MARIETTA, Ohio - A pair of Marietta College men's rowers are not taking it easy as the summer months unfold. Junior Nicolas Invernizzi (Lambare, Paraguay/Colegio Cristo Rey) has spent the last month competing on the international stage while senior Ben Harper has been training hard at an elite Olympic development center.
 
"The majority of our team is training hard and racing this summer," said Marietta Men's Rowing head coach Greg Myhr. "This is a comparatively new thing in recent years, and Nico and Ben are at the forefront, leading by example."
 
For the second consecutive year, Invernizzi represented his home country of Paraguay in the World Rowing Under 23 Championships, which was has this year held in Poznan, Poland. At the completion of this last school year, Invernizzi traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to begin a two-month training camp to compete in the Men's Four category.
 
"I had the experience last year of a World Cup, so I felt more familiar with the rhythm around here," said Invernizzi. "I was very confident that we could do well this year."  Unfortunately, Paraguay was eliminated from the competition after placing last in their heat.
 
"Personally, I was feeling confident of qualifying for the semifinals, and we were doing well through 1k," said Invernizzi of the team's performance. "After that we experienced some troubles, causing the other boats to separate from us."
 
The team will have another chance for success as they will row in the upcoming Junior Pan American Games, hosted in Asunción, Paraguay.
 
"This is Nico's second summer representing Paraguay at the U23 World Championships, which is huge for him and for Marietta Rowing," said Myhr. "It's hard to describe the intensity level at regattas of this caliber, but they change you in indelible ways. Athletes that have competed at this level carry themselves differently and have elevated expectations of themselves and of their teammates. There is no question it serves to raise the bar teamwide."
 
Harper has spent the summer training at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, an elite Olympic development center in Craftsbury, Vermont.
 
"I've had a blast training this summer with such high caliber athletes," Harper said of his summer. "This opportunity wouldn't have been available to me without the guidance of Coach Myhr. This environment is perfect for focusing solely on rowing and becoming a more fit and overall, well rounded athlete. It's easy to make progress when you are surrounded by individuals that seek to get the most out of every stroke they take."
 
Harper competed at the ERA Regatta in Montreal, Quebec earlier this summer, claiming a victory in the C final for the men's single scull. He will next compete at the at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines, Ontario (August 3-10). He is seeking out a grand final finish this year, only missing out by a fraction of a second last year.
 
"Ben has spent the past two summers training in Marietta with the USRowing Development Camp, and forged himself into a very good single sculler," said Myhr. "This summer, he decided to take his show on the road and was accepted at the Green Racing Project - an elite development group in Craftsbury. The GRP is a direct pipeline to the US Olympic Rowing Team. By all reports, Ben is acquitting himself well there and he also will be a different athlete as a result. He hasn't made an Olympic team just yet, but he's on that trajectory. Marietta has produced legendary Olympic rowers in our history, but it's been a generation or two since we've done so."
 
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