April 11, 2010

Marina del Ray, Calif. – The 16th-ranked Irish rowing team finished in second place in each of the eight heats on Sat., April 10 on La Ballona Creek in Marina del Ray, Calif. Notre Dame faced eighth-ranked USC in the morning session before battling with 15th-ranked UCLA in the afternoon.

The Irish were unable to capture a race victory in any of the four races in the morning session against USC. Action started with the Trojans capturing the first varsity eight race with a winning time of 6:40.64, besting Notre Dame who concluded in a time of 6:52.07.

The second varsity eight race also saw the Irish fall by nearly 12 seconds as the Notre Dame boat finished in a time of 7:11.83. USC crossed the finish line at 6:59.30 to capture the heat victory.

The Notre Dame varsity four boat earned the closest decision of the morning and day for the Irish, crossing just over four seconds after the USC boat. The Trojans stopped the clock at 7:52.37 while the Irish crossed the gate at 7:56.90.

In the final heat of the morning the Notre Dame novice eight was in action. The Irish crew posted a time of 7:20.36, crossing after the victorious USC boat that finished in 7:14.64.

Afternoon action got underway with the novice eight race. The Irish boat was able to complete the course in a time of 8:12.67, while UCLA finished with a mark of 8:02.70.

In varsity four competition the Bruins’ boat posted a race-winning time of 8:44.90. The Notre Dame crew finished just under nine second later with a final time of 8:53.03.

The Notre Dame second varsity eight boat concluded its afternoon run in a time of 7:53.21 while the UCLA crew was able to record the winning time after stopping the clock at 7:40.05.

In the final race of the day the Irish varsity eight boat crossed the finish line at 7:36.33 trailing the Bruins, who concluded the course in a time of 7:26.30.

Notre Dame will return to the water in two weekends when it heads to the BIG EAST Championships on Sun., April 25 from Worcester, Mass. The Irish will be seeking to claim their seventh consecutive conference title.

Morning Results:

Varsity Eight:
1. USC – 6:40.64; 2. NOTRE DAME (Sarah Keithley (C), Morgan Kelley, Casey Robinson, Katherine Linnemanstons, Stephanie Gretsch, Erin McConnell, Emily Crosby, Stephanie O’Neill, Brittney Kelly) – 6:52.07

Second Varsity Eight:
1. USC – 6:59.30; 2. NOTRE DAME (Rachael Louie (C), Stephanie Boggs, Katie Suyo, Megan Keegan, Joanna Poinsatte, Genevieve Malone, Carol Ann Michel, Emily Backer, Christina Buckley) – 7:11.83

Varsity Four:
1. USC – 7:52.37; 2. NOTRE DAME (Jacqueline Gilhooly (C), Braegan Padley, Valerie Brencher, Kathryn Monahan, Paige White) – 7:56.90

Novice Eight:
1. USC – 7:14.64; 2. NOTRE DAME (Abby Meyers (C), Sarah Thompson, Meghan Vertovec, Maura Newell, Kelsey Haddad, Paige Aiello, Analisa LaMair-Orosco, Alyce Kanabrocki, Kelsey Murphy) – 7:20.36

Afternoon Results:

Varsity Eight:
1. UCLA – 7:26.30; 2. NOTRE DAME (Sarah Keithley (C), Morgan Kelley, Casey Robinson, Katherine Linnemanstons, Stephanie Gretsch, Erin McConnell, Emily Crosby, Stephanie O’Neill, Brittney Kelly) – 7:36.33

Second Varsity Eight:
1. UCLA – 7:40.05; 2. NOTRE DAME (Rachael Louie (C), Stephanie Boggs, Katie Suyo, Megan Keegan, Joanna Poinsatte, Genevieve Malone, Carol Ann Michel, Emily Backer, Christina Buckley) – 7:53.21

Varsity Four:
1. UCLA – 8:44.90; 2. NOTRE DAME (Jacqueline Gilhooly (C), Braegan Padley, Valerie Brencher, Kathryn Monahan, Paige White) – 8:53.03

Novice Eight:
1. UCLA – 8:02.70; 2. NOTRE DAME (Abby Meyers (C), Sarah Thompson, Meghan Vertovec, Maura Newell, Kelsey Haddad, Paige Aiello, Analisa LaMair-Orosco, Alyce Kanabrocki, Kelsey Murphy) – 8:12.67

–ND–