June 5, 2001

Dana Peirce, who rowed as a member of the University of North Carolina varsity squad for four years before graduating last month, will join some of the nation's top talent at the USRowing Women's Pre-Elite Nation's Cup Selection Camp in Ithaca, N.Y., June 7-25. The camp will be used to select the team that will represent the U.S. at the 2001 Nation's Cup July 27-29 in Linz, Australia.

Peirce, who has represented the U.S. on the Junior National Team, was one of 29 athletes invited to the tryout camp. In addition to competing for the U.S. at the Nation's Cup, which serves as the Under-23 World Championship, several in the pool will go on to battle for spots on the 2001 Senior National Team that will race as the 2001 FISA World Rowing Championships Aug. 19-26 in Lucerne, Switzerland.

"The entire Carolina rowing community is proud of Dana's accomplishment in a part of this select group, which includes the fastest collegiate rowers in America," UNC coach Joel Furtek said. "I'm confident she'll further elevate her performance in that competitive environment. I hope, too, that her success will continue to motivate her former teammates to strive for greater speed."

While at Carolina, Peirce earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference and All-Region honors. As a freshman, she was a member of the 4+ that won a bronze medal at the 1998 NCAA Championships. A Morehead Scholar, Peirce was a three-time Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete.

Other Atlantic Coast Conference rowers invited to the camp are Virginia's Sarah Brennan, Lauren Mitterer and Jennifer Reck.

Elkins Shows Speed In USRowing Competition

Christine Elkins, a former UNC club rower and varsity assistant coach, teamed with Kate MacKenzie to win the women's double sculls at USRowing's second speed order of the year Sunday at Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J. The pair finished in 7:23.7, significantly ahead of the second-place time of 7:32.0. Also included in the field were several Olympians and members of Pam American Games and World Championships teams.

Elkins served as a Tar Heel assistant coach in 1998, the first year of the varsity program. She is now the novice coach at Rutgers.

Each year, USRowing holds several speed orders throughout the spring. National team coaches use these events as one way to identify potential national team candidates. The weekend's speed order included races in men's pair, men and women's double sculls, and men and women's lightweight double sculls. The speed order will be used as one of the determining factors for naming the U.S. squad that will compete at the upcoming world cup stop June 14-16 in Seville, Spain.