May 1, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford men's rowing alumni David Banks '05 and Jake Cornelius '05 were named to the United States Men's Eight (8+) crew that will compete for an Olympic berth at the Final Qualification Regatta May 20-23 in Lucerne, Switzerland, USRowing announced Tuesday.
The crew was selected after an arduous training camp and evaluation process in Berkeley.
The boat failed in its first chance to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games at the World Rowing Championships last September. The U.S. eight finished eighth, one spot away from an automatic berth into the London Games.
The U.S. eight must win the Final Qualification Regatta in three weeks to qualify for the Olympics.
Banks and Cornelius both have extensive national team experience. Neither man was part of the World Championship crew last September, however both rowed for the big boat at the 2010 World Championships in which the U.S. finished sixth.
Banks has rowed for the U.S. at the World Championships twice, taking fifth with the men's pair in his other trip besides 2010. He was also part of the men's four that took ninth at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Cornelius rowed with the U.S. eight at the Under-23 World Championships in 2006, finishing fifth, and has made a pair of World Championship appearances (2009, 2010) with the eight.