Crosby wins silver at SRAA National Rowing Championship

Emily Crosby

Emily Crosby, a senior at Red Bank Catholic High School, sculled her way to a silver medal at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America's annual National Championship, held Saturday on the Cooper River in Camden.

Crosby, who is co-captain of the youth program at Navesink River Rowing, was competing in her third race as a single sculler. The women's single event featured competitors from New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida.

Liz Barnett of Huntington High School took the gold medal, besting Crosby by 8.77 seconds in the 1,500-meter sprint.

Although a shaky start put Crosby a boat length behind in the first 250 meters, she slowly gained ground on the very competitive field. With 500 meters to go, Crosby closed the gap on four of the six scullers, almost even across the lanes.

"I suddenly realized I was still in the race," said Crosby. "I saw my competition was tiring rapidly. As a club sculler, I'm accustomed to racing a 2,000-meter course, and I knew I had enough left for a final kick."

At 250 meters to go, Crosby sprinted for the finish line, taking sole control of second place.

Next up for Crosby is the U.S. Rowing Junior National Championship, June 8-10 in Cincinnati. There she will compete in the women's double sculls with partner Kathryn Lowry of the Ranney School. The duo took fourth place in that event in the 2006 championship. Crosby and Lowry have combined for one silver and four gold medals for Navesink River Rowing in the 2006-07 racing season.