Sarah Keithley was the coxswain of the Notre Dame varsity four crew that finished fifth in the Petite Final.

No. 16 Irish Varisty Eight Registers Third Straight Top-10 Win With Victory Over UCLA On Final Day Of Competition At Winemere Classic

April 15, 2007

Redwood Shores, Calif. – The Notre Dame rowing team finished up a very successful weekend of racing at the Windemere Classic as the Irish won two of three races against perennial power UCLA to finish 7-3 during the two-day event. The No. 16-ranked Notre Dame varsity eight boat defeated its third top-10 foe at the regatta as the Irish held off the No. 9 Bruins to finish 3-0 at the meet during the two-day event. Notre Dame’s varsity four crew provided the second victory of the day for the Irish with a convincing win over UCLA.

Notre Dame’s varsity eight crew of coxswain Maria Romano (River Forest, Ill.), Lauren Buck (Flint, Mich.), Meghan Boyle (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Christine Trezza (Staten Island, N.Y.), Allison Marsh (Mashpee, Mass.), Laura Pearson (Bloomington, Minn.), Mary Quinn (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.), Amanda Polk (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Julie Sobolewski (Haddonfield, N.J.) held off the Bruins down the stretch for their third consecutive over a top-10 team. The Irish crew finished with a winning time of 6:46.50, while UCLA crossed the finish line in 6:48.98.

In the varsity four race, the crew of coxswain Sarah Keithley (Austin, Tex.), Laura Petnuch (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Anni Nowhitney (Ballston Spa, N.Y.), Shannon Cassel (Bettendorf, Iowa) and Mary Kate McNamara (North Potomac, Md.) won their second race of the weekend with a convincing 25-second win over the Bruins. The Irish were clocked with a winning time of 7:55.33, while UCLA finished the course in 8:20.1

The second varsity eight crew of coxswain Eileen Froehlke (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Sarah Kate Hafner (Tampa, Fla.), Casey Fairbanks (Dandridge, Tenn.), Kristan Madison (Saginaw, Mich.), Lindsay McQuaid (Beaverton, Ore.), Ankica Jedry (Chicago, Ill.), Elli Greybar (Western Springs, Ill.). Brittney Kelly (Wexford, Pa.) and Jessica Guzik (Annandale, Va) were second in their race to UCLA as they finished with a time of 7:11.01. The Bruins won the race in 6:58.22.

“This was just a great weekend of racing for us and I couldn’t be more pleased with our results.” head coach Martin Stone said. “Given the fact that we have battled weather, injuries and illness that past two weeks, I really felt our team came together and responded well under tough situations.

“Our varsity eight crew got out quickly against UCLA and rowed a very strong race. They were determined at the end not to give up the lead and have UCLA pass them. The varsity four were very impressive in their final race of the weekend and won in convincing fashion. This was a great weekend for all teams east of the Mississippi.”