Courtesy of Navy Athletic Communications
PRINCETON, N.J. – The Navy rowing program saw three of Hubbard Hall's finest earn an invite to the 2020 U.S. Rowing Under-23 Men's and Women's National Team Selection Camp earlier this week. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the cancellation of this summer's slate of international competition, the USRowing organization chose to recognize the athletes who were selected to participate in the camp should there have been racing. Three Midshipmen made that list: from the heavyweight team, seniors Jake Klosowski and
Andrew Knoll and from the women's team, junior Alexandria Vallancey-Martinson.
All three Midshipmen that were selected have been standouts for their respective programs, while augmenting that success with experience on the international stage. Knoll has been a member of Navy's first varsity heavyweight eight crew throughout his career in Annapolis racing in the top boat in all 23 of the Mids' contests over the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons. The 2018 Under-23 World Indoor Rowing Champion, Knoll has competed for the United States at the Under-23 World Rowing Championships during the summers of 2018 and 2019. After competing with the 4- crew at the 2018 regatta, he moved up to the 8+ crew in 2019 and walked away with a silver medal.
Klosowski would have joined his fellow heavyweight teammate Knoll at the U-23 camp after a career that has seen him grow from a member of Navy's fourth and fifth varsity boats as a freshman in 2017 to a staple in the Mids' second varsity crew throughout his entire sophomore campaign before moving into Navy's top boat for the 2019 season. Following his junior year, Klosowski was named to Navy's King's Cup team that competed at the 2019 Henley Royal Regatta in England. At the conclusion of that three-day international contest, Klosowski and his teammates from the Naval Academy were King's Cup champions after knocking off Canada, France and Germany consecutively.
"I'm very proud of Andrew and Jake being selected to the US National Team camp," remarked
Rob Friedrich, head coach of the Navy heavyweight rowing program. "It was definitely a team effort. This year we had an exceptional winter training season and we had many athletes on the verge of that national team threshold. In these times it helps to acknowledge all the hard work that was put in by our entire squad. Andrew and Jake were just two leaders of our strong graduating class that has shown great poise and resilience before and after our season cancellation."
Similar to Knoll, Vallancey-Martinson has been a mainstay in Navy's top boat throughout her time as a Midshipmen. During her first two seasons she suited up in all 13 races for Navy and won the Patriot League team title in both 2018 and 2019, while racing with the Mids' first varsity eight, the back-to-back Patriot League Boat of the Year. Navy qualified for and raced at the NCAA Championship following both Patriot League titles. Individually, she's been recognized as a CRCA Second Team All-American in each of her first two seasons. During the summer of 2019, Vallancey-Martinson was selected to Navy's King's Cup team to race at the Henley Royal Regatta under the United States Armed Forces banner. Like Klosowski, she competed in the mixed gender boat that helped capture the King's Cup trophy for the United States.
"Alexandria's selection to the U-23 Camp is just awesome," reflected
Joe Schlosberg, head coach of Navy's women's team. "We are lucky enough to see her hard work and competitiveness daily. It's wonderful to now have her and the Navy program recognized at this level."