Freshman Elizabeth Walter and the Notre Dame varsity four will race in the A/B semifinals on Saturday during the second day of the 2015 NCAA Championship

#16 Irish Qualify Varsity Four For NCAA A/B Semifinal

May 29, 2015

GOLD RIVER, Calif. — The final boat to race for the University of Notre Dame rowing team on Friday at the 2015 NCAA Championship made the biggest impact yet for the Irish during the national championship regatta. After narrowly missing the bid in its preliminary race, the Notre Dame varsity four clocked its second solid time of the day during its repechage heat to advance into the A/B semifinals on Lake Natoma at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center.

The Irish varsity four crew of coxswain Jill Ryan, Bailey Amenabar, Elizabeth Walter, Madelynn Conlin and Treasa O’Tighearnaigh engaged in a spirited battle with No. 7 Stanford that the Cardinal ultimately claimed with a time of 7:25.579. Notre Dame secured its place in Saturday’s A/B semifinal, with a bid to the championship’s grand final at stake, on the strength of a 7:27.357 effort.

“We’re about where we were seeded,” Notre Dame head coach Martin Stone said after the first day of racing. “The four advancing and making it into the A/B semifinal in a tight race with Stanford was good for us. I thought the other boats had good races as well, we’re picking up speed, and tomorrow we’re going to try to make the third-level finals on Sunday (in both varsity eights)”.

No. 16 Notre Dame opened the championship in a competitive third heat of the first varsity eight. Coxswain Reilly Kearney, Carlee Beckler, Sarah Kappers, Katie Skorcz, Hilary Shinnick, Anna Kottkamp, Ailish Sheehan, Alexis Olson and Joanna Mulvey crossed the finish line in 6:47.682 to take fourth place in the heat. No. 4 Virginia (6:25.825) and Stanford (6:29.417) advanced to the event’s A/B semifinal, followed by No. 9 Washington State (6:33.486), Notre Dame, No. RV Northeastern (6:59.915) and Jacksonville (7:15.375).

No. 1 Brown took home the victory in the second repechage heat in the top eight, racing into the A/B semifinal with a time of 6:26.862. No. 14 Indiana claimed the last finals position with a repechage time of 6:28.262. Notre Dame shaved more than 10 seconds off its morning result to ultimately finish fourth in the heat at 6:37.327.

In the second heat of second varsity eight preliminary racing, coxswain Alex Techar, Elizabeth Gilbert, Rose Doerfler, Ellen Gleadow, Catherine Wagner, Sarah Russel, Elizabeth Kelley, Gretchen Bruggeman and Madeline Loper placed fourth for Notre Dame after clocking a time of 6:55.000. Washington State (6:36.478) and No. 11 Texas (6:38.581) claimed the top two positions, with Virginia (6:41.271), Notre Dame and No. RV Central Florida (7:02.335) rounding out the heat.

No. 12 Wisconsin emerged as the victor in the first second eight repechage, logging a top time of 6:36.792. Indiana advanced out of its second straight repechage with a time of 6:40.155. The Irish second varsity eight crossed the finish line in fourth place after completing the course in 6:51.692.

The Notre Dame varsity four clawed its way to a top three result in the third heat of its preliminary round on Friday morning, logging a readout of 7:29.351 to finish in third place. Virginia won the prelim heat in 7:15.394, followed by runner-up No. 8 Yale at 7:17.590. After the Irish entry, Navy (7:35.576), No. 15 Southern California (7:39.990) and Central Florida (8:08.506) were the next through the finish line.

“Overall we are in a good position, not great, but we’re getting better,” Stone said. “We are getting a little bit better each race, and we’re excited to keep going.”

Notre Dame will be among the first boats in the water on Saturday for day two of the 2015 Division I, II, and III NCAA Rowing Championships, with the first varsity eight C/D semifinal scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. (PT).

Notre Dame 2015 NCAA Rowing Championship
May 29-31
Lake Natoma
Sacramento State Aquatics Center
Gold River, Calif.

Friday Session

NCAA Women’s Division I Varsity Eight Preliminaries, Heat 3
1.    Virginia 6:25.825
2.    Stanford 6:29.417
3.    Washington State 6:33.486
4.    Notre Dame 6:47.682 — (C) Reilly Kearney, Carlee Beckler, Sarah Kappers, Katie Skorcz, Hilary Shinnick, Anna Kottkamp, Ailish Sheehan, Alexis Olson and Joanna Mulvey
5.    Northeastern 6:59.915
6.    Jacksonville 7:15.375

NCAA Women’s Division I Second Varsity Eight Preliminaries, Heat 2
1.    Washington State 6:36.478
2.    Texas 6:38.581
3.    Virginia 6:41.271
4.    Notre Dame 6:55.000 — (C) Alex Techar, Elizabeth Gilbert, Rose Doerfler, Ellen Gleadow, Catherine Wagner, Sarah Russel, Elizabeth Kelley, Gretchen Bruggeman and Madeline Loper
5.    Central Florida 7:02.335

NCAA Women’s Division I Varsity Four Preliminaries, Heat 3
1.    Virginia 7:15.394
2.    Yale 7:17.590
3.    Notre Dame 7:29.351 — (C) Jill Ryan, Bailey Amenabar, Elizabeth Walter, Madelynn Conlin and Treasa O’Tighearnaigh
4.    Navy 7:35.576
5.    Southern California 7:39.990
6.    Central Florida 8:08.506

NCAA Women’s Division I Varsity Eight Repechage, Heat 2
1.    Brown 6:26.862
2.    Indiana 6:28.262
3.    Gonzaga 6:35.347
4.    Notre Dame 6:37.327 — (C) Reilly Kearney, Carlee Beckler, Sarah Kappers, Katie Skorcz, Hilary Shinnick, Anna Kottkamp, Ailish Sheehan, Alexis Olson and Joanna Mulvey
5.    Central Florida 6:47.122
6.    Northeastern 6:47.913
7.    Navy 7:01.630

NCAA Women’s Division I Second Varsity Eight Repechage, Heat 1
1.    Wisconsin 6:36.792
2.    Indiana 6:40.155
3.    Southern California 6:47.018
4.    Notre Dame 6:51.692 — (C) Alex Techar, Elizabeth Gilbert, Rose Doerfler, Ellen Gleadow, Catherine Wagner, Sarah Russel, Elizabeth Kelley, Gretchen Bruggeman and Madeline Loper
5.    Massachusetts 6:54.995
6.    Gonzaga 6:57.369
7.    Jacksonville 7:29.928

NCAA Women’s Division I Varsity Four Repechage, Heat 2
1.    Stanford 7:25.579
2.    Notre Dame 7:27.357 — (C) Jill Ryan, Bailey Amenabar, Elizabeth Walter, Madelynn Conlin and Treasa O’Tighearnaigh
3.    Indiana 7:32.171
4.    Harvard 7:42.489
5.    Northeastern 7:51.380
6.    Central Florida 7:54.577
7.    Massachusetts 7:58.417

–ND–