ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands – Stanford men's rowers Jovanni Stefani and Brennan Wertz led the United States Men's Pair to the A Final at the Under 23 World Rowing Championships.
The pair, with Stanford's Craig Amerkhanian as their coach, won its heat by more than seven seconds to advance to the A Final. Racing in the middle of downpour, the U.S. pair posted the fastest time of the heat (6:41.050) to claim the heat. Serbia was second with a time of 6:48.290.
The Cardinal duo, who are both 19 years-old, will race for the U23 gold medal in the pair on Friday (Aug. 26) at 6:15 a.m. PT.
Earlier in the summer, Stefani and Wertz competed on the Mercer Lake course in New Jersey to earn a spot at the Under 23 World Rowing Championships. The Cardinal duo raced three times on Mercer Lake, winning the event to qualify to represent the United States at the Under 23 World Championships.
For complete coverage, including photos and video of the races, click here.