May 16, 2010
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The Notre Dame rowing team finished ninth overall and sixth in the central region at the Central/South Region Championships from Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Irish novice eight boat finished sixth place in the lone grand final run for the squad.
“Overall I thought that we raced very well again today,” Irish head coach Martin Stone stated. “We improved on most of our races from yesterday and raced really hard but we just ran into some really tough competition. It may not have been the exact result that we were looking for but we continued to get faster and that’s what we ask for every time we go out and race.”
The novice eight race pitted the Irish against the likes of Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. Notre Dame finished the course in a time of 7:00.76 to grab sixth place. Wisconsin (6:44.38), Virginia (6:44.44) and Ohio State (6:55.50) finishes first through third, respectively, in the final. The result earned the Irish 16 points for their team score
The Irish started the day of competition with the open four C final. The crew went on to secure the final victory by setting the mark at 7:42.50. Tulsa “B” (7:45.92) and Tulsa “A” (7:46.45) rounded out the top three.
Notre Dame “B” was next to the water in the open four petite final. The boat finished the course in a time of 7:46.32 and secured fifth place in the heat. Michigan won the race and earned 12 points by stopping the clock at 7:36.59.
The varsity four race was next and provided arguably one of the best competitions of the day. The Irish crew earned a third-place result, but was only separated from the race-winning boat of Minnesota by just over two seconds (7:33.10). Ohio State held off Notre Dame by two tenths of a second (7:35.13) for the runner-up finish.
“The varsity four race was one of the best course races that I think I’ve ever seen,” Stone said. “It was neck-and-neck for most of the race. Minnesota only pulled way in the final 600 meters while Ohio State and ourselves went back and forth for the entire course. They would take one stroke and pull ahead and then we would answer and take the lead by a nose. It was just an all around great race.”
Notre Dame next competed in the second varsity eight petite final. The Irish boat crossed the gate in a time of 7:08.19, good for fifth place and 72 points to the team score. Michigan State took home petite final gold with a time of 6:49.30.
Racing action concluded for the Irish with the varsity eight petite final. The boat rowed a fast race, completing the course in a time of 6:44.52 to earn fourth place and 135 points. Ohio State (6:40.20), Louisville (6:41.72) and Iowa (6:42.32) placed first through third.
Notre Dame ended the competition with 269 team points, good for ninth in the overall standings and sixth in the central region. Virginia took the overall title with 451 points, while Wisconsin finished second overall and first in the central with 405 points.
Next up for the Irish is a hopeful bid to the 2010 NCAA Championships, which will take place from Friday-Sunday, May 28-31 from the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, Calif.
Overall Standings:1. Virginia 451 points2. Wisconsin 405 points3. Michigan State 387 points4. Michigan 386 points5. Clemson 369 points6. Ohio State 360 points7. Tennessee 312 points8. Iowa 293 points9. NOTRE DAME 269 points10. Minnesota 249 points
Central Region:1. Wisconsin2. Michigan State3. Michigan4. Ohio State5. Iowa6. NOTRE DAME
Sunday Race Results:
Open Four C Final (6 boats): 1. NOTRE DAME (Alicia Elliott (C), Meghan Salomon, Sarah Thompson, Brianna Krafcik, Ching-Ting Hwang) – 7:42.50; 2. Tulsa “B” – 7:45.92; 3. Tulsa “A” – 7:46.45; 4. Iowa – 7:52.55; 5. UCF – 7:55.80; 6. Oklahoma – 8:07.91
Open Four Petite Final (6 boats): 1. Michigan – 7:36.59; 2. Kansas – 7:38.72; 3. Texas – 7:40.48; 4. Michigan State – 7:43.27; 5. NOTRE DAME (Kerry Casey (C), Sarah McShane, Jennifer Lee, Meghan Vertovec, Camille Sharrow) – 7:46.32; 6. Dayton – 7:57.69
Novice Eight Grand Final (6 boats): 1. Wisconsin – 6:44.38; 2. Virginia – 6:44.44; 3. Ohio State – 6:55.50; 4. Michigan – 6:58.28; 5. Michigan State – 7:00.52; 6. NOTRE DAME (Abby Meyers (C), Teresa Blumenstein, Analisa LaMair-Orosco, Paige Aiello, Kelsey Haddad, Maura Newell, Caitlin Connelly, Alyce Kanabrocki, Kelsey Murphy) – 7:00.76
Varsity Four Petite Final (6 boats): 1. Minnesota – 7:33.10; 2. Ohio State – 7:35.13; 3. NOTRE DAME (Jacqueline Gilhooly (C), Andrea Archer, Valerie Brencher, Paige White, Joanna Poinsatte) – 7:35.33; 4. UCF – 7:41.93; 5. Texas – 7:45.39; 6. Tennessee – 7:52.04
Second Varsity Eight Petite Final (6 boats): 1. Michigan State – 6:49.30; 2. Iowa – 6:56.56; 3. Texas – 7:00.09; 4. Minnesota – 7:01.10; 5. NOTRE DAME (Rachael Louie (C), Katie Suyo, Megan Keegan, Braegan Padley, Kathryn Monahan, Christina Buckley, Emily Backer, Carol Ann Michel, Genevieve Malone) – 7:08.19; 6. UCF – 7:09.85
Varsity Eight Petite Final (6 boats): 1. Ohio State – 6:40.20; 2. Louisville – 6:41.72; 3. Iowa – 6:42.32; 4. NOTRE DAME (Sarah Keithley (C), Casey Robinson, Stephanie O’Neill, Emily Crosby, Katherine Linnemanstons, Brittney Kelly, Erin McConnell, Stephanie Gretsch, Morgan Kelley) – 6:44.52; 5. Minnesota – 6:47.36; 6. Oklahoma – 6:54.94
–ND–