Aug. 6, 1999

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Pam Mork, assistant women’s rowing coach at the University of North Carolina the past two years, has been named assistant women’s rowing coach at the University of Notre Dame. She succeeds Kerry O’Keefe who resigned to become the head coach at Southern Methodist University.

Her primary duties with the Irish will be coaching the novice squad and assisting head coach Martin Stone with recruiting. The 2000 campaign will be the second season of women’s varsity rowing at the University

Mork helped start up the women’s varsity rowing program in Chapel Hill, N.C. During the 1998 and 1999 seasons, she coached the novice squad, assisted with recruiting and fund-raising, and coordinated and managed all aspects of the program and team travel. In ’98, the Tar Heel novice eight boat finished undefeated in dual meet competition.

Mork, who brings a wealth of experience as a rower and coach to Notre Dame, received her bachelors degree in applied economics from the University of Wisconsin. A four-year letterwinner and member of the women’s rowing team, she rowed stroke for the varsity eight boat that was ranked in the top five nationally throughout her career and won the Head of the Charles race on one occasion. In 1993, Mork participated in a developmental camp with the Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia, Pa., and the following year, trained with national coach Igor Grinko at Occoquan, Va., as a member of the Occoquan Rowing Association.

Following her graduation from Wisconsin, the Mukwonago, Wis., native spent two years (1996-97) as a graduate assistant coach at Purdue University where she coached the novice team and performed other day-to-day operations associated with the program. She received her masters degree in agricultural economics from Purdue in ’97.

“I’m very pleased to have Pam join our staff,” Irish head coach Martin Stone says. “She is going to be a tremendous asset to our program because of her background and success in the sport as both a rower and coach. Coming from Wisconsin, Pam has a good understanding of the sport in the Midwest and she also has experience at the national team level.

“Pam also understands what it takes when starting up a new program. She experienced great success and was instrumental in the organization of the North Carolina rowing team in its first two seasons.”