Three Deerfield rowers, Brad Plunkett ’12, Rich Caputo ’13, and Claire Collins ’15, as well as Boys Head Coach, Wayne Berger ’84, were selected to represent the United States Junior National Rowing team at the World Championships in Plovidiv, Bulgaria. Selection required athletes to attend high performance camps and submit ergometer testing over the fall, winter, and spring of 2011-2012. Subsequently, athletes were invited to attend selection camps where they competed for seats in various boat classes. Claire Collins ’15, who remarkably only started rowing in March, sits in the four seat of the Junior Women’s 8+. Rich Caputo ’13, a member of the DA Boys National Championship 4+, tentatively will sit bow in the Junior Men’s 8+, while teammate and National Champion Brad Plunkett ’12 will likely stroke the Junior Men’s 4- (four without coxswain), one of the most competitive events at the Junior World’s. Coach Berger, one of five members of the USJNT coaching staff, will be responsible for coaching the 2- (pair without cox), which qualified by winning the US JR. pairs trials July 9-10.
The crews will be training at Princeton University until they leave for the World Championships August 8. Results, video, and information will be available online.
Additional News from Deerfield Rowing:
Libby Murray ’14 was selected to be part of US Junior Rowing’s High Performance group, which competed at Club Nationals this past weekend. Athletes in the HP group are identified as having the potential to compete at the international level.
Warner Brown ’13 is spending his summer rowing during New Zealand’s winter!!! Read about adventures rowing with New Zealand’s U23 lightweight national squad on his blog.