Sept. 25, 2003
Ann Arbor, Mich. – Notre Dame assistant rowing coach Pam Mork today was named the 2003 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Mork is now one of six finalists, along with Connecticut’s Cindy Biles, Clemson’s Kelly Lynch, Washington’s Eleanor McElvaine, Virginia’s Kara McPhillip and West Virginia’s Jim Mitchell, for the National Assistant Coach of the Year Award to be announced at a later date.
The CRCA Assistant Coach of the Year Award is designed to honor a member assistant coach who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to his or her program, has had a significant impact on the success of his or her program and who has demonstrated a high level of professionalism and integrity as a coach.
During her four years at Notre Dame, Mork has been instrumental in the rise of the Irish rowing program as she has coached many of today’s varsity athletes when they first arrived as members of the novice roster. The Irish novice program is one of the most developmental and productive programs in the nation as 28 women on the ’01-’02 varsity roster and all but 11 women on the ’02-’03 roster spent a season under Mork’s tutelage.
She also oversaw the learning process of Ashlee Warren, who came to Notre Dame having never rowed before, and eventually became the first All-American in the history of the program. Mork has also worked with Notre Dame all-Central Region honorees Katherine Burnett, Natalie Ladine and Michelle Olsgard.
In 2003, Mork led the Irish to a ninth-place finish in the novice eight at the Central/South Sprints and a third-place finish in the second novice eight at the BIG EAST Rowing Challenge. The Irish novice crews also had wins over Iowa, Michigan State, Tennessee and Dayton in head-to-head competition and the first novice eight was victorious at the Indiana Classic.
Mork experienced similar success in 2002 as the first novice eight was third at the Central Sprints, becoming the first Notre Dame boat to ever medal at that event. The first novice eight was also second to nationally-ranked Syracuse at the 2003 BIG EAST Rowing Challenge, while the second crew also earned runner-up honors to Boston College.
‘Pam Mork has been critical in the success of the Notre Dame rowing program,” head coach Martin Stone said.
“She is an excellent teacher and mentor to the women in our program and also an excellent representative for the sport of rowing. She is so deserving of this honor.”
Before arriving at Notre Dame, Mork served as assistant coach at North Carolina and was a key contributor in starting the varsity rowing program there. A 1994 graduate of Wisconsin, Mork was a four-year letterwinner for the Badgers as she stroked the varsity eight that was ranked in the top-five nationally throughout her career. Her crew also won the prestigious Head of the Charles one year.