March 17, 2012
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The University of Notre Dame rowing team concluded day one of the Oak Ridge Invitational Saturday, racking up seven total race victories on Melton Lake. The Irish varsity eight boat and second varsity eight both earned two victories on the day.
Morning Session:
The first varsity eight, comprised of coxswain Abby Meyers, Stephanie O’Neill, Morgan Kelley, Erin Boxberger, Ailish Sheehan, Olivia Kacsits, Erin McConnell, Courtney Gaberino and Molly Bruggeman concluded the morning session with a victory over both Alabama and Jacksonville. The Irish crossed the finish line in 6:34.40, to claim a relatively easy win as Alabama crossed in 6:49.71 and Jacksonville finished in 7:14.79.
In the second varsity eight, the Irish crew of coxswain Christina Dines, Ingrid Woelfel, Lauren Tharp, Rose Doerfler, Anna Kottkamp, Paige Aiello, Kelsey Haddad, Teresa Blumenstein and Teresa Rubinger raced heads up against the Crimson Tide, posting an 18 second victory. The Irish boat finished in 6:43.60 while Alabama crossed in 7:01.99.
The third varsity eight of coxswain Becca MacDonald, Christine McGough, Carolyn Perez, Madeline Loper, Carlee Beckler, Hayley Johnson, Stella Willoughby, Anna Silwinski and Sarah Hart took on both Alabama and Buffalo in their heat. The Irish finished in 7:03.30 for the win, while the Crimson Tide stopped the clock at 7:22.47 and the Bulls crossed in 7:48.85.
The crew of coxwain Danni Schneider, Kelley Gawne, Katie Suyo, Kiersten DeHaven and Ching-Ting Hwang led the Irish varsity four boat to victory over Alabama and Jacksonville, stopping the clock at 7:33.40 for a full 20-second victory over the nearest boat. The Crimson Tide finished in 7:53.46 and Jacksonville crossed in 8:51.26 for third.
In the second varsity four, coxswain Kristine Corachea, Madelynn Conlin, Kelsey Murphy, Elizabeth Linnemanstons and Sarah McShane won a heads-up race over Duke, posting a winning time of 7:40.20. The Blue Devils finished over 12 seconds behind at 7:52.49.
The final boat saw the third varsity four boat, comprised of coxswain Mikaela Prego, Valerie Brencher, Stephanie Winsch, Kelsey Sekanick and Kathryn Monahan fall to Virginia in a one-on-one battle. The Cavaliers won with a time of 7:33.60, besting the Irish and their time of 7:43.02.
Afternoon Session:
The Irish faced off against Minnesota and Kansas in most all the afternoon races, defeating the Gophers (6:28.31) and Jayhawks (6:47.71) in varsity eight action with a time of 6:25.90. The Irish (6:33.00) also knocked off Minnesota (6:41.03) and Kansas (6:56.53) in the second varsity eight race.
The Gophers (7:13.20) held on for the win in the varsity four, fighting off the Irish (7:27.48) in second and the Jayhawks (7:33.76) in third. Much the same held true in the second varsity four as Minnesota won with a time of 7:23.50 ahead of Notre Dame (7:32.83) and Kansas (7:48.88) in second and third, respectively.
The remaining two races saw the Irish third varsity eight (7:00.17) finish second to Kansas (6:58.00) but pull away from Buffalo (7:44.91), while the third varsity four (7:22.32) finished third to the Virginia “A” (7:07.80) and Virginia “B” (7:20.96) crews.
Notre Dame concludes the Oak Ridge Invitational Sunday with races against Tennessee, Louisville, Virginia and Kansas. The Irish take to the water for their first race of the day 10:08 a.m. (ET). Be sure to check back with UND.com for a recap of the Irish on the second and final day of the event.
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