The US women's eight rowing team, featuring Dayton Boat Club alumna Grace Bruggeman, finished second in their qualifying heat at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The team clocked a time of 6 minutes and 19 seconds, but fell short of securing a direct spot in the final.
Bruggeman, an All-American at Notre Dame, made her Olympic debut in Paris after serving as an alternate for the 2021 Tokyo Games. She and her team now have a chance to qualify for the final through the repechage, a second-chance race taking place on Thursday at 4:10 am ET.
Romania, who won the heat in 6:12.31, and Great Britain, who topped their own preliminary heat with a time of 6:16.20, are already assured of their spots in the final. The US team will be joined by Italy, Australia, Canada and Denmark in the repechage, with only one team from this group advancing to the final alongside Romania and Great Britain. The final is scheduled for Saturday at 4:50 am.
The US team comprises Charlotte Buck (Nyack, NY), Christina "Nina" Casatagna (Princeton, NJ), Olivia Coffey (Elmira, NY), Claire Collins (Greenbrae, CA), Margaret Hedeman (Concord, MA), Regina Salmons (Methuen, MA) and Madeline Wanamaker (Neenah, WI), in addition to Bruggeman.
All rowing events are taking place at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, located east of Paris.
Local Athlete Update:
Former Dayton Flyers forward Mariah Perez saw limited action for Puerto Rico in their 58-55 loss to Serbia on Sunday. She played four minutes, contributing one assist.
Puerto Rico, despite narrowing a 19-point deficit to just two in the final minute, couldn't pull off a comeback victory. They will continue group stage play on Wednesday at 11:15 am ET, followed by a game against China on Saturday at 5 am ET.