The No. 20 Notre Dame women's rowing team competed in the San Diego Crew Classic over the weekend. The Irish secured two top-six finishes in a field that boasted some of the best teams in the country, headlined by No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Washington and No. 8 Cal.
Notre Dame entered three varsity four boats. The first team - sophomore Sara Louser, sophomore Claire Macy, junior Elizabeth Tessen and coxswain sophomore Margaret Abbott – placed third in their preliminary heat on Saturday with a time of 7:43.899. The group improved on Sunday, clocking a time of 7:35.692. The effort was strong enough to surmount USC, who were a place ahead of Notre Dame the previous day.
The second varsity four consisted of senior Victoria Gordon-Brown, sophomore Anna Kahl, freshman Lauren O'Grady, sophomore Lily Smith and coxswain freshman Nicolette Cottingham. Led by senior Gordon-Brown, the otherwise youthful team excelled in the first day, finishing first in the preliminary heat thanks to a 7:38.465 performance. The Irish slightly regressed in the final round, rowing 2,000 meters in a time of 7:52.507 en route to a fourth-place finish.
Freshman Marie Golden, freshman Riley Clavi, sophomore Madison Naman, freshman Reece McNutt and coxswain sophomore Lily Fratantonio made up the final varsity four team. Together, they posted a 7:48.990 on Saturday before a 8:01.566 finish in Sunday's final, just two seconds behind sixth-place Washington State.
Overall, the varsity four teams from Notre Dame delivered a promising performance, especially considering their age. In total, the team comprised five freshmen and eight sophomores, alongside one junior and one senior. The young group proved that they can compete against some of the best teams in the country.
Notre Dame also fielded three varsity eight boats. The top crew placed fourth in a tightly contested preliminary battle. Their 6:36.978 was 0.626 seconds behind the UCLA Bruins. The team used that result as fuel for Sunday, propelling them to a sixth-place finish in the final heat, finishing one rank above UCLA. The Irish finished just shy of passing No. 23 Southern Cal for a top five spot. Texas' 6:19.318 was the winning time. Washington wasn't too far behind with a 6:20.139. Both programs showed their class throughout the day, providing a framework for fellow competitors on what it will take to reach their level.
The other two varsity squads battled vigilantly against some of the nation's premier programs. The second varsity eight squad finished sixth in its final heat, posting times of 6:49.928 and 6:55.291. The third varsity eight squad raced times of 7:04.547 and 7:11.751. They finished fourth in their final heat. Similarly to the top heat, these heats were both won by the dominant Texas Longhorns.
Notre Dame returns to South Bend officially nearing the midpoint of their season. The team has three scheduled events left, beginning with the Big Ten Invitational on April 18-19 in sunny Sarasota, Florida. The regatta will feature top teams outside the Big Ten as well, including the Ivy League's Brown and Harvard. Head Coach Martin Stone will be sure to have his team prepared for what is set to be Notre Dame's strongest test to date.
