Three from Gainesville named to USA Canoe/Kayak men's team

Three men from Gainesville have been named to 2011 USA Canoe/Kayak
Sprint World Cup Team.

Morgan House was named to the kayak team and Ben Hefner and Robert Finlayson to the canoe team. They qualified for the team at the USA Canoe/Kayak 2011 Sprint National Team Trials at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., April 22-23.

The athletes will participate in the upcoming World Cups, which mark the next steps in the process of naming the team for the 2011 World Championship and the 2011 Pan American Games, which are currently the only two events in which the U.S. can qualify boats for the London 2012 Olympic Games. However, Women's Double Kayak and Men's Canoe are non-Olympic events.

The World Cup circuit begins May 20-22 in Racice, Czech Republic and concludes in Duisburg, Germany, May 27-29.

Pacing the men at the team trials were identical twins Luke and Jake Michael. Luke placed first and third in Senior Men's K-1 1000m and 200m, respectively. Jake was not far behind, coming in at third and fourth in the 1000m and 200m, respectively. The duo teamed up to finish first and second in K-2 1000m and 200m, respectively. Morgan House placed no worse than third in all four events, including first in K-1 200m and second in K-1 1000m.

"We have some new faces on the men's team and have been working on building a K-4 boat heading in to the World Championships and Olympic qualification regatta in August," said Senior National Team Coach Guy Wilding. "Although this boat has only just started working together, they show great potential and the World Cups should give us a good indication of where we are at right now. Our 200m men are also training well and it will be interesting to see how they stack up, too."

Two-time Olympian Carrie Johnson put forth another dominating performance at the team trials, placing first in the A Finals for all three events: Senior Women's K-1 200m, K-1 500m and K-2 500m. In Double Kayak, Johnson paired up with Maggie Hogan to take first place. Hogan also placed third K-1 500m. Krisztina Zur took second place to Johnson in both individual Kayak finals.

"In the women's team, we have Carrie Johnson focusing on the K-1 events," Coach Wilding said. "She is in great shape and it will be exciting to see what she can do at the World Cups. Kriszta Zur also looks strong and is also an experienced competitor."

Robert Finlayson and Ben Hefner battled it out all weekend in Senior Men's Canoe. Hefner outlasted Finlayson to win the C-1 1000m, while Finlayson edged out Hefner in C-1 200m. Finlayson and partner Alejandro Schwedhelm took first in the C-2 event over Hefner and Ian Ross.

USA Canoe/Kayak is proud to launch "Ascend As One," an exciting campaign in which we inspire the next generation of U.S. paddlers by supporting our current Olympic Hopefuls. Our Sprint Clubs and Community are teaming up to make sure our athletes can focus on what's most important - winning medals on the international stage and representing the United States with pride. To contribute, click HERE and select "Ascend As One" from the drop down menu. 100% of all donations directly benefit our Sprint National Program Athletes and Coaches.