May 22, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame head rowing coach Martin Stone has been named the 2006 Division I Central Region Coach of the Year. Stone, the only coach in the eight-year history of the program, has guided the Irish to its most successful season en route to Notre Dame earning its first-ever team berth into the 2006 NCAA Championships in the 12-team field.
Named head coach in October of ’97, Stone has steadily built the program over the past eight years. In addition to earning the school’s first team berth into the NCAA Championships, Notre Dame captured its third consecutive BIG EAST team crown as Stone and his assistants, Joe Scholsberg and Marnie Stahl, were named the Conference’s staff of the year. The Irish also finished third overall in the team standings at the South/Central Region Championships.
The Irish varsity eight boat, after beginning the season unranked, finished fifth in the final Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/US Rowing Poll, its highest ranking in school history after winning both the varsity races at the BIG EAST and South/Central Region championships. Notre Dame’s victory at the South/Central Region race was the first-ever for an Irish varsity eight crew. That same varsity eight crew also notched a fourth-place finish (best in school history) in the Jessop-Whittier Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic. While this is Notre Dame first appearance at the NCAAs in the team competition, the Irish varsity eight boats in 2002 and 2004 competed as at-large entrants in the field with the ’04 crew earning an 11th-place finish.
In addition to Stone, four other coaches earned all-regional honors: Jane LaRiviere of Washington Stone (West), Lisa Glenn of Tennessee (South), Lori Dauphny of Princeton (Mid-Atlantic) and Holly Hatton of Boston University (New England).