Kayaking: Mach One went for gold | Centre Daily Times

Two Mach One Slalom Team members and their coach went chasing elusive gold medals at the summer 2015 Feeder Slalom held near Bethesda, Md. Dave Kurtz of State College did pick up a silver medal but Jacob Saldana and Zachary Grant have to work a bit harder for the fall slalom to be held there.

Kurtz paddled to a second place with a 135 second run and finished behind Carlos Ifarraguerri of Bethesda, Md., who scored a 117 second run.

Saldana and his cousin Grant, both of whom are from Milesburg, actually finished fourth and fifth, repectively, with runs of 122.6 and 127.9 seconds on the 18-gate course. Their local nemeses of Kaelin Friedenson and Nathaniel Francis of the Potomac Whitewater Team were out in front with runs of 117.0 and 117.4 seconds, respectively.

The annual regional team standings for the Mid Atlantic Region U12 team were compiled to find Saldana and Grant to have achieved third and fourth place, behind Francis and Friedenson. The top two were tied at four points apiece while Saldana had 10 and Grant 11. The Regional Team has special training later in the summer at the Nantahala Outdoor Center on the Nantahala River.