Fraker Heads into Semifinals in Second

Day One of World Cup No. 3 is in the Books

AUGSBURG, Germany – Benn Fraker (Peachtree, Ga.) received a round of applause from the crowd after dominating his second run to place second overall heading into Sunday’s Men’s C-1 semifinal round. His time of 102.20 was over five seconds faster than his first run and 1.72 seconds behind the leader Alexander Slafkovsky of Slovakia.

“I really had fun today,” Fraker said. “The course suited my style and I was able to put a good one together, finally. It’s nice to put together a clean run.”

Casey Eichfeld (Drums, Pa.) finished 43rd and did not qualify for the semifinal round in Men’s C-1. The Men’s Kayak and Women’s Canoe events commence tomorrow with the semifinal and final rounds.

For complete results of the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in Germany, visit http://www.kanu-schwaben-augsburg.de/. Free on demand video of tomorrow’s action can be found at http://vod.sportstec.tv/icf/.

All competitors advanced in Women’s C-1, including Americans Micki Reeves (Grand Junction, Colo.) and Carolyn Peterson (Austin, Texas), who finished day one in 11th and 13th place, respectively.

Saturday represents a new day on a new course for the U.S. Slalom Team as they search for their first podium performance of the World Cup season. The awards will be given out in the Augsburg town square before a live viewing of the Germany-Argentina soccer match.

Americans competing in Men’s K-1 enjoyed a solid first day of this World Cup. Three of the four racers qualified for the semifinal round. Brett Heyl (Norwich, Vt.) was in sixth place after a really great first run. He chose not to take his second run since he has been battling back issues over the past two weeks and finished the day in 17th place. Scott Parsons (Sylvania, Ohio) corrected his first few mistakes on his first run to end up in 23rd place. Team Captain Scott Mann (Bethesda, Md.) placed 36th and also advanced. Jim Wade (Atlanta, Ga.) finished in 50th place.

“I’m really pleased with how our kayaks have consistently stepped it up week after week,” National Teams Director William Irving said. “Benn just laid it all out today and came through with a great run. Tomorrow we just need to get through the first runs and anything can happen in the finals.”

Ashley Nee (Germantown, Md.) and Michele Kvanli (San Marcos, Texas) paddled hard to 44th and 54th place finishes, respectively. Their World Cup circuit has come to an end with a lot of experience gained.

USA Canoe/Kayak is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Canoe Federation. It governs the Olympic disciplines of Flatwater Sprint and Whitewater Slalom and sanctions Freestyle, Marathon, Outrigger, Wildwater, Kayak Polo, Dragon Boat and Canoe Sailing in the United States. For more information about USA Canoe/Kayak, please visit us on the web at www.usack.org.