Sept. 18, 2005
Belleville, Mich. – The University of Notre Dame women’s rowing team started off its fall season with three races on Sunday at Belleville Lake in Belleville, Mich. The Irish had three boats in each of the three races, while Eastern Michigan had two crews in each of the three pieces. Each race covered 3,000 meters. Stroke limits for the day were set at 25 strokes per minute.
The Irish crews were randomly selected by the coaching staff and the where individuals rowed in the boats was determined by members of the boat. The three boats the Irish rowed in were The Hesburgh, The Joyce and The Scathach.
In the first piece, Notre Dame’s crew rowing in The Scathach took fourth among the 11 boats with a time of 10:01. The members of that crew included Shannan Lettieri (coxswain), Melissa Felker, Alyssa Close, Lindsay McQuaid, Betsy Madison, Laura Pearson, Andrea Doud, Erica Castro-Larson and Shannon Cassell. Rowing in The Joyce, the crew of Christina Padayhag (coxswain), Casey Fairbanks, Jessica Guzik, Mary Quinn, Sarah Palandech, Pamela Jefson, Ariel Klingaman, Elli Greybar and Alyssa Teves were eighth in 10:08, while the boat of Ko-Un Park (coxswain), Ankica Jedry, Amanda Polk, Sarah Kate Hafner, Danielle Stealy, Ashley St. Pierre, Danielle Leary, Mary McNamara and Kaitlin Jackson rowing in The Hesburgh was 10th in 10:11.
In the second race of the day, The Scathach was fifth in 9:42. Members of that crew were: Eileen Froehlke (coxswain), Felker, Close, McQuaid, Madison, Pearson, Doud, Erica Castro-Larson and Kate Sylvia. The Joyce, with Maria Romano as coxswain, took seventh in 9:44, while The Hesburgh was eighth in 9:49 and was coxed by Kelsey Otero.
In the final piece, there were no boating changes from the second race. The Scathach took third in 10:03, while The Hesburgh took ninth in 10:30 and the The Joyce was third in 10:33.
“I was very pleased with how we rowed today,” head coach Martin Stone said. “We’ve only been practicing for two weeks and we used this competition to see where we are at this early in the season. Today showed us what we need to do to get better.”