May 27, 2004
Notre Dame, Ind. – For the second time in school history, Notre Dame’s varsity eight boat will be competing in the NCAA Division I Women’s Rowing Championships. The 2004 NCAA championship gets underway on Friday, May 28 at the California State University (CSUS) Aquatic Center in Sacramento, California. The three-day event will conclude on Sunday, May 30.
Notre Dame is represented by junior coxswain Maureen Gibbons (Langhorne, Pa.), senior stroke Natalie Ladine (Sacramento, Calif.), senior Alice Bartek (Omaha, Neb.), sophomore Meghan Boyle (Pittsburgh, Pa.), junior Rachel Polinski (Mansfield, Ohio), freshman Melissa Felker (Bellevue, Wash.), junior Katie Chenoweth (East Lansing, Mich.), senior Danielle Protasewich (Duxbury, Mass.) and senior Jacqueline Hazen (Germantown, Tenn.). Senior Katie Welsh (Medford, N.J.) and freshman Jessica Guzik (Annandale, Va.) are alternates traveling with the team.
The No. 16 Irish crew will row in the first heat of the varsity eights at 8:00 a.m. (PDT) and will go up against No. 12 USC, Ohio State, No. 6 Washington, No. 10 Tennessee and No. 14 Michigan State. The second heat consists of No. 13 Texas, No. 8 Michigan, No. 1California, No. 5 Virginia and No. 11 Wisconsin, while the third and final heat features No. 9 Brown, No. 7 Yale, No. 2 Princeton, No. 4 Harvard and No. 17 Washington State.
Notre Dame will be represented by junior coxswain Maureen Gibbons (Langhorne, Pa.), senior stroke Natalie Ladine (Sacramento, Calif.), senior Alice Bartek (Omaha, Neb.), sophomore Meghan Boyle (Pittsburgh, Pa.), junior Rachel Polinski (Mansfield, Ohio), freshman Melissa Felker (Bellevue, Wash.), junior Katie Chenoweth (East Lansing, Mich.), senior Danielle Protasewich (Duxbury, Mass.) and senior Jacqueline Hazen (Germantown, Tenn.). Senior Katie Welsh (Medford, N.J.) and freshman Jessica Guzik (Annandale, Va.) will be the alternates traveling with the team.
An Irish varsity eight boat last competed in the NCAA championships in 2002 when that crew earned an at-large invitation and placed 16th overall in its first-ever appearance. From the current Notre Dame crew, only Ladine rowed in that boat, while current senior Alice Bartek was one of two alternates.
The Irish have enjoyed great success this season which was highlighted by the school’s first-ever BIG EAST Rowing Challenge team title. The varsity eight boat captured the gold medal in the race – also a first in the program’s history.