 Trials at Lake Mercer.

Martschenko, a CRCA first-team All-American and All-Pac-12 Team selection this past season for the Cardinal, will make her first Under-23 World Championship appearance. The event is set for July 11-15 in Lithuania.

Martschenko was in the USRowing Camp four that won trials along with Cathy McDermott (Yale), Molly Bruggeman (Notre Dame), and Liz England (Washington State). The four crossed the line in a winning time of 6:52.181, 14 seconds ahead of the Vesper boat stroked by fellow Cardinal rower Amanda Lorei.

"Daphne is one of the nicest and toughest rowers you'll ever meet--a fantastic teammate and a true Stanford scholar-athlete," said Stanford women's rowing head coach Yasmin Farooq. "This past year was one of overcoming obstacles for her, with some unexpected illness and injury. Daphne never backed down and was always there for her teammates. It was an honor for us to support her when she competed for a spot on Team USA and now as she goes on to represent both Stanford and the United States on the world stage.

"I'd also like to personally thank Daphne's professors," Farooq continued. "Their support of her through this process was true Stanford--they are a very large part of Daphne's success this summer, and also of our team's ongoing success. The academic support Stanford student-athletes receive is unique to this incredible institution. We are extremely fortunate and grateful to live and work in such a collaborative environment where both academics and athletics are nurtured."

It was also announced Thursday by NBC that Farooq would be serving as rowing analyst for the network's Olympic coverage this summer in London. It will be the fourth straight Games in which Farooq will serve as analyst, on top of her two appearances with the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team in 1992 and 1996.

Stanford women's rowers have had great success on the international stage, winning two Olympic medals (Elle Logan `11 won gold in Beijing 2008, and Sam Magee `05 took silver in 2004), seven World Championship medals, and seven Under-23 World Championship medals, beginning with Jolene Esparza's silver medal at the Lucerne World Championships in 1982.

Logan will again represent Stanford and the U.S. at the Olympics this summer in London, going for a repeat gold medal with the U.S. eight.

Stanford women have won medals in the last two Olympics, as well as at every World Championships and Under-23 World Championships since 2007.