June 16, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — University of Notre Dame senior Ailish Sheehan capped her final collegiate rowing season by being named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Pocock All-America second team on Monday. The All-America scroll was the first such honor for Sheehan during her Irish career.
CRCA Pocock All-America candidates must meet all eligibility requirements as defined by her institution, row in at least 75 percent of the spring season’s races in a varsity boat, and the head coach of a given institution must be a member in good standing with the CRCA.
Sheehan copped the 15th Notre Dame All-America scroll in the past 13 seasons, joining Molly Bruggeman (2012-13 first team, 2014 second team), Erin Boxberger (2013 second team, 2014 first team), Amanda Polk (2005-08 first team), Allison Marsh (2007 second team), Sarah Palandech (2006 second team), Julie Sobolewski (2006 second team), Natalie Ladine (2004 first team) and Ashlee Warren (2002 second team) as Irish All-America honorees.
A total of 42 rowers were named to the two 2015 CRCA Pocock All-America teams. Sheehan joined Virginia’s Samantha Casto (first team), Lizzy Youngling (first team), Hemingway Benton (second team) and Collette Lucas-Conwell (second team), and Syracuse’s Deirdre Fitzpatrick (second team) as Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) recipients of All-America recognition.
Sheehan raced exclusively with the Irish first varsity eight during her Notre Dame career, and along with classmates Rose Doerfler and Anna Kottkamp became the only four-time NCAA Championship qualifiers in program history. Sheehan helped guide the Irish first eight to a second place finish behind eventual ACC champion Virginia at the 2015 conference regatta, and was a member of the lineup that claimed 17th place in the varsity eight at the NCAA Championship last month.
Sheehan earned CRCA all-region honors for the third straight campaign, being tabbed to the Region 3 first team in May. She also claimed all-conference accolades for the third straight time after being named first team all-ACC during Notre Dame’s runner-up finish at the ACC Championship on May 16 in Clemson, South Carolina.
The All-America citation for Sheehan highlighted a 2015 that saw Notre Dame rowers earn 13 separate honors for both athletic and academic achievement from the CRCA. Junior Joanna Mulvey joined Sheehan as a CRCA all-region first team performer, while Kottkamp earned all-region second team accolades for the first time in her career.
Led by the 2015 University of Notre Dame valedictorian Kottkamp, nine Irish rowers claimed CRCA National Scholar-Athlete recognition on May 28. Kottkamp, Doerfler, Carlee Beckler, Madelynn Conlin, Sarah Kappers, Sarah Russel, Katie Skorcz, Alex Techar and Catherine Wagner each were chosen as CRCA National Scholar-Athletes after fielding 3.5 or higher career cumulative grade point averages while appearing in 75 percent of Notre Dame races in 2015.
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