June 10, 2002

Notre Dame, Ind. – Senior Katherine Burnett and five other Notre Dame rowers today were named recipients of the 2002 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete Award. Burnett, a three-time winner of the award, was joined by two-time honoree Becky Luckett and first-time winners Katie Besson, Natalie Ladine, Cassie Markstahler and Diane Price.

Burnett, from Germantown, Tenn., completed her third season rowing in the Irish varsity eight in ’02. She is a three-time winner of the CRCA National Scholar-Athlete Award, marking the first time in Irish history anyone has accomplished that feat. Burnett, who boasts a 3.57 grade-point average, recently graduated in May with a degree in biology and will attend Georgetown Medical School in the fall. Burnett also was named to the CRCA All-Central Region squad’s second team for her athletic achievements this season.

Luckett, of Columbus, Ohio, was named to the team for the second time in her career. She has a 3.89 grade-point average in pre-professional studies and computer applications in the College of Science. The junior spent the summer of 2001 in Kenya and studied last fall in London. Luckett was a first-team US Rowing Collegiate Honor Roll recipient in 2001.

Besson is a first-time winner of the award after rowing in the first varsity eight in ’02. The native of Hales Corner, Wis., graduated in May with a 3.51 grade-point average, earning a degree in government. Besson is going to law school in the fall.

A native of Sacramento, Calif., Ladine is a first-time member of the CRCA National Scholar-Athlete team boasting a 3.51 grade-point average in the College of Science. Ladine, a sophomore, made the jump from the novice roster to the first eight this season, earning second-team CRCA All-Central Region honors.

Markstahler, a junior from North Manchester, Ind., earned her first CRCA National-Scholar Athlete award this season after posting a 3.54 grade-point average in accounting. A coxswain, Markstahler helped the Irish land their first ever NCAA Championship invitation and achieve their highest ranking in school history at No. 9 earlier in the year.

Price is the fourth first-time National Scholar-Athlete Award winner on the Irish roster this season. A sophomore, she has a 3.91 grade-point average in the College of Arts and Letters. The native of Indianapolis, Ind., earned her second monogram in as many years with the Irish in ’02.

The CRCA National Scholar-Athlete Award is given to any rower or coxswain who participated in her second, third or fourth season or eligibility, competed in 75 percent of the team’s races in the varsity boat, and maintained a 3.5 grade-point average of higher. Overall, 93 Division I student-athletes earned the award in 2002.