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Irish Rowers Compete At NCAA Championships Friday

May 30, 2002

Notre Dame, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame rowing varsity eight crew of junior coxswain Cassie Markstahler, sophomore stroke Jayme Szefc, senior Michelle Olsgard, junior Ashlee Warren, junior Becky Luckett, sophomore Diane Price, sophomore Natalie Ladine, senior Katie Besson and senior Katherine Burnett concludes its stellar 2001-02 season by making its first trip Friday, May 31 – Sunday, June 2 to the 2002 NCAA Rowing Championship at Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis, Ind. The event, hosted by Indiana University, is scheduled to start Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. with the first of three heats in the first varsity eight competition and conclude with the awards ceremony on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

THE SCHEDULE: Notre Dame will begin its quest for the national championship at 8:15 a.m. Friday morning in heat two of the varsity eight race. The 13th-ranked Irish are in lane one for heat two and will face #2 Brown, #4 Yale, #12 Stanford and #15 USC.

There will also be an exhibition race featuring the spares, or competitors who are not racing in the official boats this weekend, on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. The Irish spares for the NCAAs are senior captain Courtney Mercer and sophomore Alice Bartek. Here is a complete schedule of races in which the Notre Dame varsity eight will compete:

Friday, May 318:00 a.m.   Varsity Eight Heat I - Michigan State, Syracuse, Harvard, Washington, Virginia and Washington State8:15 a.m.   Varsity Eight Heat II - Notre Dame, USC, Brown, Yale, Stanford8:30 a.m.   Varsity Eight Heat III - Cal, Cornell, Michigan, Ohio State, Princeton
4:15 p.m. Varsity Eight Repechage Heat I
Saturday, June 110:30 a.m. Varsity Eight Semifinal Heat I10:45 a.m. Varsity Eight Semifinal Heat II11:00 a.m. Varsity Eight Places 13-1611:15 a.m. Spares races
Sunday, June 211:30 a.m. Varsity Eight Petite Finals11:45 a.m. Varisty Eight Grand Finals12:30 p.m. Awards Ceremony

THE FORMAT OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP: The top three boats of each preliminary heat Friday automatically advance to the semifinals on Saturday, while the remaining seven crews compete in the repechage heat Friday afternoon at 4:15 p.m.

The first three boats in the repechage heat advance to Saturday’s semifinals, while the other four boats from the repechage heats compete in a race for 13th-16th place on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

The top three boats from each semifinal heat Saturday advance to the grand finals on Sunday morning (11:45 a.m.), while the rest of the boats compete in the petite finals (11:30 a.m.).

ABOUT HEAT TWO: #13 Notre Dame is in lane one of heat two on Friday. Other teams in heat two include #2 Brown, #4 Yale, #12 Stanford and #15 USC. Notre Dame has faced both USC and Stanford earlier this season in the Jessop- Whittier Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic. The Irish defeated USC in heat one of the Jessop-Whittier Cup, placing third overall, while the Trojans were fifth in heat one. In the grand finals, Notre Dame narrowly lost to Stanford in a great race as the Irish placed two seconds behind the Cardinal in finishing fifth.

“We are excited about our heat and feel we have a good chance of being in the top three,” head coach Martin Stone said. “All of the teams in our heat are strong crews. It should be a very exciting and intense race.”

Overall, Notre Dame has faced 10 teams in the championship field in 2002, defeating Virginia, Washington State and USC, all at the San Diego Crew Classic.

IRISH QUALIFY FOR FIRST NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: Head coach Martin Stone has continued to take the Irish program to the next level, culminating this season with Notre Dame’s first trip to the 2002 NCAA Rowing Championships. The Irish varsity eight received an at-large bid to this year’s championship.

Notre Dame, in only its fourth season, was granted varsity status in 1996, making it the 26th varsity sport at the University. Stone was hired in ’97 as the first head coach and the Irish competed in their first regatta in 1998.

HEAD COACH MARTIN STONE: Head coach Martin Stone was hired on Oct. 29, 1997, to direct the Irish rowing program and success has followed rapidly since.

In 1999, Notre Dame completed its first year of varsity rowing competition with the lightweight eight finishing the season ranked 12th in the nation, quite a feat for a first-year program. In his second season, Stone saw Katrina Ten Eyck become the first Irish rower to win CRCA All-Region honors, as she was quickly invited to the United States Olympic Training Center to train the following summer.

In 2001, the Irish achieved their first national ranking as a team, finishing the season 16th, and just missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships after a fifth-place finish at the Central Regions. Notre Dame also had Ashlee Warren and Michelle Olsgard earn all-region accolades. Warren and Becky Luckett were named to the US Rowing Collegiate Honor Roll (the first time in history rowers from Notre Dame earned such distinction) and four members of the varsity eight earned CRCA National Scholar-Athlete accolades. Also, Leah Ashe earned second-team Verizon Academic All-America honors.

This year, the varsity eight earned Notre Dame’s first invitation to the NCAA Rowing Championships, the team placed fourth at the Central Regions and Notre Dame was ranked as high as ninth this season (its highest ranking in school history).

ABOUT THE IRISH COMPETITORS: Notre Dame is traveling 11 rowers to this weekend’s championship. Here is a brief look at each competitior.

Junior Coxswain Cassie Markstahler – The native of North Manchester, Ind., is in her first season as the coxswain of the first varsity eight after serving as the coxswain of the varsity four in 2001. The junior earned her first monogram with the Irish in 2001 and was named to the 2001 BIG EAST Academic All-Star team. She is majoring in accounting.

Sophomore Stroke Jayme Szefc – Szefc is in her sophomore season with the Irish and her second season in the varsity eight shell. From Westport, Conn., Szefc rowed in the stroke seat the past two seasons and has made an immediate impact on the program. A member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star team, Szefc is enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business.

Senior Captain Michelle Olsgard – Olsgard is in her third season as a member of the varsity eight in 2002 and is the leader of the team. The native of Fort Collins, Colo., earned CRCA All-Central Region honors in 2001 and was one of 12 women invited for the women’s freshman rowing camp at the Olympic Training Center in 1999. A member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star team, Olsgard studied in the Biosphere in the fall of 2000. She recently graduated with a degree in environmental science.

Junior Ashlee Warren – Warren is in her second season as a member of the varsity eight and has made an immediate impact after earning CRCA All-Central Region honors in 2001 and second-team US Rowing Collegiate Honor Roll accolades that same year. Warren, who had only rowed one season before earning all-region honors, carries the second-fastest erg time on the Irish roster and is a leading candidate for All-America honors. A member of the CRCA National Scholar-Athlete and the BIG EAST Academic All-Star teams, the native of Gibsonburg, Ohio, is majoring in pre-med and anthropology.

Junior Becky Luckett – The native of Columbus, Ohio, Luckett is in her second season as a member of the varsity eight shell. In 2001, Luckett became the first Irish rower to earn first-team US Rowing Collegiate Honor Roll accolades and was named to the BIG EAST Academic All-Star team. She has studied abroad in both Kenya and London and is a majoring in Arts and Letters pre-professional studies and computer applications.

Sophomore Diane Price – Price is in her second season in the first varsity eight shell. The native of Indianapolis, Ind., Price was a member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star team in 2001, and boasts one of the highest grade-point averages on the Irish roster. She is enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters hoping to major in both philosophy and psychology.

Sophomore Natalie Ladine – The native of Sacramento, Calif., is in her first season as a member of the varsity eight after rowing with the novice team in 2001. Ladine has taken the team by storm as she posted the fastest erg time this spring and has made a dramatic difference in the speed of the boat. Known for her incredible endurance, Ladine is enrolled in the College of Science.

Senior Katie Besson – Besson is in her third season as a member of the varsity roster. After rowing with the second varsity eight in 2001, the native of Hales Corner, Wis., regained her seat in the first varsity eight this season. A member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star team, Besson graduated in May with a degree in government.

Senior Katherine Burnett – From Germantown, Tenn., Burnett is in her third season as a member of the varsity eight after making the jump from the novice team her sophomore season. A two-time CRCA National Scholar-Athlete and BIG EAST Academic All-Star team honoree, Burnett graduate in May with a degree in biology and is going to Georgetown Medical School in the fall.

Sophomore Spare Courtney Mercer – A native of Herndon, Va., the captain rowed with the second varsity eight in 2002. Mercer is in her third year with the varsity program and was a member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star team in 2001. Mercer graduated in May with a double major in sociology and computer applications.

Sophomore Spare Alice Bartek – Bartek has opened a lot of eyes this spring making the leap from the novice to the varsity roster during the middle of the season. Bartek, from Wahoo, Neb., rowed as a member of the second varsity eight for the Central Regions. She is currently enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters.

IRISH RANKED 13TH IN NATION: Notre Dame is ranked 13th in the latest US Rowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Poll of the season released on Wednesday, May 22. Washington is ranked first in the nation, followed by Brown, Ohio State, Yale and Michigan. The Irish started the season at No. 20 before steadily climbing the rankings throughout the year. Notre Dame achieved the highest ranking in the four-year history of the program at ninth after the San Diego Crew Classic, marking the first time in Irish history Notre Dame had been ranked in the top 10 nationally.

SPRING RECAP: After a slow start due to weather and bad training conditions, not to mention that both of Notre Dame’s four shells were destroyed in a trailer accident, Notre Dame rebounded and had its most successful season in history in 2001-02. The Irish started the spring by defeating Tennessee, then finishing fifth at the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic, winning the Indiana Crew Classic, placing second at the 2002 BIG EAST Rowing Challenge and fourth at the 2002 Central Regions.

The Irish defeated the Volunteers by 19 seconds before traveling to San Diego and gaining the attention of the rowing world. The Irish defeated four teams ranked above them in the Jessop-Whittier Cup including No. 6 Virginia in the grand final. The Irish vaulted from a preseason ranking of 20th to ninth after its trip to San Diego. Notre Dame then easily won the Indiana Crew Classic, defeating its next closest competitor by 15 seconds. At the BIG EAST Rowing Challenge, the Irish placed second to 10th-ranked Syracuse, before placing fourth at the Central Sprints behind Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.

ALL-CENTRAL REGION NOMINEES: Notre Dame, experiencing its best season in history, had four people nominated for All-Central Region honors including seniors Katherine Burnett and Michelle Olsgard, junior Ashlee Warren and sophomore Natalie Ladine. Award announcements should be made later this month.

CRCA SCHOLAR-ATHLETE NOMINEES: Notre Dame had six members of its varsity eight crew earn nominations for the 2002 CRCA Scholar-Athlete Award. Nominated were Cassie Markstaher, Becky Luckett, Natalie Ladine, Diane Price, Katie Besson and Katherine Burnett. Winners will be announced later this month.

KATHERINE BURNETT WINS KNUTE ROCKNE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD: Senior Katherine Burnett is the 2002 winner of the Notre Dame Knute Rockne Scholar-Athlete Award for rowing. Burnett has a 3.570 grade-point average in biology.

THE CAPTAINS: Head coach Martin Stone has had strong leadership this season as Michelle Olsgard and Courtney Mercer are the captains for the 2001-02 season. Olsgard is in her fourth season with the Irish, earning all-Central Region and BIG EAST academic all-star honors last season. She is enrolled in the College of Science, majoring in environmental science. Mercer is also in her fourth season of competition for the Irish and is enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in sociology. Mercer was also a member of the BIG EAST academic all-star team.