Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Rowing Finishes The 2001 Season Ranked 16th In the Nation

May 16, 2001

South Bend, Ind. – The Notre Dame rowing team finished the season ranked 16th in the US Rowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll for the week of May 16, and narrowly missed the 2001 NCAA Championship field. The top eight teams, in addition to seven at-large varsity eight crews earned invitations to the 2001 NCAA Championships to be held May 24-26 at Lake Lanier, Ga.

The Irish ended its most successful season in the three-year history of the program on Sunday when the varsity eight took fifth and the second varsity eight was sixth at the 2001 Lexus Central Sprints in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The second varsity four was fourth in its final, while the varsity four won the petite final. Notre Dame finished the team competition in ninth place with 7.5 points.

Other highlights during the 2001 season included the varsity eight winning the Head of the Elk Regatta and five of eight races this spring, including wins over regional powers Wisconsin and Michigan State. The Irish placed sixth in the Jessop-Whittier Cup at the prestigiuos San Diego Crew Classic in San Diego, Calif.

Notre Dame also achieved its first national ranking in the three-year history of the varsity program when it opened the season ranked No. 14 in the nation. The Irish never dropped below No. 18 in the nation and spent the final three weeks of the season at No. 16.

Junior Michelle Olsgard and sophomore Ashlee Warren were nominated for CRCA all-region honors, while junior Katherine Burnett, sophomores Ann Marie Dillhoff, Becky Luckett and Warren were nominated for CRCA Scholar-Athlete accolades. Senior Leah Ashe won the Knute Rockne Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2001 season and was a nominee for the Verizon Academic All-American Spring At-Large award.

US Rowing/CRCA Open Eight Rowing Poll (for week of May 16, 2001)

Team (1st-Place Votes)   Points  Previous Rank1. Brown (15)           376     1
2. Michigan (2) 352 2
3. Washington (2) 345 4
4. Princeton 325 3
5. Syracuse 293 6
USC 293 5
7. Ohio State 265 8
8. Harvard 241 10
9. Boston University 210 9
10. Iowa 198 13
11. Yale 180 7
12. Michigan State 168 12
13. Cal-Berkeley 164 11
14. Rutgers 149 15
15. Virginia 127 14
16. Notre Dame 72 16
17. Pennsylvania 59 NR
18. Columbia 40 NR
19. Stanford 37 NR
20. Texas 24 NR

Others receiving votes: Clemson 16, Wisconsin 16, Cornell 15, Kansas 15, Washington State 9, Tulsa 1