Aug. 20, 2007

A year ago, then incoming freshman rower Gabriela Varekova padded her resume with a win in the double at the 2006 Under 23 World Championships in Hazewinkel, Belgium. Varekova and her partner, Jitka Antosova, would represent the Czech Republic proudly once again as they edged out Germany's double by just under a second to capture the gold medals in Glasgow Strathclyde, Great Britain on July 29.

Only days before that, Antosova and Varekova also teamed up to take the medal stand as bronze medal winners at the 2007 World Cup in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

For Varekova, the U23 win is her fourth world-title and second in the Under 23 category. Arriving at USC with an already impressive bio sheet, Varekova would not disappoint as she claimed the stroke position in the Trojan Varsity Eight as a true freshman, leading USC to a nearly perfect season and perhaps the finest year the Women of Troy have ever experienced. Amongst her accolades from the past season are selections to the 2007 CRCA Pocock All-America First Team, the 2007 Pac-10 All-Conference Team, the 2007 CRCA All-West Region First Team and recognition as the Pac-10 Conference Newcomer of the Year.

Varekova and Antsova will next participate in the 2007 Senior World Rowing Championships in Munich, Germany from Aug. 26 through Sep. 2. These championships will serve as a qualifier regatta for entry to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She will spend the following year away from her Trojan crewmates as she trains with the Czech Republic National Team to prepare for Olympic qualification as well. She plans to return to the Trojans for the 2008-2009 rowing season.

Senior port Ligita Kaviere also showed well at the U23 World Championships with a seventh place finish in her double. Rowing with a new partner in Santa Zvilna, the pair will make the trip to Lucerne, Switzerland next June in a bid to represent Latvia at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Representing her native country of Sweden, sophomore Carin Andersson placed twelfth at the U23 World Championships in the single-scull division.

Junior Magda Madziewicz and senior Anna Specjalska also enjoyed a successful summer by winning the Polish National Championship in the four and taking the silver in the pair.