June 12, 2008

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. - California alumnus Elliot Hovey qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the double scull today in the U.S. Rowing Olympic Trials on Lake Mercer. Hovey and California Rowing Club teammate Wes Piermarini won the first two races - one each yesterday and today - to claim the best of three final series and claim an Olympic berth. In today's race, Hovey's boat posted a time of 6:27.348 to edge Thomas and Peter Graves by 2.5 seconds.

Another former Bear, Sebastian Bea, competing in the pair with Brodie Buckland, finished fourth in today's race. Josh Inman and Matthew Schnobrich won their second straight race in two days to earn the Olympic bid in that event.

On the women's side, former Cal rower Julie Nichols took third in today's single scull, with today's win and the Olympic berth going to Michelle Guerette.

Other former Bears, such as Erin Cafaro, could join Hovey in Beijing when USRowing names the athletes who will represent the United States in the men's four, lightweight men's four, men's quadruple sculls, women's quadruple sculls, men's eight and women's eight on June 27.

Also, more former and a few current Bears may earn spots in the Olympics through the June 15-18 Olympic Qualification Regatta in Poznan, Poland. Those athletes include Jovan Popovic and Goran Todorovic, who will be sophomores next season, as well as the recently graduated Marko Marjanovic, a member of Cal's 2008 varsity eight, who hope to reach Beijing as part of Serbia's four with coxswain. Scott Frandsen, who won in the pair at the recent Lucerne World Cup, will compete for Canada in Poland.