March 20, 2003
THIS WEEK: The Notre Dame women’s rowing team will continue the spring season Saturday, March 22 at home against Michigan. The races will take place on the St. Joseph’s River. Race time against Michigan is 9:30 a.m. as the regatta will start at the Notre Dame boathouse located on the East Race off of St. Louis Street in downtown South Bend.
SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEKEND: Notre Dame will face Michigan first with the varsity eight and the novice crews running three pieces at 9:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. The novice eight and the varsity eight will row at the same times on different parts of the river. The second varsity eight and the fours will then run three races at 10:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.
THE CREWS FOR THE WEEKEND: Irish head coach Martin Stone is still working on his crews for Saturday as they will be race-time decisions.
ABOUT NOTRE DAME: Notre Dame is looking to build upon its success during the 2002 season in which the varsity eight qualified for the NCAA Championships, hoping the whole team will be invited to the 2003 regatta.
Notre Dame took advantage of the fall season by trying some new boating combinations and getting the younger rowers some experience in preparation for the spring season.
The Irish opened the fall season by taking two of the top four positions in the varsity eight race at the Milwaukee River Challenge in Milwaukee, Wis.
Notre Dame then returned home for a two-day regatta versus Kansas where the Irish took two of the top three positions in the varsity four race and finished 1-2-3 in the varsity eight. The Irish continued their successful fall season at the Head of the Ohio as they won two races, including the open four and the club four. The Irish also were fourth in the open eight and took third through sixth places in the pairs race.
The Irish varsity team closed out its fall season by taking third, fifth and seventh in the open eight race, while the fours were first and third at the Head of the Rock Regatta in Rockford, Ill. The next week, Notre Dame’s varsity four and varsity pair placed third, while the novice eight was fourth at the Head of the Grand on the Grand River in East Lansing, Mich.
ABOUT MICHIGAN: The Wolverines will begin their spring season against Notre Dame as they have not been on the water yet this season. The Wolverines were ranked in the top five for much of the 2002 season and finished eighth in the team competition at the 2002 NCAA meet.
During the fall, Michigan also had a great deal of success. Unlike many schools, the Wolverines mixed crews for the fall in an effort to place an emphasis on technique and teamwork instead of final standings. At the Head of the Ohio, the team finished seventh overall, with two second-place finishes. Michigan took second in the pairs race and the varsity four, while finishing third in the youth eight. In the varsity eight race, the Wolverines had boats finish seventh, ninth and 12th. At the Head of the Charles in Boston, Mass., the Wolverines captured two top-10 finishes. The varsity eight placed eighth overall and sixth among the collegiate teams and the varsity four finished 10th overall and seventh among the collegiate crews. Michigan ended its fall season at the Head of the Elk in Elkhart, Ind. The Wolverines placed three varsity eights in the top-10 and had three novice eights also record top 10 finishes.
HISTORY VERSUS MICHIGAN: Notre Dame has never faced Michigan in a dual regatta format. The Irish did face off against Michigan at the Central Regions and at the NCAA Championships last season and at the Head of the Ohio this past fall.
At Central Regions, Michigan captured the regatta crown with 106 points while Notre Dame finished fourth with 19.5 points. At the time of this regatta, Michigan was ranked fifth and the Irish 15th. In the finals, Michigan finished ahead of the Irish in all five races. Notre Dame’s novice eight lost by five seconds, while the second varsity four and second varsity eight both finished eight seconds behind and the first varsity eight came in six seconds after Michigan.
At the NCAA Championships, the two teams only raced directly against each other in repechage heats. The Irish eight finished six seconds behind Michigan. Notre Dame finished 16th overall while Michigan finished eighth.
At the Head of the Ohio, which was held on the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pa., the Irish finished ahead of Michigan in the varsity eight, youth eight and varsity four races. In the varsity eight race, the Irish had two boats finish before any Michigan boats crossed the finish line. The Irish finished fourth, sixth and 13th, while Michigan finished seventh, ninth and 12th. In the youth eight, the Irish finished second, 13 seconds ahead of third-place Michigan. In the varsity fours race, the Wolverines finished second to Notre Dame by 19.1 seconds. While Michigan did have a pair place second, Notre Dame had four pairs finish successively after that pair.
IRISH REWIND: CLEMSON, UNC AND TENNESSEE: After only being on the water for a week, the Notre Dame women’s rowing team had a strong outing winning two races against Clemson and North Carolina at the spring rowing opener in Clemson, S.C. The Irish won the second varsity eight and the second varsity four, while narrowly falling in the varsity eight and the varsity four. The second varsity four posted the most impressive victory on the day winning its race by almost 20 seconds. Perhaps the most exciting race of the day was the varsity eight as Clemson narrowly defeated the Irish by only two seconds. The Irish also lost a close race in the varsity four as Clemson was first by almost three seconds. The Irish placed third in the first and second novice eight races.
The Irish concluded its spring break trip with a regatta versus Tennessee on Lake Lanier in Knoxville, Tenn. The regatta, which was run as three pieces of 1,500 meters each, saw the Irish win four races during the day. In the first session, Notre Dame won the novice eight, second varsity four and the varsity four, while the varsity eight and second varsity eight were second. In the second session, Tennessee swept all four races taking the varsity eight by only .5 of a second as the Lady Vols finished in 4:24.90. The third session saw the Irish second varsity eight get its first win of the day.
HEAD COACH MARTIN STONE: Head coach Martin Stone is in his fifth season at the helm of the Irish. Stone has brought instant credibility to this young program as the Irish qualified the varsity eight for the NCAA Championships in only the fourth year of the program, where it placed 16th. The Irish finished the 2002 season ranked 13th nationally and were ranked as high as ninth, its highest rankings in Irish history. The Irish boasted its first Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association All-American in 2002 as Ashlee Warren received second-team honors, while four women earned all-Central Region honors and six were named CRCA National Scholar-Athletes. Notre Dame also achieved its ninth and 10th consecutive semesters of a 3.2 overall team grade-point average.
STONE NAMED 2002 NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR FINALIST: Martin Stone joined elite company in 2002 as he was named one of six finalist for CRCA National Coach of the Year honors. Stone joined Stanford’s Aimee Baker, Washington’s Jan Harville, Brown’s John Murphy, California’s Dave O’Neill and Yale’s Will Porter as finalists. Harville was the eventual winner of the award.
HISTORY LESSON: Notre Dame rowing, in only its fifth 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.
SPRING SEASON OUTLOOK: Notre Dame head coach Martin Stone and his Irish rowing squad are looking to build on the success of last season in hopes of qualifying the entire team for the 2003 NCAA Rowing Championships. After entering the varsity eight at last year’s NCAA meet (where it finished 16th) and landing at 13th in the final preseason poll, the rowing community is starting to take notice of this upstart Irish program.
The Irish will have to work even harder to get back to the premier level they achieved last season. First and foremost, Notre Dame will have to replace the likes of first boaters Michelle Olsgard and Katherine Burnett. Olsgard, a team captain, earned her second consecutive first-team all-Central Region honor in 2002 and posted the third-fastest erg score on the team. Burnett, a three-year member of the first eight, earned second-team all-region honors and was a three-time National Scholar-Athlete award winner.
Stone will turn to senior Ashlee Warren, who became the first Irish rower to earn All-America honors, and junior Natalie Ladine, who was a second-team all-region honoree in 2002 and had the fastest erg score on the Irish last season. Also back is senior coxswain Cassie Markstahler who did an excellent job for the Irish in 2002 and will provide additional leadership to the younger rowers.
Others returning to the roster this season who will have a chance at the top boat this year are senior captain Casey Buckstaff, senior Erica Drennen, juniors Alice Bartek, who broke the Notre Dame 2,000-meter erg record this spring, Jacqueline Hazen, Danielle Protasewich and Kathleen Welsh, sophomores Katie Chenoweth, Rachel Polinski, Kati Sedun, Meredith Thornburgh and Shannon Mohan and freshmen Meghan Boyle and Melissa Felker.
FALL REVIEW: Notre Dame took advantage of the fall season by trying some new boating combinations and getting the younger rowers some experience in preparation for the spring season.
The Irish opened the fall season by taking two of the top four positions in the varsity eight race at the Milwaukee River Challenge in Milwaukee, Wis.
Notre Dame then returned home for a two-day regatta versus Kansas where the Irish took two of the top three positions in the varsity four race and finished 1-2-3 in the varsity eight. The Irish continued their successful fall season at the Head of the Ohio as they won two races, including the open four and the club four. The Irish also were fourth in the open eight and took third through sixth places in the pairs race.
The Irish varsity team closed out its fall season by taking third, fifth and seventh in the open eight race, while the fours were first and third at the Head of the Rock Regatta in Rockford, Ill. The next week, Notre Dame’s varsity four and varsity pair placed third, while the novice eight was fourth at the Head of the Grand on the Grand River in East Lansing, Mich.
THE SPRING SCHEDULE: Notre Dame has upgraded its schedule in 2003, facing many of the nation’s top teams. The Irish faced Clemson, North Carolina and Tennessee this past week and are competing against national-power Michigan this Saturday. The Wolverines were ranked in the top five for much of the 2002 season and finished eighth in the team competition at the 2002 NCAA meet.
Notre Dame travels to West Lafayette, Ind., on March 30, for the Indiana Classic. The Irish have two more dual regattas as they travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to face powerhouse Iowa on April 6, before heading to East Lansing, Mich., for a date with Michigan State on April 12. Michigan State had an impressive NCAA regatta in 2002 by finishing ninth in the team competition and is one of the top programs in the nation in 2003, while Iowa was ranked in the top five at the end of the 2001 season.
The Irish finally return home for their only dual regatta in South Bend as they play host to Dayton on April 13. Notre Dame then has two weeks off before heading to Worchester, Mass., for the BIG EAST Rowing Challenge. Notre Dame finished second at the 2002 Challenge and is looking to unseat defending champion Syracuse at this year’s regatta. After the BIG EAST meet, Notre Dame will go to Seattle for the Windermere Cup on May 3. Scheduled to race in Seattle are defending national champion Washington in the varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four competition and the Polish under-23 national team in the varsity eight.
Next the Irish head to Oak Ridge, Tenn., on May 17-18, for the Central Regions, a meet which has huge implications on the NCAA Championship meet. Last season, four teams competing in the Central Region regatta received invitations to the NCAA meet. The Irish placed fourth in the team competition, while the varsity eighth was also fourth. The NCAA Championships scheduled for May 30-June 1 in Indianapolis, Ind., conclude the 2003 season.
THE CAPTAINS: Seniors Casey Buckstaff and Ashlee Warren have been voted as team captains for the 2002-03 season. Buckstaff rowed in the first eight as a sophomore before missing her junior season studying abroad in London. She is a leading contender for a spot in the first eight in 2003. Warren became the first Irish rower to earn All-America honors in 2002 and will once again lead the eight in 2003. She also has been a CRCA National Scholar-Athlete awardwinner in her career.
WARREN NAMED 2002-03 BIG EAST SCHOLAR-ATHLETE: Senior Ashlee Warren was named the 2002-03 BIG EAST/A?ropostal? Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Notre Dame. She becomes the first Irish rower to earn the honor and was the only rower from any BIG EAST school to win the award in 2003. Warren will receive a $2,000 scholarship for future postgraduate studies as she will attend medical school in the fall. Warren has a 3.47 grade-point average in pre-med/anthropology.
ALICE BARTEK SETS NEW NOTRE DAME RECORD ON ERG: Sophomore Alice Bartek, who was a member of the novice roster in 2001-02, set a new Notre Dame record on the erg for 2,000 meters last week. Bartek posted a time of 7:06.00 breaking the old record of 7:11.10 set by Natalie Ladine in 2002. Overall, four women went lower than the previous record as Ladine, Ashlee Warren and freshman Meghan Boyle all recorded faster times last week.