On Sunday, Notre Dame raced against 18 other programs at the Head of the Elk race in Elkhart, Ind.
The Open Eight "A" boat - Maria Romano, Ankica Jedry, Amand Polk, Mary Quinn, Laura Pearson, Casey Fairbanks, Meg Boyle, Andrea Doud and Sarah Palandech - finished second out of the 19 schools, with a disputed time of 14:29.228. The gap between Notre Dame and first place Louisville, which clocked in at 14:11.515, may be smaller, and the team will learn of the official results later in the week. Notre Dame's "B" boat - Shannan Lettieri, Jessica Guzik, Alyssa Close, Danielle Stealy, Julie Sobolewski, Lindsay McQuaid, Pamela Jefson, Melissa Felker and Sarah Kate Hafner - finished first in its race with a time of 14:45.405, good enough for the fourth best time in the Open Eight overall.
Notre Dame's "A" boat - Sarah Sullivan, Amanda Gonzales, Mallory Glass, Anni Nowhitney, Megan Black, Lauren Buck, Laura Petnuch, Vanessa Milano and Courtney Hummel - in the Novice Eight finished fourth with a time of 17:14.573, and the novice "B" boat - Kim Tran, Erica Copeland, Katie Buza, Christy Carr, Kelsey Reno, Megan Grebe, Amy Arellano, Stephanie Bauer and Bridget Leone - finished in 18:14.437, fifth in its class. Notre Dame's "A" boat -Eileen Froehlke, Kendra Short, Allison Marsh, Brittany Burnham and Betsy Madison - in the Open Four finished in tenth place with a time of 17:22.308, and the "B" boat - Christina Padayhag, Ashley St. Pierre, Kate Sylvia, Elli Greybar and Alyssa Teves - finished fourth with a time of 17:41.495.
Irish Coach Martin Stone thought his team made progress this weekend, but not to the point that he had hoped.
"Most boats had better rows than yesterday," Stone said, referring to Sunday's race. "We're trying to get back to where we were before fall break, and we didn't make it. We were close, but not back there yet, we still need more sharpness."
He said this weekend's races provided his team with some great experience, and the team must now get ready for the spring.
"If you take a look back, we are definitely closer to some of the other top schools this year than we were last year, and that gives us something to build on," Stone said. "We have another two weeks on the water this fall, and I think we'll fix a lot of things."
On Saturday, Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State raced at the Notre Dame Invitational held on the St. Joseph's River.
Each school entered two boats in the Varsity Eight race. Michigan State's "A" and "B" boats finished first and second, with times of 14:03.4 and 14:15.1, respectively, and the Michigan "A" crew came in third place with a time of 14:17.1.
Notre Dame's "A" boat finished fourth with a time of 14:23.8.
Notre Dame's "B" boat finished fifth with a time of 14:39.1. Michigan's "B" boat was sixth, finishing in 14:48.1.
In the Novice Eight race, Michigan and Michigan State each entered three boats, and Notre Dame entered two. Notre Dame's top boat finished third with a time of 16:27.9, behind Michigan and Michigan State's "A" boats.
Michigan and Michigan State's "B" boats finished fourth and fifth, and Notre Dame's second boat finished sixth with a time of 17:13.6. Michigan State and Michigan's "C" boats finished seventh and eighth.
In the Varsity Four, Notre Dame entered three of the seven boats in the race, with Michigan and Michigan State each entering two. Michigan State's two boats finished first and second, and Michigan's "B" boat finished third.
Notre Dame's "C" boat finished fourth in 16:48.0. Notre Dame's "B" boat finished in fifth place with a time of 16:54.8. In sixth, with a time of 16:58.0, in Notre Dame's "A" boat. Michigan's "A" boat finished seventh.
