May 14, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame rowing team is set to return to action on Saturday and Sunday, May 15-16 from Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn. as it competes in the Central/South Region Championship. The Irish enter with confidence after earning their seventh consecutive conference championship two weekends ago.
“The BIG EAST Championship was a fantastic experience for us,” Irish head coach Martin Stone says. “I think we gained more confidence and we are on the right track. We have continued to prepare well and I think that all the boats are showing more speed than at the BIG EAST. We know that in order to be successful this weekend, it will take three great races.”
The Irish will head back to familiar territory this weekend in Oak Ridge, as the squad faced off against Duke and Buffalo at Melton Lake earlier in the season to open up the spring campaign.
“Overall, I think we are comfortable with the logistics and course in Oak Ridge after getting a chance to race on it previously,” Stone says. “However, it is still up to our boats to race to the best of their abilities and post fast times.”
This will mark the 11th-straight year that the Irish will be competing in the Central/South Championships. Last season, Notre Dame placed eighth overall in the standings and sixth in the central region. The best Irish finish came in the 2006 season when the team was able to finish in third place in the central region and overall standings.
Two boats (’03 second varsity four, ’06 varsity eight) have earned grand final victories for the Irish at the event, while five additional boats (’01 varsity four, ’02 varsity four, ’08 open varsity four, ’09 second varsity eight, ’09 open varsity four) have grabbed petite final wins.
The Irish enter this weekends competition ranked 19th in the nation according to the most recent Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA)/USRowing Poll (May 5). The rest of the field is comprised of (rankings in parentheses): Alabama, UCF, Clemson (15), Dayton, Duke (Receiving Votes), Eastern Michigan, Indiana (RV), Iowa (RV), Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville (RV), Miami (Fla.), Michigan (13), Michigan State (9), Minnesota (RV), Ohio State (14), Oklahoma, SMU, Tennessee (16), Texas, Tulsa, Virginia (3) and Wisconsin (10).
Race action will get underway at 9:00 a.m. (ET) on Saturday with morning heats to place teams in their respective semifinal runs. The semifinal runs will then determine which teams move on to compete in their boats petite or grand final on Sunday.
Be sure to check back with und.com for daily recaps of the Irish from the Central/South Region Championships.
Irish At the Central/South Region Championship:2000 10th2001 9th2002 4th overall / 4th central2003 8th overall / 5th central2004 6th (tie) overall / 5th central2005 7th overall / 5th central2006 3rd overall / 3rd central2007 5th overall / 3rd central2008 7th overall / 5th central2009 8th overall / 6th central
Projected Boatings:
Varsity Eight: Sarah Keithley (coxswain), Casey Robinson, Stephanie O’Neill, Emily Crosby, Katherine Linnemanstons, Brittney Kelly, Erin McConnell, Stephanie Gretsch, Morgan Kelley
Second Varsity Eight: Rachael Louie (coxswain), Katie Suyo, Megan Keegan, Braegan Padley, Kathryn Monahan, Christina Buckley, Emily Backer, Carol Ann Michel, Genevieve Malone
Varsity Four: Jacqueline Gilhooly (coxswain), Andrea Archer, Valerie Brencher, Paige White, Joanna Poinsatte
Novice Eight: Abby Meyers (coxswain), Teresa Blumenstein, Analisa LaMair-Orosco, Paige Aiello, Kelsey Haddad, Maura Newell, Caitlin Connelly, Alyce Kanabrocki, Kelsey Murphy
Open Four “A”: Alicia Elliott (coxswain), Meghan Salomon, Sarah Thompson, Brianna Krafcik, Ching-Ting Hwang
Open Four “B”: Kerry Casey (coxswain), Sarah McShane, Jennifer Lee, Meghan Vertovec, Camille Sharrow
–ND–