April 3, 2002
THIS WEEK: The University of Notre Dame women’s rowing team, ranked 20th in the nation, will travel two boats to the San Diego Crew Classic Saturday-Sunday, April 6-7, in San Diego, Calif. The first varsity eight will compete in the prestigious Jessop-Whittier Cup against some of the nation’s best teams, while the second varsity eight will race in the junior varsity race.
IRISH CREWS: Here are the Irish boatings for this weekend’s races at the San Diego Crew Classic.
Varsity Eight – Jayme Szefc (S), Michelle Olsgard, Ashlee Warren, Becky Luckett, Diane Price, Natalie Ladine, Katie Besson, Katherine Burnett, Cassie Markstahler (cox)
Second Varsity Eight – Megan Feely (S), Kerri Murphy, Erica Drennen, Courtney Mercer, Jacqueline Hazen, Melissa Alberding, Kathleen Welsh, Danielle Protasewich, Kathryn Long (c)
ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO CREW CLASSIC: The San Diego Crew Classic is one of the nation’s top regattas of the spring season. In the Jessop-Whittier Cup, Notre Dame will compete against third-ranked Ohio State, ninth-ranked USC, 11th-ranked California and 19th-ranked Oregon State in its heat, as well as Clemson and Tulsa. Ohio State, USC and California all competed at the NCAA meet in ’01 and USC is the defending Jessop-Whittier Cup champion.
Heat two features defending national champion and number-one ranked Washington, sixth-ranked Virginia, No. 13 Stanford, No. 14 Texas, Washington State, Miami and Navy. The top three teams in each heat and the fastest fourth-place boat advance to the grand finals.
In the second varsity eight race, Duke, Texas, UCSD, California, UCLA and Stanford are in Notre Dame’s heat with only two advancing to the finals.
HEAD COACH MARTIN STONE ON THE SAN DIEGO CREW CLASSIC:
On the Jessop-Whittier Cup: “It is a great opportunity for us to race some of the best crews in the country. Both heats should be great racing. In our heat, all of the teams have raced this spring and showed considerable speed. Ohio State, USC and Cal were all at the NCAAs last year and USC won this race last year. Clemson finished fifth here last year and appears to be faster this year. Oregon State is a strong west coast program and raced very well against Washington State (another very strong west coast program) last weekend. Tulsa is always a very tough in San Diego. They won the Cal Cup race at this regatta last year. I think any of the crews in our heat have the potential to advance to the grand final.”
On the second varsity eight race: “The second varsity heats also appear to be very competitive. With only two crews advancing to the finals, we face a difficult task. Duke appears to very strong this year, as does Texas. Both Texas and Duke already have a considerable amount of racing this spring. Cal is always is very strong and have only shown signs of being faster this year. UCSD has posted some good results in its early racing. UCLA is in its first year as a varsity program, but has showed it can be very competitive with established programs, while Stanford’s second varsity has raced well this spring and has beaten some first varsity crews.”
LAST YEAR IN SAN DIEGO: In ’01, the Irish finished third in heat one of the Jessop-Whittier Cup, which once again featured many of the top crews in the nation. No. 2 Washington won the heat, followed by No. 7 California and Notre Dame. In the grand final, the Irish finished sixth, defeating every team ranked below them except Clemson, who was unranked going into the Crew Classic.
The Irish second varsity eight crew finished fourth in its heat of the junior varsity race with a time of 7:12.33, sending the Irish to the petite finals on Sunday. On Sunday, the Irish took second in 7:09.74, trailing only petite champion California, who crossed the line in 7:03.11. Texas was third in 7:16.03, followed by Duke at 7:21.81. Tulsa and Stanford finished fifth and sixth, respectively.
IRISH RANKED IN FIRST POLL OF SEASON: Notre Dame is ranked 20th in the first US Rowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Poll of the season released Wednesday, April 3. The Irish, who finished the 2001 season ranked 16th, received 70 votes. Defending national champion Washington is first with 493 points and 19 first-place votes. Brown received the remaining six first-place votes and had 480 points. Ohio State (433 points), Princeton (349) and Yale (347) round out the top five.
Notre Dame will have a chance to make its mark this weekend as seven teams ranked in the top 20 and two others receiving votes will race in San Diego. Competing this weekend are top-ranked Washington, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 6 Virginia, No. 9 USC, No. 11 California, No. 13 Stanford, No. 14 Texas and 19th-ranked Oregon State. Clemson and Washington State also received votes and will be in California this weekend.
THE DAWNING OF A NEW ICE AGE: Notre Dame has had a tough time getting on the water as the weather in South Bend has been less than favorable for rowing thus far in 2002. This spring, the Irish have only been on the water 10 times since returning from their spring break trip in Knoxville, Tenn. Notre Dame also has not raced in over three weeks as its dual regatta versus Michigan State was postponed on March 30 and the team was off for the Easter holiday last weekend.
“The weather has limited our practice and racing this spring, but regardless of the what has happened leading up to the race, I am confident our crews will race to the best of their abilities in San Diego. It is an early season test, but we know you only get better by racing the best. We are looking forward to measuring ourselves against all these great crews,” head coach Martin Stone said.
TENNESSEE RECAP: Notre Dame’s varsity eight of stroke Jayme Szefc, Michelle Olsgard, Ashlee Warren, Becky Luckett, Diane Price, Natalie Ladine, Katie Besson, Katherine Burnett and coxswain Cassie Markstahler, easily defeated the Lady Vols, winning by 19 seconds. The two crews were even until the 1,000-meter mark, when the Irish pulled away crossing the finish line in 7:07.70. Tennessee finished in a time of 7:26.80.
The Irish second and third varsity eight also had good results in its race, which encountered some controversy. Tennessee protested the race after feeling the boats were misaligned at the start, but after discussions Notre Dame took first and third in the race. The Irish crew of stroke Kathleen Welsh, Danielle Protasewich, Erica Drennen, Courtney Mercer, Kati Sedun, Melissa Alberding, Megan Sanders and Kerri Murphy and coxswain Kathryn Long finished first in 6:53.92. Tennessee was second in 7:00.34, while Notre Dame’s third varsity eight of Meg Feely Kolleen Myers, Maureen Carr, Elizabeth Specht, Katie O’Hara, Antoinette Duck, Karrie Koski, Kristen Mizzi and coxswain Kacy McCaffrey finished less than six seconds behind Tennessee.
Notre Dame also dominated the novice races. The first novice eight crew of Shannon Mohan, Rachel Polinski, Alice Bartek, Devon Hegeman, Christine Donnelly, Meredith Thornburgh, Katie Chenowith, Tricia David and coxswain Maureen Gibbons beat the Lady Vols by over 14 seconds with a time of 7:26.40. Tennessee crossed the line in 7:40.70.
The second novice eight crew of Courtney Quinn, Jennifer Connelly, Tori Blainey, Jill Klima, Kristen Wright, Erica Ruddy, Ann Mulligan, Beth Franzosa and coxswain Erin Diminick won by over 11 seconds, finishing in a time of 8:03.90. Tennessee finished in 8:15.10.
Tennessee did win the second heat of the second varsity eight, which featured Tennessee’s third crew and Notre Dame’s fourth crew. The Lady Vols defeated the Irish by over 20 seconds with a final time of 7:41.60. Notre Dame’s crew of stroke Rebecca Campbell, Sarah Keefer, Andrea Garot, Katie McCaulden, Michaele Carney, Kristin Henkel, Alicia Garcia, Allison Maimona and Caitlin Rackish (cox).
IRISH SPRING OUTLOOK: Head coach Martin Stone and the Irish return 22 athletes from last year’s roster to the varsity squad. Also, 12 women make the leap from the novice roster to the varsity squad with each of those athletes expected to make major contributions in the top boats. The Irish also welcome eight freshmen to the varsity team who will make an immediate impact, giving Notre Dame the most depth it has ever had in the four-year history of the program.
The first varsity eight returns six women who rowed in the top shell last season. Jayme Szefc, Michelle Olsgard, Ashlee Warren, Becky Luckett, Diane Price and Katherine Burnett all rowed in the top shell last season. Both Olsgard and Warren received CRCA All-Central Region accolades last season, while Luckett was a first-team USRowing First-Team Collegiate Honor Roll recipient. Newcomers to the first open boat in ’02 include sophomore Natalie Ladine, who was on the novice roster last season, and senior Katie Besson, who rowed in the second boat in ’01. Also, junior Cassie Markstahler assumes the coxswain duties this season after the graduation of Claire Bula and Erin Kiernicki.
In the second varsity eight, Kerri Murphy, Erica Drennen, Courtney Mercer and Melissa Alberding return, while Kathleen Welsh, Danielle Protasewich, Jacqueline Hazen have all made the jump from the novice roster to the second varsity eight and freshman Kati Sedun has won a position in the boat. Also, sophomore Kathryn Long will assume the coxswain duties of the boat this season.
The third and fourth varsity eight also feature a number of veterans, which should make Notre Dame the deepest it has been in years.
IRISH FALL REWIND: The Notre Dame women’s rowing team completed a successful fall competing in four regattas – the Milwaukee River Challenge, the Chicago Chase, the Head of the Rock, and the Head of the Eagle.
Notre Dame started the 2001 season with a trip to Milwaukee, Wis., where the Irish took three of the top five places in the varsity eight race at the Milwaukee River Challenge. The first varsity eight crew was first in 22.14. National power Wisconsin was second in 22:32.04, while the Irish B crew was third.
The Irish varsity eight made it two in a row with a decisive victory at the Chicago Chase in Chicago, Ill. The varsity eight outdistanced Notre Dame’s second varsity eight by close to 30 seconds. Overall, Notre Dame won three races on the day, including the pairs team of Jayme Szefc and Katherine Burnett, who won their race in 19:47.40. The novice eight crew, made up of freshman and sophomores who rowed on the novice team last season, also won its race in a time of 17:27.90. The varsity four boats were third and fourth.
The next day, the Irish continued their good fortune at the Head of the Rock in Rockford, Ill. The novice eight crew won its second race in two days, while the varsity eight shell was second to Iowa. Notre Dame also took four of the top five spots in the pairs race with Burnett and Szefc finishing second.
The novice squad, competing in its first collegiate competition, traveled to Indianapolis for the Head of the Eagle to close the fall season. Notre Dame’s A crew finished third in 13:54, trailing only Wisconsin (13:27) and Louisville (13:31).
IRISH HIRES SCHLOSBERG AS ASSISTANT COACH: Martin Stone announced the hiring of Joe Schlosberg as assistant coach on Oct. 16. In his new role with the Irish, Schlosberg is responsible for alumni relations and equipment management. He also assists in coaching both the novice and varsity programs.
Schlosberg comes to Notre Dame after serving as an assistant rowing coach at Northwestern in 2000-01. At Northwestern, Schlosberg worked with the men’s novice team and assisted with the men’s and women’s varsity squads, teaching the fundamentals of rowing and designing workout programs for the teams. He also was responsible for all rowing equipment and was involved in the recruiting process.
A native of New Jersey, Schlosberg also worked with some of the elite collegiate rowing coaches during the summer of ’01 at the Northeast Rowing Center in Maine.
“Joe is going to be a definite asset to our program. He has a tremendous background in engineering, which will help us in preparing the boats on a daily basis. He also took the initiative this summer to train with some of the nation’s best rowing coaches and has brought new drills and ideas to our team,” Stone said.
A 2000 graduate of Northwestern with a degree in mechanical engineering, Schlosberg competed for the Wildcats’ crew team from 1996-99. He was a two-time captain in 1998 and 1999 as his team won the Midwest Sprints and the Big Ten Sprint Championship in 1998. Schlosberg was an executive board member of the rowing team from 1998-2000, as well as the team’s marketing assistant and equipment manager.
In addition to his coaching responsibilities at Northwestern last season, Schlosberg worked as a project engineer at ITW Buildex in Itasca, Ill. While at ITW Buildex, he led a multimillion-dollar product upgrade focusing on a new dimensional profile for the company. He has also worked as a graphics specialist at Exxon Research and Engineering in Clinton, N.J. . HISTORY LESSON: Notre Dame rowing, in only its fourth season, was granted varsity status in 1996, making it the 26th varsity sport at the University. Martin Stone was hired in ’97 as the first head coach and the Irish competed in their first regatta in 1998.
The Irish had its best season in history in ’01 when they finished the year ranked 16th in the nation, narrowly missing the NCAA Championships. The varsity eight boat won its first five races of the spring season and placed an impressive fifth at the Central Sprints in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Both Ashlee Warren and Michelle Olsgard earned all-Central Region honors for the Irish, while Warren, Becky Luckett, Ann Marie Dillhoff and Katherine Burnett earned the CRCA National Scholar-Athlete Award.
THE CAPTAINS: Head coach Martin Stone will have strong leadership this season as Michelle Olsgard and Courtney Mercer have been named captains for the 2001-02 season. Olsgard is in her fourth season with the Irish, earning all-Central Region and BIG EAST academic all-star honors last season. She is enrolled in the College of Science, majoring in environmental science. Mercer is also in her fourth season of competition for the Irish and is enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in sociology. Mercer was also a member of the BIG EAST academic all-star team.
THE SCHEDULE: Notre Dame faces one of the toughest schedules in the nation this spring. After opening the 2002 spring campaign with a dual regatta against Tennessee, who won the club eight at the Head of the Charles in the fall, the Irish head to Sand Diego for the Jessop-Whittier Cup and the San Diego Crew Classic. Notre Dame then goes to Indianapolis, Ind., for what they hope will be the first of two trips this spring, competing in the Indiana Crew Classic. Indiana and Purdue are both improved squads, while first-year program Eastern Michigan appears to be taking off and should be very fast.
For the second consecutive season, the BIG EAST Conference is sponsoring the BIG EAST Rowing Challenge in Worcester, Mass. In 2001, Notre Dame finished second in the team competition, claiming third in the varsity eight and second in the both the second varsity eight and the novice eight. All of the teams should be faster than last season, with the top teams being Syracuse (who went to the NCAA Championships in 2001), Rutgers and Miami.
The BIG EAST Challenge will serve as a good test for the Irish before heading to the Central Regions in Oak Ridge, Tenn. In 2001, three teams (Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa) from the Central Region went to the NCAA Championships as a team and Michigan State received an at large bid.
UP NEXT: The Irish travel to Indianapolis, Ind., Saturday, April 13, for the Indiana Crew Classic. The Irish will face Indiana, Purdue and Eastern Michigan in Indianapolis.