April 26, 2002

THIS WEEK: The University of Notre Dame women’s rowing team, ranked 10th in the nation, will travel Sunday, April 28, to the 2002 BIG EAST Rowing Challenge on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. The Irish will compete against the other nine BIG EAST Conference schools who offer rowing including Boston College, Connecticut, Georgetown, Miami, Rutgers, Syracuse, Villanova and West Virginia.

The BIG EAST Rowing Challenge is scheduled to begin Sunday at 8:10 a.m. with the first heat of the varsity four and conclude at 1:30 p.m. with the grand final of the varsity eight. An awards presentation will take place at 2:00 p.m. Here is a complete schedule of Sunday’s events.

8:10 a.m.   Varsity Four (Heat One)8:20 a.m.   Varsity Four (Heat Two)8:40 a.m.   Novice Eight (Heat One)8:50 a.m.   Novice Eight (Heat Two)9:00 a.m.   Second Varsity Eight (Heat One)9:10 a.m.   Second Varsity Eight (Heat Two)9:20 a.m.   Varsity Eight (Heat One)9:30 a.m.   Varsity Eight (Heat Two)10:20 a.m.  Second Novice Eight (Final)10:40 a.m.  Novice Four (Final)11:00 a.m.  Varsity Four (Petite)12:40 p.m.  Novice Eight (Petite)12:50 p.m.  Novice Eight (Grand)1:00 p.m.   Second Varsity Eight (Petite)1:10 p.m.   Second Varsity Eight (Grand)1:20 p.m.   Varsity Eight (Petite)1:30 p.m.   Varsity Eight (Grand)

IRISH CREWS: Here are the Irish boatings for this weekend’s races at the BIG EAST Rowing Challenge:

Varsity Eight – Cassie Markstahler (cox), Jayme Szefc (S), Michelle Olsgard, Ashlee Warren, Becky Luckett, Diane Price, Natalie Ladine, Katie Besson, Katherine Burnett

Second Varsity Eight – Kacy McCaffrey (cox), Megan Feely (S), Kerri Murphy, Erica Drennen, Courtney Mercer, Jacqueline Hazen, Melissa Alberding, Kathleen Welsh, Danielle Protasewich

Varsity Four – Caitlin Rackish (cox), Sarah Keefer, Kati Sedun, Elizabeth Specht, Maureen Carr

Second Varsity Four- Kathryn Long (cox), Katie O’Hara, Katherine McCaulden, Andrea Amoni, Alexa Garot

Novice Eight – Maureen Gibbons (cox), Kristen Mizzi, Shannon Mohan, Rachel Polinski, Alice Bartek, Meredith Thornburgh, Christy Donnelly, Devon Hegeman, Katie Chenowith

Second Novice Eight – Erin Diminick (cox), Ann Mulligan, Tricia David, Tori Blainey, Jill Klima, Kristen Wright, Jennifer Connolly, Courtney Quinn, Beth Franzosa

ABOUT THE BIG EAST ROWING CHALLENGE – The BIG EAST Rowing Challenge is one of the top regattas of the spring season for the Irish. Notre Dame comes into the weekend as the highest ranked team in the regatta, at 10th nationally, but defending BIG EAST Champion Syracuse is ranked 13th. Syracuse has won three races this season, including defeating nationally-ranked Boston University and Clemson, who is receiving votes.

Rutgers has finished third in all of its races this season including against Wisconsin and nationally-ranked Northeastern. Rutgers also finished third against No. 4 Princeton and Columbia. Boston College is in its second season as a varsity program and has a victory at the Knecht Cup. Georgetown won the George Washington Invitational Crew Classic earlier this season, while Miami placed third at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship.

The Villanova novice eight team placed third at the Knecht Cup and Occoquan Springs, while Connecticut’s novice eight crew claimed three wins this spring. West Virginia’s varsity eight, also a second-year program, defeated Barry on March 20.

LAST YEAR AT THE BIG EAST CHALLENGE – Notre Dame placed second at the inaugural BIG EAST Rowing Challenge on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.

Syracuse, who was ranked No. 6 in the nation, finished first with 107 points, followed by Notre Dame (93) and Rutgers (79). Boston College was fourth with 75 points, while Georgetown was fifth with 74. The University of Miami was sixth with 57 points. Villanova (54), Connecticut (42) and West Virginia (28) rounded out the standings.

In the varsity eight race, Notre Dame placed third after battling Rutgers until the very end of the race. Syracuse ran away with the gold medal in 6:29.59. Rutgers tusseled with the Irish and just pushed ahead with a few meters to go, finishing in 6:35.58, compared to 6:37.36 for the Irish. Miami was fourth in 6:43.00.

The second varsity eight race was also hotly contested as the Irish were runners-up to Syracuse by less than one second. Syracuse jumped out to an early lead before the Irish pulled back even with the Orangewomen. The Irish were barely outstroked in the end as Syracuse won in 6:42.30, while Notre Dame finished in 6:43.18. Rutgers was third in 6:49.57.

Notre Dame claimed third and fifth in the varsity four event. First-year program West Virginia took the gold medal in 7:33.08, while Syracuse A was second in 7:36.12. Notre Dame A was third in 7:45.67, followed by Boston College (7:47.41) and Notre Dame B (7:48.65).

The novice eight race was also extremely close as Georgetown narrowly defeated the Irish by .52 seconds. Georgetown crossed the line in 6:56.84, followed by Notre Dame, who finished in 6:57.36 and Boston College in 7:01.14.

IRISH RANKED 10TH IN NATION – Notre Dame is ranked 10th in the latest US Rowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Poll of the season released Wednesday, April 24. It is the second consecutive week Notre Dame has appeared in the top 10. Last week, the Irish achieved the highest ranking in the four-year history of the program at ninth, marking the first time Notre Dame has been ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Washington continues to hold the top spot with 19 first-place votes and 494 points. Brown is second with the six remaining first-place votes and 481 points, while Michigan held steady in third with 423 points. Princeton moved up one sport to fourth with 411 points, while Ohio State fell one place to fifth with 396 points. Yale checks in at No. 6, while Stanford, Cal, Harvard and Notre Dame make up the rest of the top 10.

SPRING RECAP – Notre Dame has had very successful spring season thus far as the varsity eight has defeated Tennessee, finished fifth at the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic and won the Indiana Crew Classic. The Irish defeated the Volunteers by 19 seconds before traveling to San Diego and gaining the attention of the rowing world. The Irish defeated four teams ranked above them in the Jessop-Whittier Cup including No. 6 Virginia in the grand final. The Irish vaulted from a preseason ranking of 20th to ninth after its trip to San Diego. Notre Dame then easily won the Indiana Crew Classic, defeating its next closest competitor by 15 seconds.

The second varsity eight won its race at Tennessee, but caught a crab in the junior varsity race in San Diego, finishing well behind the pack.

The varsity four, who has gone through much adversity this season after two of its shells were destroyed in a trailer accident before its spring break trip to Tennessee, rebounded to win the varsity four at the Indiana Crew Classic, its first race of the season.

HISTORY LESSON – Notre Dame rowing, in only its fourth season, was granted varsity status in 1996, making it the 26th varsity sport at the University. Martin Stone was hired in ’97 as the first head coach and the Irish competed in their first regatta in 1998.

Last season, the Irish finished the year ranked 16th in the nation, narrowly missing the NCAA Championships. The varsity eight boat won its first five races of the spring season and placed an impressive fifth at the Central Sprints in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Both Ashlee Warren and Michelle Olsgard earned all-Central Region honors for the Irish, while Warren, Becky Luckett, Ann Marie Dillhoff and Katherine Burnett earned the CRCA National Scholar-Athlete Award.

THE CAPTAINS Head coach Martin Stone will have strong leadership this season as Michelle Olsgard and Courtney Mercer have been named captains for the 2001-02 season. Olsgard is in her fourth season with the Irish, earning all-Central Region and BIG EAST academic all-star honors last season. She is enrolled in the College of Science, majoring in environmental science. Mercer is also in her fourth season of competition for the Irish and is enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in sociology. Mercer was also a member of the BIG EAST academic all-star team.

THE SCHEDULE: Notre Dame faces one of the toughest schedules in the nation this spring. After opening the 2002 spring campaign with a dual regatta against Tennessee, who won the club eight at the Head of the Charles in the fall, the Irish then traveled to San Diego for the Jessop-Whittier Cup and the San Diego Crew Classic. Notre Dame then went to Indianapolis, Ind., for what they hope will be the first of two trips this spring, competing in the Indiana Crew Classic.

After the BIG EAST Rowing Challenge in Worcester, Mass, the Irish travel to Oak Ridge, Tenn., May 18-19, for the Central Region Championships. The top crews at the Central Regions will receive invitations for the 2002 NCAA Rowing Championships May 30- June 1 in Indianapolis.