April 24, 1999
Annapolis, Md. – The Notre Dame women’s rowing team took second place in all four of its races as the Irish competed against Navy and MIT in a tri-meet at Annapolis, Md.
The Varsity Eight boat of coxswain Jada Benn (Midwest City, Okla.), Katie Fox (Bloomington, Minn.), Elizabeth Nerney (Waynesville, N.C.), Katrina Ten Eyck (Keystone, S.D.), Quinn Vandenberg (Washburn, Wis.), Melissa Alberding (Decatur, Ind.) Christine Nardi (Strongsville, Ohio) and Allison Bartsh (Bettendorf, Ia.) fought back in the 500 meters of the race to overtake the MIT boat and finish in second with a time of 7:07. Navy won the race in 6:45, while MIT crossed the finish line in 7:08.
The Second Varsity Eight crew finished 13 seconds behind Navy (7:07.44) and 16 seconds ahead of MIT (7:26.64) as the Irish boat of coxswain Claire Bula (Madison, Wis.), Caroline Marino (Ft. Worth, Tex.), Betsy Storey (Lake Forest, Ill.), Elizabeth Cushing (Los Gatos, Calif.), Kelly Natter (Washington D.C.), Cheryl Tanski (Kenmore, N.Y.), Emily Deye (Montgomery Village, Md.), Melissa Bouche (Marinette, Wis.) and Joslyn Moreau (Pearland, Tex.) turned in a time of 7:20.42.
The Varsity Four boat of coxswain Erin Kiernicki (Chicago, Ill.), Lezlie Potter (Englewood, Colo.), Emily Miner (West Hartford, Conn.), Kathryn Hammel (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Jeanette McKenna (Brookville, Md.) finished 13 seconds behind first-place Navy in its race as the Irish boat clocked a time of 8:10.53.
The Novice Eight boat of coxswain Kim Benard (Burr Ridge, Ill.), Michelle Olsgard (Fort Collins, Colo.), Courtney Mercer (Herndon, Va.), Katherine Burnett (Germantown, Tenn.), Kelly Cooney (Rochester, N.Y.), Amy Braun (Indianapolis, Ind.), Erin Dowd (Concord, Ohio), Katie Besson (Hales Corner, Wis.) and Megan Feely (University City, Mo.) lost for the time in three races this spring as the crew was beaten out by Navy. The Midshipmen finished with a time of 7:03.83, while the Irish crossed turned in a time of 7:16.06.
“The water conditions were extremely rough today and something we’re not used to,” head coach Martin Stone said. “The varsity eight race was very exciting. Navy pulled away early on, but our boat fought back against MIT after being down at the end. It was a great battle and it was encouraging to see our rowers come through in a tight situation. We showed great character in getting the second-place finish.
“Overall, I was pleased with our performance and we look forward to tomorrow’s races at the Georgetown Invite where we will face all of the BIG EAST schools which sponsor rowing.”