Former Drexel University rower Steve Kasprzyk is part of the United States men's eight boat that finished first in the preliminary heat and will advance to Final A on August 1 at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.In the first men's eight heat, United States clocked in a top-time of 5:30.72 followed by Australia at 5:32.43 at Dorney Lake. Poland crossed the finish line third at 5:35.64. Ukraine took fourth place with a time of 5:38.02. The U.S. men's eight secured a spot in Final A set for Wednesday. The remaining boats competed in the repechage on Monday, July 30.Germany won the second heat with a first-place time of 5:25.52 and will join the United States in Final A. Great Britain earned second place with a time of 5:27.61 followed by the Netherlands and Canada respectively.The United States men's eight consisted of coxswain Zach Vlahos (Piedmont, Calif.), stroke Grant James (DeKalb, Ill.), David Banks (Potomac, Md.), Drexel standout Kasprzyk (Cinnaminson, N.J.), Jake Cornelius (Brooktondale, N.Y.), Brett Newlin (Riverton, Wyo.), Ross James (DeKalb, Ill.), Will Miller (Duxbury, Mass.) and Giuseppe Lanzone (Annandale, Va.).Rowing medal events will take place on August 1 with the final race set for 5:30 a.m. EST. Viewers will be able to watch the rowing events via NBC.com's live streaming. Click here to learn how to access live videos.For more updates and coverage on the United States men's eight boat competing in the Olympics, visit www.usrowing.comResultsSaturday, July 28Heat 11. United States 5:30.722. Australia 5:32.433. Poland 5:35.644. Ukraine 5:38.02Heat 21. Germany 5:25.522. Great Britain 5.27.613. Netherlands 5:28.994. Canada 5:37.91
