April 16, 2011
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The University of Notre Dame women’s rowing team earned a lane in the group B finals after races concluded Saturday at the Lake Natoma Invitational on Lake Natoma. The Irish captured one heat victory on the day, as the varsity four boat claimed its afternoon race.
“Overall it was a good day for all of our boats,” remarked Irish head coach Martin Stone. “We competed well in all of our races on the day and earned our spot in the Group B Finals tomorrow. It was an especially strong showing given some of our personnel in our boats was only determined in the last couple of days.”
The varsity four boat took to the water against Stanford and Sacramento State in the afternoon victory, and the Irish crew of coxswain Christina Dines, Kiersten DeHaven, Teresa Rubinger, Courtney Gaberino and Ching-Ting Hwang held on for a four second victory, finishing at 7:27.00. Stanford then crossed in 7:31.41 followed by Sacramento State at 7:54.81.
In the morning session, the Irish competed in a tight heat that saw California cross first at 7:14.02. The Irish and Oregon State then crossed five-tenths of a second apart in second and third, respectively, as Notre Dame ended at 7:17.37 and the Beavers came in at 7:17.87.
“I was really pleased with how the four’s raced, both in the morning and in the afternoon,” stated Stone. “Their victory over Stanford in the afternoon was a gritty performance. Both boats battled back-and-forth with each other for a good 500 or 600 meters, but our crew was really gritty and pulled out the victory. You have to be very impressed by that, and especially since it is a boat that has four freshman in it.”
The second varsity eight boat of coxswain Rachael Louie, Katie Suyo, Teresa Blumenstein, Paige Aiello, Kelsey Haddad, Erin McConnell, Megan Keegan, Morgan Kelley and Joanna Poinsatte earned a pair of second-place results, stopping the clock at 6:43.90 in the morning session and 6:55.18 in the afternoon. California won the morning heat in 6:32.60, while Stanford won the afternoon heat in 6:40.90.
“The second varsity eight also had a good day,” said Stone. “Especially in their race against Oregon State in the morning. It was a race that could have gone either way, to either boat, but again our girls really gritted it out and came out victorious.”
The varsity eight boat, much like the second varsity eight, secured two second-place finishes. The crew of coxswain Abby Meyers, Stephanie Gretsch, Katherine Linnemanstons, Genevieve Malone, Stephanie O’Neill, Olivia Kacsits, Molly Bruggeman, Emily Crosby and Carol Ann Michel crossed at 6:36.57 in the morning session and 6:40.67 in the afternoon. California won the morning race at 6:25.50 and Stanford claimed the afternoon race in 6:29.60.
The Irish are joined in the group B finals by Wisconsin and Tennessee. The varsity four race is scheduled to take place at 8:10 a.m. (PT), followed by the second varsity eight at 8:40 a.m. and the varsity eight race at 9:30 a.m.
For race-by-race results, follow @NatomaInvite on twitter and for a complete recap of the Irish on the final day be sure to check back with und.com shortly after completion of the day’s races.
Lake Natoma Invitational Results:
Morning Session:
Varsity Four:1. California - 7:14.022. NOTRE DAME - 7:17.373. Oregon State - 7:17.87
Second Varsity Eight:1. California - 6:32.602. NOTRE DAME - 6:43.903. Oregon State - 6:44.90
Varsity Eight:1. California - 6:25.502. NOTRE DAME - 6:36.573. Oregon State - 6:52.17
Afternoon Session:
Varsity Four:1. NOTRE DAME - 7:27.002. Stanford - 7:31.413. Sacramento State - 7:54.81
Second Varsity Eight:1. Stanford - 6:40.902. NOTRE DAME - 6:55.183. Sacramento State - 7:14.08
Varsity Eight:1. Stanford - 6:29.602. NOTRE DAME - 6:40.673. Sacramento State - 6:58.13
–ND–