SUSAN FRANCIA

Hometown: Abington, Pa.

Current Residence: Princeton, N.J.

Club Affiliation: USRowing Training Center

Began Rowing: University of Pennsylvania, 2001

Date of Birth: 11/8/82 

Height: 6’2” 

Weight: 175

High School: Abington Senior High School

Undergraduate Education: University of Pennsylvania, 2004

Graduate Education: University of Pennsylvania, 2004

Current Coach: Tom Terhaar

International Results: Won gold in the eight at the 2008 FISA World Cup stop in Lucerne...Finished sixth in the pair at the 2008 FISA World Cup stop in Munich...Won gold in the eight at the 2007 FISA World Championships...Won gold in the eight at the 2007 FISA World Cup stop in Lucerne...Won bronze in the pair at the 2007 FISA World Cup stop in Linz...Won gold in the eight and finished 12th in the double sculls at the 2006 FISA World Championships...Finished seventh in the double sculls at the 2006 FISA World Cup stop in Lucerne...Won the Remenham Cup at the 2006 Henley Royal Regatta...Finished eighth in the double sculls at the 2006 FISA World Cup stop in Munich...Finished fourth in the eight at the 2005 FISA World Championships...Won bronze in the eight at the 2005 FISA World Cup stop in Munich.

National Results: Finished second in the pair at the second 2008 National Selection Regatta...Won the championship eight at the 2007 Head of the Charles...Won the eight and finished third in the pair at the 2007 USRowing National Championships...Won the championship eight at the 2006 Head of the Charles...Won the double sculls at the second 2006 National Selection Regatta...Won the championship eight at the 2005 Head of the Charles...Finished second in the four with coxswain at the 2004 Head of the Charles...Finished second in the four at the 2004 U.S. National Team Trials

Personal: Susan is a four-time national team member and first-time Olympian...She was a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Division I All-American at the University of Pennsylvania in 2004...Susan enjoys swimming and grilling (though not at the same time)...She speaks Hungarian...She lists her most memorable moment in sports as the 2007 FISA World Cup race in Linz, Austria, when she got bronze in the pair after sprinting from fifth place to third, beating the 2006 World Champions in the process...Susan attributes her work ethic and perseverance to her parents...She enjoys hip hop and hard rock music...Her favorite sport to watch is track and field, and she used to watch Formula One auto racing on Eurosport with her grandmother in Hungary...Susan lists her hobbies as watching movies, spending time online, reading news and catching up with friends on Facebook...Her favorite movies include The Big Lebowski, American Psycho and Scarface...She also likes Dave Chappelle’s television show...Susan enjoys Runner’s World magazine and hopes to run the New York City Marathon and the Philadelphia Distance Run after the 2008 Olympics...She also has a dream of being a NIKE model.

(updated 6/27/2008)