Amanda Polk will compete for the United States with the women's four boat at the 2009 World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland.

Notre Dame Wins Lubber Cup Title

April 1, 2007

Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Notre Dame rowing team had another strong outing as the Irish won the overall team competition at the Lubbers Cup on Sat., March 31 with victories in the varsity four, second varsity four and second varsity eight races and three second-place finishes in the varsity eight, novice eight and second varsity eight events.

The day saw many different boating combinations for the Irish as head coach Martin Stone broke away from the traditional lineups of the first two weekends.

The varsity eight boat was made up of coxswain Christine Padayhag (Kwajalein, Marshall Islands), Bridget Leone (Garden City, N.Y.), Alyssa Teves (Denver Colo.), Laura Petnuch (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Erica Copeland (Marietta, Ga.), Brittney Burnham (Hilton Head, S.C.), Anni Nowhitney (Ballston Spa, N.Y.), Shannon Cassel (Bettendorf, Iowa) and Mary Kate McNamara (North Potomac, Md.) earned a second-place finish with a time of 8:07.56. The race was won Grand Valley State in 7:53.72. Western Ontario finished third behind the Irish in 8:27.23, followed by Michigan State (8:40.49) and Northern Michigan (9:11.65).

In the second varsity eight, Notre Dame’s novice eight crew of coxswain AZ Tice (Woodsbury, Minn.), Lisa Bunn (Wilsonville, Ore), Casey Sullivan (Wilmettte, Ill.), Emily Backer (Cannelton, Ind.), Melissa Miller (Redding, Calif.), Kathleen Donahue (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Dana Gates (Peoria, Ill.), Casey Robinson (Dulles, Va.) and Kellyn Nestor (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) won the race in 8:01.85, while the boat of coxswain Kelsey Young (McLean, Va.), Erica Castro-Larsen (Lake Matthews, Calif,), Teves, Danielle Leary (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Kaitlin Jackson (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Burnham, Petnuch, Cassel and Copeland) took second in 8:16.49. Grand Valley State was third in 8:43.13.

The Irish varsity four boat of coxswain Stephanie Szegedi (South Lyon, Mich.), Petnuch, Nowhitney, Cassel and Mary Kate McNamara (North Potomac, Md.) took first nearly four seconds ahead of Grand Valley State. Notre Dame posted a time of 8:35.59, while GVC had a time of 8:39.56. Western Ontario was third in 8:57.94, Northern Michigan (10:32.06) and Western Michigan (11:01.38).

Notre Dame’s two entrants in the second varsity four race finished first and third competing against four boats. The crew of coxswain Kelsey Otero (Mequon, Wis.), Leary, Castro-Larsen, Mallory Glass (Okemos, Mich.) and Teves took first in 9:11.05, eight seconds better than Western Ontario (9:19.07). The boat of coxswain Padayhag, Jackson, Leone, Copeland and Burnham was third in 9:28.08, followed by Grand Valley State in 9:33.19.

Notre Dame’s novice eight boat of Katie DeMartini (San Mateo, Calif.), Demetria Hueth (Sea Girt, N.J.), Laura Burdick (Terre Haute, Ind.), Caroline Elizondo (Clarence, N.J.), Andrea Archer (Redding, Conn.), Elise Janowak (Oconomowoc, Wis.), Braegan Padley (Boise, Idaho), Katherine McMackin (Chevy Chase, Md.) and Mary Moto (Columbia, S.C.) place second in the five-boat race in 8:24.75. Grand Valley was crossed the finish line in first in 8:11.35, while Grand Valley 2 was third in 8:31.26, followed by Northern Michigan (8:32.35) and Michigan (9:09.86).

Notre Dame returns to action next Saturday (April 7) when it travels to Indianapolis for the Indiana Invite.