The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) rowing program has announced 28 scholarship holders for 2011.

All athletes on scholarship will start training with the AIS by the end of November following a break after the 2010 World Rowing Championships.

15 athletes have been awarded scholarships as part of the men’s program under Head Men’s Coach Noel Donaldson and Senior Men’s Coach Rhett Ayliffe, with the men’s squad consisting of four sculling members and 11 sweep oar rowers.

James Marburg and Matt Ryan, members of the men’s four that won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, return to the AIS for the first time in two years, while sculler Nick Hudson is on full scholarship for the first time.

10 female athletes will be under the tutelage of Head Women’s Coach Lyall McCarthy and Senior Women’s Coach Laryssa Biesenthal.

Heavyweight rowers Sally Kehoe, Kim Crow, Kerry Hore and Sarah Cook retain their scholarships, while lightweight rowers Hannah Every-Hall and Alice McNamara return for the second consecutive year.

Youngsters Amy Fowler, Madeleine Edmunds, Alexandra Hagan and Jessica Hall all remain on scholarship and will be re-assessed in January.

Head Adaptive Coach, Pedro Albisser, will continue his work with Australia’s three Paralympic target athletes, Ben Houlison, Kathryn Ross and Grant Bailey.

The AIS squad will train for five months ahead of the 2011 National Selection Trials in April, before the Australian team is announced.

The Australian team will compete at World Cup 1 (Adaptive Team) and World Cup 3 (Senior Team) next year, while also competing at the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Slovenia, which serve as the main opportunity to qualify boats for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

2011 AIS Rowing Scholarships

Men

Jared Bidwell                            Brisbane, QLD

Scott Brennan                           Lindisfarne, TAS

Bryn Coudraye                          Adelaide, SA

David Crawshay                        Melbourne, VIC

Joshua Dunkley Smith               Geelong, VIC

Nicholas Hudson                       Sydney, NSW

John Linke                                Melbourne, VIC

Toby Lister                                Sydney, NSW

Sam Loch                                 Sydney, NSW

Will Lockwood                           Melbourne, VIC

James Marburg                         Ballarat, VIC

Fergus Pragnell                         Queanbeyan, NSW       

Nicholas Purnell                        Sydney, NSW

Matt Ryan                                 Sydney, NSW

Thomas Swann                          Melbourne, VIC

Women

Sarah Cook                               Canberra, ACT

Kim Crow                                  Melbourne, VIC

Madeleine Edmunds                  Brisbane, QLD

Hannah Every-Hall                     Noosa, QLD

Amy Fowler                               Canberra, ACT

Alexandra Hagan                       Bunbury, WA

Jessica Hall                              Brisbane, QLD 

Sally Kehoe                              Toowoomba, QLD

Kerry Hore                                Hobart, TAS

Alice McNamara                        Melbourne, VIC

Adaptive

Grant Bailey                              Bankstown, NSW

Ben Houlison                            Lithgow, NSW

Kathryn Ross                            Warrnambool, VIC