Westport Scores and Standings: Aug 9

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Westport's Willow Woods will represent Connecticut in the Zone Championship swim meet this week at Penn State University.

Woods finished second in the Connecticut state championship to qualify for the prestigious event, which is set for Wednesday through Sunday in State College, Pa.  She will swim in the 50-meter breaststroke, 100-meter breaststroke and 50 free-meter freestyle.

Woods will be a sixth grader at Bedford Middle School in September and swims year round for the Wilton YMCA Wahoos.

Former Staples standout Andrew Gai finished second at the Met Junior Golf Association's tour stop at the Round Hill Club in Greenwich on Friday.

Gai, who was the FCIAC MVP during his senior season and medalist in the league championship, carded a 1-over par 72. He finished one stroke behind Michael Boylan.

Gai will be attending Campbell College in the fall.  

Southport's Lucy Grinalds won a silver medal in the women's four at last year’s world junior rowing championships. A year later, she did even better than that.

The team of veterans Chandler Lally (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), Grinalds and Jessica Eiffert (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) and rookie Mia Croonquist (Vashon, Wash) led wire-to-wire Saturday in winning the goal medal in the women's four in Eton, England.

It marked the first time the United States has won gold in the event since 2000.

“I’m ecstatic right now. I can’t believe it all came together. I’ve been nervous about it for the past month, but I’ve been visualizing it every day,” Grinalds, a four-time junior national team member, told USrowing.org

"When we started, I was like, ‘Is this actually starting.’ After we crossed the first 500 and saw that we were up, we were so happy. We just kept pushing it and pushing it, and we had open water going into the last 500. It just feels like my four years have paid off.”

In the heat, the crew used a strong first 250 meters to establish its lead, and Saturday’s race was no different. Once again, the U.S. grabbed an early lead on the field and continued to build on its margin through the 1,500-meter mark.

Holding nearly a three-second advantage going into the final 500 meters, the U.S. watched both Great Britain and New Zealand try to mount challenges down the stretch, but the crew was able to maintain a safe lead and came home with a 1.76-second victory over the host nation.

In the end, the U.S. finished with a time of 6:48.77, with Great Britain taking silver in a 6:50.53. New Zealand won bronze in a 6:51.36.

While the women’s four was the only medal of the day, the women’s quadruple sculls just missed the podium, finishing a best-ever fourth, only 0.56 seconds behind Romania.

The crew of Nancy Miles (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), Lizzy Youngling (Westport), Erin Reelick and MacKenzi Sherman (Los Alamitos, Calif.) got off the line in sixth position and was still trailing the field as it entered the second half of the race.

That’s when the U.S. boat made its move, clocking the fastest third 500 meters of the field and moving into a virtual dead heat with The Netherlands for third as the crews entered the final quarter of the race.

The Dutch boat and the U.S. continued to battle each other and push Romania for second place through the final 500 meters. At the line, The Netherlands took silver, while Romania held off the U.S. for bronze. Germany controlled the race from start to finish, winning gold in a time of 6:31.07. The Netherlands finished in a 6:34.48, with Romania clocking a 6:35.23. The U.S. boat finished with a time of 6:35.79.

The U.S. men’s eight of coxswain Max Blumenthal (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Alex Perkins (Westport, Max Meyer-Bosse (Westport), Patrick Eble (Fort Washington, Pa.), Zach Hershberger (Los Gatos, Calif.), Harry Holroyd (Piedmont, Calif.), Stephen Podwojski (Cincinnati, Ohio), Greg Schneiter (Latham, N.Y.) and Hunter Leeming (Sarasota, Fla.) finished fifth in its final.

In the final of the women’s pair, Rosie Grinalds (Southport) and Corinne Bozzini (Lafayette, Calif.) finished sixth.

Prior to Saturday’s finals, three U.S. crews raced in semifinals with the hope of advancing to Sunday's finals.

In the women's double sculls, a slow start doomed the andem of Hannah Solis-Cohen (New York, N.Y.) and Maria Maydan). Racing in the first semifinal, Solis-Cohen and Maydan dropped to sixth in the first 500 meters and were never able to get back into contention for a spot in the final. Canada clocked the quickest second half of the race to move from fifth to first, crossing the line in a 7:16.96. France and South Africa finished second and third, respectively. The U.S. finished with a time of 7:27.58 and will race in the B final on Sunday.

The men’s double sculls tandem of Graham Anderson (Weston) and Charles Campbell (New Canaan) finished sixth in the C final for an 18th-place finish overall. In a tight race, all six crews were within 2.55 seconds of each other going into the last 500 meters. Norway won the race in a 6:46.97, with the U.S. finishing in a 6:52.68.

On Sunday, for the first time in the history of the regatta, a U.S. women’s double sculls crew recorded a top 10 finish. Hannah Solis-Cohen (New York, N.Y.) and Maria Maydan of Ridgefield finished third in the B final for a ninth-place finish overall.

The race was tight the entire way down the course, as all six crews sat within just over three seconds of each other entering the final 500 meters. Solis-Cohen and Maydan crossed the 1,500-meter mark in sixth place but passed Romania, Brazil and Sweden to finish third. The Netherlands won the race in a 7:28.91, with Norway finishing second, 1.65 seconds behind. The U.S. finished with a time of 7:33.03.

Connecticut Premier AAU Girl Basketball is hosting an eight-week clinic for all girls in grades four through 12.

It will take place at Staples High School in Westport on Saturdays beginning on Sept 17 and ending on Nov. 5. Grades 4-7 from 9am-10:30am. Grades 8-12 from 10:30am-12pm.

Tryouts for the 2012 season will take place on Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 at Staples.

For forms and tryout information, visit the team's website at Please check our web site www.ctpremier.com. The clinic will be run by Dave Danko, head girls basketball coach at Fairfield Warde High School. He will be joined by many other AAU coaches.

Limited space available. Fee: $150.00. Make Checks Payable to CT. Premier. Please contact Danko by phone at (203)-209-0861 or Steve McGillicuddy at (203)-394-2230 or mcgillicuddysteve@yahoo.com

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