After competing well in one tournament in the fall and several in the spring, Notre Dame’s season came to an end after the ACC championship in South Carolina.
The third-seeded Irish finished fourth at the ACC championship. Of note at the tournament, the Irish secured a second-place finish by the second varsity four in the grand final (7:16.483) and third-place finishes by the second varsity eight (6:35.608) and varsity four (7:15.875).
Prior to the ACC championship, Notre Dame put together a strong string of performances to earn themselves a No. 17 ranking in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/US Rowing Top 20. The Irish participated in competitions like the Lake Natoma Invitational against highly-ranked teams such as No. 2 California, No. 7 Stanford and No. 8 Brown.
The Irish were able to compete successfully with many ranked teams throughout the course of the season. In fact, in their last full tournament before the ACC championship, the Irish were notched several victories against No. 15 Michigan State. Their consistency of play allowed the Irish to replicate these solid performances time and time again throughout the season.
Notre Dame will lose several important seniors from this year. Of note, seniors Treasa O’Tighearnaigh and Christine Schindele-Murayama earned first and second All-ACC team honors, respectively.
Despite being ranked No. 17 in the most recent Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/U.S. Rowing Top 20, the Irish failed to receive a bid for the NCAA tournament in late May. The announcement was made Tuesday, May 15, and the field of 20 at the NCAA tournament will not include Notre Dame.
Thus, the Irish will not compete again until next season. However, despite the loss of several key seniors, Notre Dame will look to avenge what could be argued as a snub by the committee and earn a bid for the NCAA tournament next year.
