March 14, 2011
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The University of Notre Dame rowing team got its spring season underway on Sunday, taking on Alabama and Minnesota in 10 scrimmage pieces at Melton Lake.
The format for each of the 10 pieces made for a 1,500m race in length at a running start for the boats. The starting points were varied for each race and the ratings were capped for each piece. Due to the formatting of the races, boatings changed throughout the day to give the Irish a sense of who excelled in different situations.
In total, the Irish claimed eight wins out of 10 and came in second on the remaining two pieces.
“I thought we did a very good job,” said Irish head coach Martin Stone. “It was a great way to start our spring break training trip. All of our crews raced well under pressure. There is still a lot to do, but I think we are in the right place for this time of year and have a solid base from which to build as we move forward this spring.”
In the first session of the day, the Irish claimed wins in four of the five pieces. Notre Dame secured first in the varsity eight with a time of 4:48.2 and varsity four at 5:16.3 before finishing runner-up in the novice eight in 4:55.3. Minnesota won that heat at 4:54.8.
The Irish rebounded to claim the final two pieces of the first session, winning the second varsity eight piece in 4:46.0 before the Notre Dame “B” boat crossed first in the second varsity four heat in 5:28.3.
Notre Dame concluded its opening day of races with four victories in the final five pieces, capturing wins in the varsity eight (4:40.5), varsity four (5:24.0), second varsity eight (4:45.9) and second varsity four with the Notre Dame “B” (4:57.0). The Irish placed second in the novice eight at 4:39.4.
The Irish now remain in Oak Ridge for the week as they train over their spring break before returning to the water in a showdown against Buffalo on Saturday.
Be sure to check back with und.com for a complete recap of the day’s races.