Temple University Athletics
Former Temple Rowers Compete at World Rowing Championship
9.3.09 | Men's Crew
Marcus McElhenney won gold while Sean Casey and Sam Cunningham also represented Temple
Former Temple rower Marcus McElhenney won a gold medal as a member of USA's pair with coxswain at the 2009 World Rowing Championships held from Aug. 23-30 in Poznan, Poland while two other former Owl rowers, Sean Casey and Sam Cunningham, also competed at the Championships.
McElhenney, a 2003 graduate of Temple, served as the coxswain and worked with Troy Kepper and Henrik Rummel to propel the United States to victory in a time of 6:53.58. The U.S. crew nearly went out of its lane in the first few strokes at the start of the race, but came back into second position by the 500-meter mark. The Czech Republic and the U.S., both heat-winners from earlier in the week, took turns leading through the middle of the course and were never separated by more than a seat.
The U.S. squad brought the stroke rate up and charged with 400 meters to go, crossing one second ahead of Czech Republic's Oldrich Hejdusek, Vaclav Chalupa, Jr. and Jakub Makovicka for the win.
Sean Casey, who rowed for Temple from 1997-2001 under head coach Gavin White, was rowing in the men's single for Ireland. Casey finished fourth in his final heat with a time of 7:44.16. His best time of the week came in the first heat that he rowed in when he crossed the finish line with a time of 7:14.27. Casey is a veteran on the Irish rowing team and competed in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Sam Cunningham, the most recent graduate ('08) of the three former Owls who competed at the championships, rowed in the men's lightweight quad for the U.S. national team. The crew posted a time of 6:39.14 in their first heat, good enough for a second place finish. In the finals, the team faced some stiff competition and came out with a 6th place finish displaying a time of 5:59.65.
All three rowers received high praises from White, who coached the trio during their collegiate careers.
“We are very proud that Sean, Marcus and Sam, having been selected to represent the U.S. national team, have kept up the tradition of excellence that is Temple University Rowing,” White said. “This helps our current student-athletes to see what is possible with hard work and the right guidance. You couldn't have three better role models for our younger guys!”
