Alumna Tomek to Row for Team USA at Beijing Olympics
6/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Rowing, Olympics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Former University of Michigan rower Ellen Tomek (Flushing, Mich./Powers Catholic HS) has been chosen for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, USRowing announced Tuesday (June 3). She will row in the women's double sculls event when the Beijing Olympics get underway in August.
A three-year letterwinner at Michigan, Tomek was a member of the Wolverine novice program as a freshman. She competed in the second varsity eight as a sophomore and junior before spending her senior campaign in the first varsity eight. Tomek was an All-Big Ten Conference second team honoree in her final season at Michigan.
"Ellen really took off at Michigan after her junior year," said U-M head coach Mark Rothstein. "She was a hard worker, battling through some illness and injuries, and it all came together for her as a senior when she was our athlete of the year. She was one of our top rowers, and she just kept going after graduation. Ellen always had top-end power, and I could see that there was a lot of potential in her for development. It isn't easy to capitalize on potential, but Ellen did. It's good to see Ellen succeed, and I'm very happy and excited for her."
Tomek is now a two-time U.S. Senior National Team member. At April's 2008 U.S. National Team Selection Regatta #2, she and her partner, Megan Kamoe, took first place. They then finished fourth last weekend at the 2008 Rowing World Cup Regatta in Switzerland. In 2007, Tomek stroked the U.S. women's quadruple sculls boat at the FISA World Rowing Championships in Germany. In 2006, she was in the U.S. women's pair at the FISA World Under-23 Championships.
Tomek is the third U-M rowing alumna to be selected for the U.S. Olympic Team. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Kate MacKenzie was in the women's pair, while Kate Johnson won a silver medal in the women's eight.
Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos HS) is also a strong candidate to join Tomek on the U.S. Olympic Team. Sickler has been a member of the women's eight that has won back-to-back gold medals at the 2006 and 2007 FISA World Championships. The complete U.S. rowing roster will be named by June 27.
