May 14, 2000
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Notre Dame’s First Novice Eight boat of Kassie Murphy, Ann Marie Dillhoff, Ashlee Warren, Rebecca Luckett, Juliet Buckstaff, Julia Kelly, Elizabeth Fruzynski, Elizabeth Jeub, and Erica Drennan missed out on a third-place finish at the Central Region Championships by just .08 seconds on Lake Melton with a time of 7:02.6. In a race that saw Louisville and Duke pull to early leads, Notre Dame was stuck in a battle for third place with Iowa and Clemson. In the end, both the Hawkeyes’ and Tigers’ boats nudged out the Irish with a time of 7:01.8 and 7:02.2, respectively.
“This was a great race,” said Irish Head Coach Martin Stone of his team’s fifth place finish, “Over the last 1000 meters our team, Iowa, and Clemson traded back and forth, but in the end we just came up short.”
In other Grand Final action, the Notre Dame Second Novice Eight team of Pamela Swan, Kathryn Anderson, Andrea Amoni, Katie McCalden, Megan McPherson, Ann Gurucharri, Laura Aull, Sarah Dreznes, and Erin Shea captured fifth place with a time of 7:00.0. The Second Varsity Four team of Cynthia Lee, Melissa Slavin, Becky Campbell, Kelly Mahaney, and Kelly Malloy captured sixth with a time of 8:01.4, less than a half a second behind Michigan.
Notre Dame’s Second Varsity Eight Team of Erin Kiernicki, Meg Feely, Kerri Murphy, Maureen Carr, Elizabeth Nerney, Emily Deye, Alison Bartsh, Joslyn Moreau, Leah Ashe took second in the Petite Final and eighth overall with a time of 7:02.3.
In the Petite Final of the Varsity Four, Notre Dame’s team of Cassie Markstahler, Kollen Myers, Cassie Stuart, Sandra Peterson, Mary Lampe took fourth and 10th overall with a time of 8.04.1.
The Varsity Eight Team of Claire Bula, Michelle Olsgard, Courtney Mercer, Kristen Vandehey, Katrina TenEyck, Lauren Lyons, Amy Braun, Katie Besson, and Katherine Burnett took sixth in the Petite Finals and 12th overall with a time of 6.57.5
“We raced really hard and well today,” Stone said, “The Central Region is an up and coming region. The speed of the races and the competiveness among the crews is very amazing.”
The season-ending NCAA Rowing Championships are May 26 – May 28 in Camden, N.J.