Coming off a fourth-place finish at last season’s Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, the Notre Dame rowing team has built up toughness over the course of 2024. The Irish enter the postseason receiving votes for the Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll, which ranks the top 20 Division I rowing teams in the country. Head coach Martin Stone, now in his 27th year leading the Irish, summarized the back-and-forth nature of his team’s regular season.
“I'd say there have been some really positive races, and then a couple [of] races we just left a little bit on the course,” Stone said. “So, generally positive, but if we just weren’t a few seconds back in a couple [of] races, it’s much different, I think.”
Notre Dame entered the spring with two returning All-ACC selections. Junior Margaret Newell earned second-team All-ACC status last season, while fellow junior Natalie Hoefer captured first-team honors. Hoefer also made the nine-rower ACC Rowing Preseason Watch List ahead of the 2024 campaign, leading a determined group of Irish competitors.
“They've had a great attitude and put in a great effort all year. They're really positive,” Stone described. “They've attacked the workouts with great determination and not shying away from them, and so the same with the racing. That's how I would describe it.”
Since the middle of March, the Irish have sent rowers to five different competitions, beginning with the Cardinal Invite in Tennessee. Notre Dame then entered April with the Lubbers Cup Regatta and the challenging San Diego Crew Classic. To wrap up the regular season, the Irish traveled to the Big Ten Invitational in Florida and a battle with Princeton, Columbia and Northeastern. For Stone, the challenging schedule has helped Notre Dame rowing carve out its identity.
“I thought San Diego was pretty good for us. We did have some great races in Florida,” Stone recalled. “So I think we've learned. We put ourselves in a really tough racing schedule, so we've learned a lot. And as we prepare now for ACCs, we know what our strengths and weaknesses are and where we need to shore some things up.”
The Irish enjoyed an especially productive week at the Big Ten Invitational, where their First Varsity Four became the ACC Crew of the Week. The group featured freshman Sara Louser, sophomore Julia Clavi, freshman Scarlett Quinn, sophomore Morgan Rice and junior coxswain Grace Collins, claiming first place with a time of 7 minutes and 29.258 seconds.
“They've done a great job,” Stone said of the fours. “Jami Montesano, who's their direct coach, has done a phenomenal job with the fours group, and we're pushing along pretty well. So it was phenomenal to have an ACC Crew of the Week. [There’s] a lot of stiff competition out there, so it was really good.”
Heading into the postseason, Stone isn’t only looking for his top regular-season boats to deliver. He pointed out that, at this stage of the year, the most complete teams draw leadership from different corners in different positions.
“I think it just depends on the situation. Everybody's got really good strengths and weaknesses,” Stone said. “The beauty of the team is that there's not a big gap anywhere. Some people are really strong physically, and they draw the other people up, and some people are really good technically in the boat, and they help other people who might be less technically proficient.”
“Everybody on the team has been a leader at some point, and they've taken the lead in something, right? That's what makes it a pretty special group.”
The Irish will hit the waters of Lake Wheeler in North Carolina for the ACC Championship, which is scheduled for May 17 and 18. The NCAA Rowing Championship will follow between May 27 and June 2 in Bethel, Ohio.
