June 5, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – A historic first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for the University of Notre Dame rowing team was punctuated with a runner-up finish at the ACC Championship regatta on May 17, and a ninth place result at the NCAA Championship last weekend at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis. As a result of the successful campaign, a number of Irish rowers have been recognized in recent weeks for accomplishments both on and off the water.
Four Notre Dame student-athletes were tabbed to all-ACC teams, following the second place Irish finish at the conference championship regatta on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C. Senior Molly Bruggeman and junior Erin Boxberger were tabbed to the all-ACC first team, while senior coxswain Christina Dines and junior Ailish Sheehan received second team all-ACC recognition. Both Bruggeman and Boxberger earned first team all-conference scrolls for the second time in their respective Notre Dame careers.
The awards also began to pile up at the regional level, as five Irish student-athletes were named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) South all-region teams on May 27. Bruggeman and Boxberger were named first team all-region, while Dines, Sheehan and sophomore Joanna Mulvey were selected for the CRCA South all-region second team. The five combined all-region choices tied a Notre Dame program record for a single season.
Along with the all-region announcement, a total of 10 Notre Dame rowers were tabbed as CRCA National-Scholar Athletes on May 27, with each having maintained a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher during their Irish careers to qualify. Dines, junior Rose Doerfler, senior Courtney Gaberino, sophomore Sarah Kappers, junior Anna Kottkamp, sophomore Alexis Olson, junior coxswain Mikaela Prego, senior Teresa Rubinger, sophomore Katie Skorcz and sophomore coxswain Alex Techar were honored, marking the second straight season Notre Dame had 10 members of its roster earn CRCA National Scholar-Athlete status.
The most profound academic honors followed during the opening banquet of the NCAA Championship on May 29, as Kottkamp was named the Elite 89 Award winner in women’s rowing. The Elite 89 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at a finals site for each of the NCAA’s 89 championships.
Kottkamp became the fourth Elite 89 recipient from Notre Dame to receive recognition at an NCAA Championship, joining Michael Shipp (men’s soccer, 2013), Tyler Brenneman (men’s lacrosse, 2012) and Colleen Rielley (women’s tennis, 2010). She posted a 4.000 grade-point average as an environmental sciences major in the College of Science to earn Elite 89 honors.
The Notre Dame coaching staff also got in on the action earlier this week, when Irish associate head coach Joe Schlosberg and assistant coach Marnie Stahl were named the CRCA South Region Staff of the Year on Monday. The citation marked the fourth time members of the Notre Dame coaching staff have earned regional recognition from the CRCA, as head coach Martin Stone was named the CRCA Central Region Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2006, and former assistant Pam Mork was selected as the Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002.
The 2014 CRCA Division I Pocock All-America team will be announced next week to cap the season’s rowing awards, and Notre Dame rowers have claimed a total of 12 All-America citations since 2002. Bruggeman has been chosen as a first team All-American in each of the last two seasons, while Boxberger was named second team All-America in 2013.
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— Tony Jones, Media Relations Assistant