Oct. 13, 2008
ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Notre Dame rowing team got off to a strong start for the season at the 23rd annual Head of the Rock on Sunday, October. 12 as several Irish boats which competed in the collegiate eight, collegiate four and collegiate novice eight earned top-10 finishes.
Three of Notre Dame’s five crew that competed in the collegiate eight race earned top-10 finishes in the 27-boat team field. Both of the entrants in the collegiate four race that featured 30 crews finished in the top-10. Notre Dame won the collegiate novice eight race, while another boat finished fifth among the 17 entrants.
In the collegiate eight race, the crew of coxswain Katherine McMackin, Andrea Archer, Bridget Leone, Shannon Kiernan, Sissy Peters, Erika Shults, Emily Backer, Hannah Jackson and Genevieve Malone was the highest finishing crew for the Irish boats, crossing the finish line in a time of 16:37.4. The time was good enough to earn the Irish crew a fifth place finish.
Notre Dame’s crew of coxswain Kelsey Otero, Casey Robinson, Dani Leary, Stephanie Gretsch, Braegan Padley, Elli Greybar, Christina Buckley, Brittney Kelly and Erica Copeland finished fifth with a time of 16:41.6.
The crew of coxswain Stephanie Szegedi, Mallory Glass, Megan Keegan, Carol Michel, Lauren Buck, Katherine Linnemanstons, Christine Trezza, Anni Nowhitney and Emily Crosby crossed the finish line in 16:58.8, earning that boat a ninth-place finish in the race.
The boat of coxswain Rachael Louie, Erin Connors, Maria Lang, Colleen McKenna, Kaitlyn Meaney, Erin McConnell, Kate Suyo, Valerie Brencher and Morgan Kelley captured 17th with a time of 18:15.0.
The final two varsity eight boats brought home 25th and 27th place finishes in the event. The crew of coxswain Christina Carson, Ashley Satterlee, Noelle Fosko, Margot DeBot, Christina Chavarin, Meredith Figg, Kacey Gergely, Jillian Hirsch and Megan Osterhout earned the 25th spot in a time of 21:02.3. The final Irish boat to finish was the crew of coxswain Tanya Alconcel, Hannah Miller, Ching-Ting Hwang, Emily Palid, Claire Kueny, Carly Anderson, Francis Mei Hardin, Mamie Braun and Christin Prats who rounded out the race in a time of 22:09.3.
In collegiate four competition, the Irish saw both of its crews place in the top 10 of the 30-boat field. The crew of Stephanie Szegedi, Katherine Linnemanstons, Megan Keegan, Christina Buckley and Emily Crosby earned the highest mark for the Irish finishing fourth place overall with a time of 17:41.1.
The second varsity four boat competing for the Irish earned an eighth place finish, rowing over the finish line in a time of 18:11.8. The crew was comprised of coxswain Kelsey Otero, Lauren Buck, Carol Michel, Christine Trezza and Mallory Glass.
The novice eight boat event was perhaps the most impressive showing for the Irish in the Head of the Rock, in which two of the three boats competing garnered top-five finishes, including capturing the top spot in the race. The boat of coxswain Alicia Elliott, Erin Connors, Maria Lang, Colleen McKenna, Erin McConnell, Kaitlyn Meaney, Kate Suyo, Valerie Brencher and Morgan Kelley took the crown with a winning time of 17:29.5.
The next boat to cross the line for the Irish was able to secure a fifth-place finishe overall (out of 17 teams) with a time of 19:29.5. The boat was comprised of coxswain Christina Carson, Claire Kueny, Noelle Fosko, Margot DeBot, Christina Chavarin, Meredith Figg, Megan Osterhout, Francis Mei Hardin and Kacey Gergely.
Rounding out the event for the Irish was the boat of coxswain Tanya Alconcel, Hannah Miller, Stephanie Pedicini, Emily Palid, Ching-Ting Hwang, Carly Anderson, Ashley Satterlee, Mamie Braun and Christin Prats who finished in a time of 22:25.6, good for 14th place overall.
“I think this was a good showing for our first competition of the year,” head coach Martin Stone said. “We saw some things from our eights that we need to work on, but overall this was a strong start for us. I was particularly pleased with the results from our novice eight crews. Winning that race was a great accomplishment for them.
“We’re a young team and we showed that we have some good depth.”
The Irish will next take to the water when they compete compete in the Cal Sag Regatta on November 2 in Blue Island, Ill.