May 14, 2004

Notre Dame, Ind. – THIS WEEKEND: The No. 14 Notre Dame women’s rowing team is back in action after a two-week hiatus from competition when the Irish travel to Oakridge, Tenn., for the eighth annual Lexus Central/South Region Sprints. The event will take place Saturday-Sunday, May 15-16 on Melton Hill Lake. Notre Dame has not been in action since winning the BIG EAST Challenge in Worcester, Mass., on April 25.

The regional championship features 23 teams from both the Central and South regions in what comprises the strongest field ever for this event. Nine ranked teams are among the participants in the two-day regatta. In addition to the Irish, the ranked teams from the Central Region include Michigan (No. 3), Ohio State (No. 5), Wisconsin (No. 10) and Michigan State (No. 11). The ranked teams from the South Region are Virginia (No. 7), Tennessee (No. 13), Texas (No. 18) and Duke (No. 20). Other teams included in the field are Central Florida, Cincinnati, Clemson, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Minnesota, Murray State, North Carolina and Southern Methodist.

Notre Dame had its best showing in the championship a year ago when its second varsity four crew won the gold medal in the grand final.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS CENTRAL/SOUTH REGION CHAMPIONSHIP: This weekend’s event gets underway on Saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m. with the first heat of the first novice eight. Sunday’s finals are also slated to begin at 9:00 a.m. The following is a complete schedule for both Saturday and Sunday (all times are CDT):

Saturday, May 15 9:00 a.m. First Novice Eight (Heat One) – North Carolina, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Central Florida

9:10 a.m. First Novice Eight (Heat Two) – Eastern Michigan, Miami, Virginia, Kansas State, Cincinnati

9:20 a.m. First Novice Eight (Heat Three) – Kansas, NOTRE DAME, Clemson, Tennessee, Michigan

9:30 a.m. Open Four (Heat One) – NOTRE DAME, Michigan, Virginia, Cincinnati

9:40 a.m. Open Four (Heat Two) – Clemson, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa

9:50 a.m. First Varsity Four (Heat One) – Kansas, Minnesota, Virginia, Michigan, Duke, North Carolina

10:00 a.m. First Varsity Four (Heat Two) – Central Florida, Clemson, Ohio State, NOTRE DAME, Iowa, Indiana

10:10 a.m. First Varsity Four (Heat Three) – Cincinnati, Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Tennessee, Eastern Michigan

10:20 a.m. Second Varsity Eight (Heat One) – Eastern Michigan, Iowa, NOTRE DAME, Virginia, Minnesota, Miami, Louisville

10:30 a.m. Second Varsity Eight (Heat Two) – North Carolina, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio State, Clemson, Central Florida

10:40 a.m. Second Varsity Eight (Heat Three) – Indiana, Kansas, Texas, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Duke, Kansas State

10:50 a.m. First Varsity Eight (Heat One) – Central Florida, Duke, Michigan, Texas, Louisville

11:00 a.m. First Varsity Eight (Heat Two) – Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio State, NOTRE DAME, Kansas State, Murray State

11:10 a.m. First Varsity Eight (Heat Three) – Cincinnati, Clemson, Virginia, Tennessee, Kansas, Eastern Michigan

11:20 a.m. First Varsity Eight (Heat Four) – Southern Methodist, Miami, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Iowa, North Carolina

2:00 p.m. First Novice Eight (Semifinal A)

2:10 p.m. First Novice Eight (Semifinal B)

2:20 p.m. Open Four (Repechage 1)

2:30 p.m. First Varsity Four (Semifinal A)

2:40 p.m. First Varsity Four (Semifinal B)

2:50 p.m. Second Varsity Eight (Semifinal C/D 1)

3:00 p.m. Second Varsity Eight (Semifinal C/D 2)

3:10 p.m. Second Varsity Eight (Semifinal A/B 1)

3:20 p.m. Second Varsity Eight (Semifinal A/B 2)

3:30 p.m. First Varsity Eight (Semifinal C/D 1)

3:40 p.m. First Varsity Eight (Semifinal C/D 2)

3:50 p.m. First Varsity Eight (Semifinal A/B 1)

4:00 p.m. First Varsity Eight (Semifinal A/B 2)

Saturday, May 16 9:00 a.m. Second Varsity Eight (D Level Final)

9:10 a.m. First Varsity Eight (D Level Final)

9:20 a.m. First Novice Eight (C Level Final)

9:30 a.m. First Varsity Four (C Level Final)

9:40 a.m. Second Varsity Four (C Level Final)

9:50 a.m. First Varsity Eight (C Level Final)

10:00 a.m. Second Novice Eight (Final A)

10:10 a.m. First Novice Eight (Final B)

10:20 a.m. First Novice Eight (Final A)

10:30 a.m. Open Four (Final B)

10:40 a.m. Open Four (Final A)

10:50 a.m. First Varsity Four (Final B)

11:00 a.m. First Varsity Four (Final A)

11:10 a.m. Second Varsity Eight (Final B)

11:20 a.m. Second Varsity Eight (Final A)

11:30 a.m. First Varsity Eight (Final B)

11:40 a.m. First Varsity Eight (Final A)

CREWS FOR THE WEEKEND:

Varsity Eight: Maureen Gibbons (cox), Natalie Ladine, Alice Bartek, Meghan Boyle, Rachel Polinski, Melissa Felker, Katie Chenoweth, Danielle Protasewich and Jacqueline Hazen

Second Varsity Eight: Kacy McCaffrey (cox), Jessica Guzik, Ashley St. Pierre, Elizabeth Specht, Kathleen Welsh, Kati Sedun, Sarah Kate Hafner, Danielle Stealy and Megan Sanders

Varsity Four: Kathryn Long (cox), Katie O’Hara, Pam Jefson, Kristen Mizzi and Andrea Doud

Second Varsity Four (Open Four): Caitlin Rackish (cox), Sarah Keefer, Kristen Henkel, Jenna Redgate and Tricia David

First Novice Eight: Maria Romano (cox), Danielle Potts, Ariel Klingaman, Alyssa Close, Beth Hatch, Shannon Cassel, Colleen Larson, Sarah Shaw and Meghan Chidsey

Martin Stone ON THIS WEEKEND’S COMPETITION: “This weekend’s regatta is one of the strongest in the country. The Central Region is one of the toughest and you can make a case that our region deserves several bids. Three conference champions (BIG EAST- Notre Dame, ACC-Virginia and Big Ten-Michigan) will be represented at this event. We want to race well and strong this weekend so that we can make a case for ourselves for an NCAA tournament berth.”

BIG EAST REVIEW: Determined not to finish second for the fourth straight year, Notre Dame women’s rowing team put forth a total team effort in capturing the team title for the first time in school history at the fourth annual BIG EAST Rowing Challenge at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. Led by its four individual title races in the varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four and second varsity four, Notre Dame finished with 116 points.

Irish head coach Martin Stone garnered Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Notre Dame’s varsity eight crew of Maureen Gibbons (cox), Natalie Ladine (stroke), Alice Bartek, Meghan Boyle, Rachel Polinski, Melissa Felker, Katie Chenoweth, Danielle Protasewich and Jacqueline Hazen (bow) won the gold medal, crossing the finish line in the Grand Final in 6:54.89.

Notre Dame also claimed top honors in the second varsity eight race, winning the Grand Final by more than four seconds over second-place Georgetown. The Irish second varsity eight crew of Kacy McCaffrey (cox), Kati Sedun (stroke), Kathleen Welsh, Jessica Guzik, Jenna Redgate, Elizabeth Specht, Megan Sanders, Danielle Stealy and Andrea Doud (bow) won the race in 7:09.17.

Notre Dame won the varsity four Grand Final by more than nine seconds. The Irish crew of Kathryn Long (cox), Katie O’Hara (stroke), Kristen Mizzi, Pamela Jefson and Ashley St. Pierre (bow) was victorious with a time of 7:36.66.

The Irish were first and fourth in the Grand Final of the second varsity four race. Notre Dame’s “A” crew of Caitlin Rackish (cox), Sarah Keefer (stroke), Meredith Thornburgh, Kristin Henkel and Tricia David (bow) won the race in 7:35.74, while Notre Dame’s “B” crew of Shannan Lettieri (cox), Courtney Quinn (stroke), Ann Mulligan, Meghan Chidsey and Jennifer Connolly (bow) was fourth in 8:00.29. The novice eight crew of Maria Romano (cox), Sarah Kate Hafner (stroke), Ariel Klingaman, Alyssa Close, Beth Hatch, Danielle Potts, Colleen Larson, Shannon Cassel and Sarah Shaw (bow) finished third in the Grand Final as the Irish were clocked in 7:26.81.

The novice four crew of of Eileen Froehlke (cox), Audrey deGuire (stroke), Jana Miller, Colleen McCotter and Kaitlin Sharkey (bow) claimed the trophy in that three-team race, although this was a non-scoring event (one of two in the meet). Notre Dame crossed the finish line in 8:00.08. Big EAST Challenge (Final Team Standings)

1. Notre Dame 116

2. Miami 92

3. Syracuse 82

4. Rutgers 74

5. Georgetown 73

6. Boston College 70

7. Connecticut 46

8. Villanova 40

9. West Virginia 31

ABOUT NOTRE DAME: The Irish began their spring schedule by winning six races against then eighth-ranked Michigan State and Tennessee, which was ranked 13th at the time, on March 13. The tri-regatta was held on Lake Lanier, in Knoxville, Tenn., and was raced in three sessions with Notre Dame winning all three second varsity four heats and taking first place in each of the three first novice eight races.

The following day, the Irish traveled to Oak Ridge, Tenn., to race against 18th-ranked Duke. The regatta featured five races with the Irish prevailing victoriously in the varsity four, the novice eight and the novice four.

Notre Dame then competed in a five-team regatta in Ann Arbor, Mich., on March 27. The day’s competition was highlighted by the Irish first varsity four seizing first place and the first varsity eight crew taking second to Michigan, which was second in the USRowing/CRCA poll at the time.

On April 3-4, two Irish varsity boats traveled to San Diego, Calif., to compete in the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic for the third time in program history. Facing the top varsity eight boats in the country, including then No. 2 California, No. 10 Washington, No. 11 USC, No. 12 Washington State, No. 14 Tennessee and Wisconsin. Notre Dame’s first varsity eight crew placed seventh in the Jessop-Whittier Cup final. The Irish second varsity eight had one of its best races of the season as it placed second in the Petite Final.

Over Easter weekend, the Irish competed in the Indiana Classic against Michigan State (ranked 10th at the time), Indiana and Purdue. Both Notre Dame’s 17th-ranked first varsity eight and second varsity eight finished second to Michigan State in its races.

The day prior to winning the BIG EAST Championship, Notre Dame competed against Boston University and Northeastern on the Charles. In the featured race, the Irish varsity eight crew, ranked 17th at the time, pulled off a big upset win its win over Boston University (ranked 15th heading into the regatta). In addition, Notre Dame finished second in the second varsity eight race and was victorious in the varsity four race. The novice eight crew took second in its race, while the novice four boat also was victorious.

SANDERS NAMED TOP STUDENT-ATHLETE: Senior Megan Sanders earned top honors at the 12th Annual Academic Excellence Awards Dinner organized by the University of Notre Dame’s Office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes and sponsored by the Athletic Department. A native of Kendalville, Ind., she was honored with the Top Gun Award as the graduating senior with the highest cumulative GPA. Sanders owns a 3.997 overall grade index and is enrolled in the College of Science with a concentration in mathematics and life sciences. Sanders has been named to the Dean’s List all seven semesters to date and has earned a 4.0 grade index on six occasions.

A LOOK AT THE POLLS: Notre Dame is ranked 14th in the USRowing/CRCA Poll for the third straight week

USRowing/CRCA Poll As of May 12

Current (first-place votes) 1. California (11) 2. Princeton (8) 3. Michigan (1) 4. Harvard 5. Ohio State 6. Yale 7. Virginia 8. Brown 9. Washington 10. Wisconsin 11. Michigan State 12. Washington State 13. Tennessee 14. Notre Dame 15. Southern California 16. Boston University 17. Massachusetts 18. Texas 19. Northea 20. Duke

Others receiving votes: Cornell, Stanford, Minnesota, Oregon State, Columbia, Syracuse and Miami.

SPRING SCHEDULE: The Irish faced one of the toughest, if not the most, challenging schedules in the nation in 2003 as they raced at least one team in the top 20 almost every weekend. The same is on tap for 2003-04 as the Irish have already rowed in the Head of the Rock and the Head of the Charles.

Throughout the course of the spring, the Irish are scheduled to face 16 of the top-20 teams that were ranked in the USRowing/CRCA preseason poll.

Notre Dame faced perennially ranked teams Tennessee, Michigan State and Duke over spring break to open the spring of 2004. The Irish traveled on March 27 to Ann Arbor, Mich., for another tough regatta against No. 2 Michigan, No. 8 Michigan State, Clemson and Eastern Michigan.

Following the regatta versus the Wolverines, Spartans, Tigers and Eagles, Notre Dame traveled west to the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic. At the Classic, the Irish faced many of the top teams from the West Coast, including No. 2 California, No. 10 Washington, No. 11 USC, No. 12 Washington State, No. 17 Stanford, Oregon State and UCLA. Other standout teams from around the country that also participated in the Classic included No. 14 Tennessee, No. 19 Texas, Wisconsin and Clemson.

After a competitive regatta against Indiana, Purdue and nationally-ranked Michigan State over the Easter holiday, the Irish head to the East Coast for races against Boston University and Northeastern, before going to Worcester, Mass., for the BIG EAST Rowing Challenge. Notre Dame is looking for its first team title at the BIG EAST race after placing second the past three seasons, including a narrow two-point loss to nationally-ranked Syracuse in 2003.

The Irish then have their most important regatta of the year, as an NCAA bid is on the line, when many of the country’s best teams compete at the Lexus South/Central Sprints in Oak Ridge, Tenn. If successful in Oak Ridge, Notre Dame will make a return trip to the West Coast for the NCAA Rowing Championships, which are scheduled for May 28-30, in Sacramento, Calif.

SPRING OUTLOOK: Although the Irish did not achieve their ultimate goal of qualifying for the NCAA Championships in 2003, the team continued to raise the expectation level of this program after winning three gold medals and a silver in the varsity races at the 2003 BIG EAST Rowing Challenge. The Irish then achieved another first in program history as the second varsity four won a gold medal at the 2003 Central Regions. Notre Dame also received its first invitation to the Windermere Cup in Seattle, rowing in front of more than 100,000 people. The Irish placed third behind the likes of national-power Washington and the Belarus National Team, but it put Notre Dame in position for its best season in the short history of the program in 2004.

Despite losing former All-American Ashlee Warren, coxswain Cassie Markstahler and captain Casey Buckstaff to graduation, the Irish do return five people from the first varsity eight and 20 overall letterwinners in 2004, including the entire gold-medal-winning second varsity four.

The heart of the 2003-04 team is the senior class led by two-time all-region honoree and team co-captain Natalie Ladine. The native of Sacramento, Calif., is looking to return home for the NCAA regatta this season and has two years of experience in the varsity eight. Others seniors returning from the 2003 varsity eight include Alice Bartek, who holds the Notre Dame 2,000-meter erg score record; Jacqueline Hazen and Sarah Keefer, who were members of the gold-medal-winning second four at the 2003 Central Sprints; Danielle Protasewich and co-captain Kathleen Welsh.

The junior class boasts three members who rowed in the top eight last season, including Katie Chenoweth, who was also a 2003 National Scholar-Athlete winner with Ladine, Rachel Polinski and Kati Sedun. Junior coxswain Maureen Gibbons made incredible strides in the fall, while Kristen Mizzi, Kristin Henkel and Elizabeth Specht will all be in the mix this spring.

Also contributing to Notre Dame’s cause in the spring of ’04 will be sophomores Meghan Boyle, who earned a seat in the middle of the first varsity eight as a freshman, and Melissa Felker, who rowed as part of the second varsity eight last year and had a tremendous fall.

The Irish novice program, led by 2003 Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year Pam Mork, continues to produce great athletes as sophomores Andrea Doud, Pamela Jefson, coxswain Shannan Lettieri, Julie Lewis, Marcia Luttio, Jenna Redgate and Danielle Stealy all are making the jump to the varsity level. Redgate rowed as part of the first eight in the fall, while Stealy and Doud were in the second eight that placed third in the Club event at the Head of the Charles.

The Irish also have seen members of the freshmen class already filling roles on the varsity squad. Ashley St. Pierre earned a seat in the first eight for both races in the fall while Alyssa Close, Jessica Guzik and Colleen Larson made improvements over the fall and will compete for seats in the varsity boats in the spring.

FALL REVIEW: The Notre Dame rowing team faced some of the nation’s best competition during the fall season. Stone was able to try new boating combinations in order to assess where the Irish are in comparison with the rest of the nation.

Opening the season in Rockford, Ill., at the Head of the Rock, Notre Dame took first in the pairs race, came in fourth and seventh in the Open Eight race and fourth and fifth in the fours. In the varsity four, the Irish fared well, finishing fourth and fifth. In the pairs, Notre Dame won two of the top five places and six of the top 17 spots. In their first-ever collegiate race, the novice boats did well at the Head of the Rock, taking first and second place.

The Irish then rowed on uncharted waters as Notre Dame made its first-ever appearance at the Head of the Charles – the nation’s premier head race. The Irish finished third out of 47 boats in the Club Eight race. The first varsity eight placed 29th in the Championship race.

Notre Dame also sent four crews to the Head of the Eagle in Indianapolis, Ind. The Irish took first and third in the varsity eight race. In the novice eight event, Notre Dame placed third and fifth.

HEAD COACH Martin Stone: Head coach Martin Stone is in his sixth season (seventh year) at the helm of the Irish. Stone has brought instant credibility to this young program, putting Notre Dame rowing on the map both on and off the water. Some career highlights include qualifying the varsity eight for the 2002 NCAA Championships in only the fourth year of the program, and guiding the Irish to a school-record three gold medals at the 2003 BIG EAST Rowing Challenge as well as the program’s first gold ever at the 2003 Central Regions. In ’02, Stone earned CRCA Central Region Coach of the Year honors and was one of six finalists for National Coach of the Year accolades. Off the water, 15 rowers have received CRCA National Scholar-Athlete honors and Stone’s Irish squads have achieved a 3.2 overall team grade-point average in all 13 semesters of the program’s history.

THE CAPTAINS: Seniors Natalie Ladine and Kathleen Welsh have been voted as team captains for the 2003-2004 season. Ladine has been a part of the first varsity eight for the past two seasons and is the only member of the roster who rowed at the 2002 NCAA Championships. She earned BIG EAST Academic All-Star, National Scholar-Athlete and second-team all-Central Region accolades for both the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Welsh has earned two monograms for the Irish and earned BIG EAST Academic All-Star honors in 2003.