Bentley, Schoonbee Duo Scores Silver at World U23 Championships
7/27/2019 1:21:00 PM | Rowing
SARASOTA-BRADENTON, Fla. -- Rising senior Tayla-May Bentley and rising sophomore Jessica Schoonbee finished their week at the World U23 Championships in spectacular fashion on Saturday (July 27), as they captured a silver medal for South Africa in 7:16.24 in the women's pair event (W2-) at Nathan Benderson Park. The Wolverine duo held second position for nearly the entire race, holding off a fast Russian boat and finishing behind a record-setting pair from Greece.
Bentley and Schoonbee raced out of lane four between Russia in lane five and Greece in lane three, a boat which set a U23 World Record by four seconds (6:58.58) during Saturday's semifinal. The Dutch and U.S. boats occupied lanes one and two with the New Zealand pair in lane six. Temperatures were in the mid-80s with partly cloudy skies and calm winds.
Over the first 500 meters, the top-seeded Greek boat jumped into the lead with the Wolverine pair maintaining close contact. The South Africans were about a half-boat length behind the Greeks and a half-length ahead of the Russians closing in on the halfway point of the race. Behind them, the U.S. gave chase, but the top three boats had created enough separation that there was no catching them.
Past 1,500 meters, the order remained the same in the top three with the Russians closing in on Bentley and Schoonbee. But the South Africans dug deep and kicked up their speed with a steady burst over the final sprint to hold off Russia and capture a silver medal.
The international competition schedule is demanding, and Bentley and Schoonbee have been coached along the way by U-M assistant coach Liz Tuppen. They have been training in Ann Arbor since the conclusion of the NCAA season, when Bentley and Schoonbee rowed in the first varsity eight to help U-M place third at the national championship regatta.
Both graduates of St. Mary's Waverly in Johannesburg, South Africa, Bentley and Schoonbee have grown from teammates representing their university together to teammates representing their country. Their impressive week at these U23 World Championships has put their growth on display, and both are sure to be important pieces for U-M next spring.
For the teammates, rowing together and with Coach Tuppen made the experience all the better.
"We are so grateful to Liz for being so willing to take on the role of our coach," said Bentley. "She has been exceptional, and there is no doubt of the role Liz and Michigan Athletics played in our success here.
"Having rowed with Jess through the season, the transition from NCAA to U23 competition was seamless. The trust we had for each other allowed us to go out there and put ourselves in the best position possible to succeed, and we did that."With one set of medals in tow, U-M representation at the championships will conclude on Sunday (July 28) with American Jeri Rhodes, who will compete in the 8+ event final at 12:20 p.m. With only five entries, the boats competed in a test race Friday morning to determine lanes for the final. Rhodes and the U.S. boat placed fourth in 6:11.330.
All races are streamed on ESPN3, available through the ESPN App.
Results
A Final
1. Greece -- 7:11.670
2. South Africa -- 7:16.240
3. Russia -- 7:18.350
4. U.S.A. -- 7:24.060
5. New Zealand -- 7:27.340
6. Netherlands -- 7:30.070
