May 18, 2008
Oak Ridge, Tenn. – The Notre Dame rowing team finished seventh (out of 22 teams) in the team competition at the 2008 Aramark Central/South Region Championships that were held this weekend on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Irish also were fifth among the 12 teams competing in the Central Region. Notre Dame’s second varsity eight crew finished third in the Grand Final to earn that boat’s first-ever medal at the competition, while the Irish “B” crew won the Petite Final in the open four event.
Virginia won the overall team title with 407 points, followed by Michigan State (371), Ohio State (351), Wisconsin (348), Michigan (331) and Clemson (320) rounding out the top six spots. Following the Irish were Tennessee (293) Minnesota (264) and Louisville (208) rounding out the top 10.
Michigan State won the team title in the Central Region competition, followed by Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas State and Kansas.
Notre Dame’s second varsity crew of coxswain Kelsey Otero (Mequon, Wis.), Casey Robinson (Dulles, Va.), Carol Ann Michel (Princeton, N.J.), Emily Crosby (Middletown, N.J.), Kristan Madison (Saginaw, Mich.), Elli Greybar (Western Springs, Ill.), Anni Nowhitney (Ballston Spa, N.Y.), Brittney Kelly (Wexford, Pa.), and Erica Copeland (Marietta, Ga.) highlighted Sunday’s competition with a third-place finish in the Grand Final as the Irish finished with a time of 6:43.20. The race was won by Ohio State in 6:39.20, with Virginia taking second place in 6:42.10. Wisconsin was fourth with a time of 6:44.30, followed by Tennessee (6:47.30) and Michigan State (6:50.10).
“I am so proud of how our second varsity eight boat raced today,” head coach Martin Stone said. “This was one of the most competitive races of the day. With 1,000 meters to go this was anyone’s race to win. We dug in hard at the end and pulled out a third-place finish.”
Notre Dame won the open four Petite final with the Irish “B” crew of coxswain Rachael Louie (Summitt, N.J.), Neva Lundy (Santa Monica, Calif.), Kaitlin Jackson (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Casey Sullivan (Wilmette, Ill.) and Brittany Burnham (Hilton Head, S.C.) edging out Clemson for the victory. The Irish closed out the victory with a time of 7:52.50, while Clemson posted a time of 7:53.90. Virginia “B” finished with a time of 7:53.90, followed by Texas (8:08.30), Indiana (8:19.40) and Central Florida (8:20.80).
In addition to the second varsity eight, Notre Dame had two other boats competing in Sunday’s Grand Finals, the open four and novice eight crews. In the open four event, the open four Notre Dame “A” crew of coxswain Katherine McMackin (Chevy Chase, Md.), Lisa Bunn (Wilsonville, Ore.), Mary Kate McNamara (North Potomac, Md.), Emily Backer (Cannelton, Ind.) and Kellyn Nestor (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) took fourth in finishing with a time of 7:39.70. Michigan State won the gold medal with a time of 7:31.80, followed by Ohio State (7:36.90) and Wisconsin (7:39.00). Virginia “A” was fifth in 7:43.00 and Michigan was sixth in 7:49.50.
The novice eight crew of coxswain Jimena DiIorio (Asuncion, Paraguay), Amanda Cosfol (Broomall, Pa.), Megan Keegan (Canton, Ohio), Erika Shults (Virginia Beach, Va.), Mary Theresa DiSipio (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), Katherine Linnemanstons (Milwaukee, Wis.), Stephanie Gretsch (Downers Grove, Ill.), Christina Buckley (Huntington, N.Y.) and Genevieve Malone (Dayton, Ohio) took fifth place in the Grand Final with a time of 7:14.20. Wisconsin won the gold medal in 7:00.50, followed by Virginia (7:05.00), Central Florida (7:10.30) and Clemson (7:14.10), while Ohio State was sixth in 7:20.20.
The varsity eight crew of coxswain Stephanie Szegedi (South Lyon, Mich.), Lauren Buck (Flint, Mich.) Kendra Short (Everett, Wash.), 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) was second to Ohio State in the Petite Final. The Irish finished with a time of 6:48.08, just two seconds under the Buckeyes’ winning time of 6:46.90. Minnesota finished third in 6:50.65, followed by Iowa (6:55.30), Louisville (6:56.92) and Texas (7:04.39).
The varsity four boat of coxswain Sarah Keithley (Austin, Tex.), Bridget Leone (Garden City, N.Y.), Braegan Padley (Boise, Idaho), Erica Castro-Larsen (Lake Matthews, Calif.) and Mallory Glass (Okemos, Mich.) also earned a second-place finish in its Petite Final race. The Irish crossed the finished line in 7:38.02, while Wisconsin took first place in 7:34.60. Tennessee was third in the race in 7:39.19, while Texas was fourth in 7:46.67, followed by Central Florida (7:49.47) and Louisville (7:54.60).
“Our thought all of our boats raced really hard today and did everything we asked of them,” Stone said. “Year in and year out, this regatta proves to be one of the toughest competitions all season. There are always a lot of great races at this event and this year proved to be no different. This is traditionally one of the toughest regions in the country.”