WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The University of Notre Dame claimed its eighth-straight BIG EAST Women’s Rowing Championship title on Sunday on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. Notre Dame totaled 114 points to edge second-place Louisville by five points. The Irish have taken home every BIG EAST women’s rowing title since 2004, giving the team the longest current active streak of BIG EAST Championship titles in any sport.
The Irish claimed first in three of five scoring events including the varsity four, third varsity eight and second varsity eight. Notre Dame’s varsity four crew of Kiertsen Dehaven, Ching Ting Hwang, Courtney Gaberino, Theresa Rubinger and Christa Dines was seeded second heading into the race, but beat out top-seeded Louisville by almost eight seconds to win the event. The crew notched an important win in the second varsity eight, winning by three seats over Louisville to help clinch the BIG EAST title. The Irish placed three athletes on the first team All-BIG EAST team, including Carol Ann Michel, Stephanie Gretsch and Molly Bruggeman.
Louisville finished in second place, scoring 109 points. The Cardinals varsity eight team claimed the BIG EAST Championship crown with a time of 6:40.00 to top Notre Dame by 2.8 seconds. The crew included Erin Bennett, Sam Kayser, Cara Littleton, Katya Monchenko, Kristin Falovo, Lauren Mensch-Speelman, Morgan Dunham, Anastasia Prokopenko and Ali Woods. Louisville also placed second in three other scoring events, including the third varsity eight, second varsity eight and the varsity four. The Cardinals’ coaching staff, headed by Laura Aubrey was named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, as voted on by the conference’s eight coaches. Notre Dame and Louisville finished one-two in four of the five scoring events.
Georgetown placed third in the team standings with 95 points. The Hoyas claimed first in the second varsity four, finishing in a time of 7:54.95. Syracuse rounded out the top four with 73 points.
Final Team Standings
1. Notre Dame, 114 points
2. Louisville, 109 points
3. Georgetown, 95 points
4. Syracuse, 73 points
5. Connecticut, 65 points
6. Rutgers, 59 points
7. West Virginia, 54 points
8. Villanova, 32 points
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Hillary Wiles-Lafayette, Connecticut
Victoria Stulgis, Georgetown
Dasha Ryaboshapka, Georgetown
Morgan Dunham, Louisville
Lauren Mensch, Louisville
Emily Crosby, Notre Dame
Stephanie O’Neill, Notre Dame
Gen Malone, Notre Dame
Catherine Geithman, Rutgers
Chelsea McPherson, Syracuse
Allison Todd, Syracuse
All-BIG EAST First Team
Brittany DePoi, Connecticut
Erin Carter, Georgetown
Anastasia Prokopenko, Louisville
Erin Bennett, Louisville
Carol Ann Michel, Notre Dame
Stephanie Gretsch, Notre Dame
Molly Bruggeman, Notre Dame
Janine Ford, Rutgers
Emma Krapowicz, Syracuse
Kellie Kruppenbacher, Villanova
Courtney Schrand, West Virginia
Coaching Staff of the Year
Louisville
