Four Badgers make U.S. World Rowing Championships squad
August 11, 2015 | Men's Rowing
MADISON, Wis. -- With the Olympic Summer Games in Brazil less than a year away, the world of rowing spices up as the competition for the coveted spots on the USRowing team for the Olympics heats up. One key step are the 2015 FISA World Rowing Championships that take place Aug. 29-Sept. 6 in Aiguebelette, France.
There, boats will qualify for a spot in next summer's games, though clinching spots in those boats are a long ways off. However, making one of this year's world championship crews could provide a boost in training for those looking to grab one of those coveted seats.
This year, four former Badgers are on Team USA for the world championships, including two women and two men. For the women, Vicki Opitz (Middleton) will race in the women's eight, looking for a top-five finish to grab a spot for Team USA in next year's Olympics. The Americans own nine consecutive world championship titles in the event and Opitz goes for her third consecutive world championship gold with the boat.
Opitz was a 2010 First-Team Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association All-American and 2010 First-Team All-Big Ten pick for the Badgers. She was also the team's 2010 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner and was a two-time winner of the team's Emily Simonds Award, given to the rower most exemplifying toughness and 100 percent commitment.
Grace Latz, teammates with Opitz at UW, will race in the women's four without a coxswain, a non-Olympic event. The Jackson, Michigan, native is on her second straight world championship team after taking home a bronze medal in last year's women's quadruple sculls in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
A member of Wisconsin's 2010 Big Ten Championship team, Latz was a second-team All-Big Ten selection that season as a member of the varsity eight that took second in the event. She also helped the team finish seventh at the NCAA championships in 2010, UW's best finish to date at the national championships.
Grant James, a 2008 national champion while at Wisconsin, will compete on a senior national team for the fifth consecutive year and on a U.S. national team for the seventh time with his inclusion on the men's eight. The DeKalb, Illinois, native finished fourth with the men's eight at the 2012 London Olympics in the men's eight along with his twin brother Ross. Grant James and the men's eight must finish in the top five to claim Team USA a spot in next year's Olympics.
Finally, Tim Aghai made his first senior national team, grabbing a spot in the men's pair. Aghai and his crew edged out Ross James in the men's pair senior trail last Wednesday to win the sport. The Skokie, Illinois, native owns a gold medal from the men's eight at the 2011 World Rowing U23 Championships and was also part of the men's pair at the 2012 event, placing fourth.
Aghai, the 2012 Wisconsin men's team captain his senior season, served a year as a graduate assistant coach with the Wisconsin women's openweight program the following campaign. His UW career was highlighted by his contribution to the 2011 men's eight that place fourth at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships.
