1996 – Rowing is granted varsity status for women.
1997 – Martin Stone is hired to be the first women’s rowing coach at Notre Dame. He previously had spent six years at the Naval Academy.
October 11, 1998 – Notre Dame competes in its first regatta, the Head of the Rock Regatta, in Rockford, Ill. The Irish lightweight eight boat was able to win its race final, securing the program’s first-ever victory.
⬇️ 1998-99 – Katie Fox (pictured below) is named the lone team captain for the Irish’s first varsity season, making her the first captain in program history. She was later selected the Notre Dame Monogram Club MVP.
May 1-2, 1999 – Notre Dame qualifies three boats for the grand finals at its first-ever Midwest Championships – novice eight, second novice eight and novice four. Both novice eight boats were able to post second-place finishes in their respective races, while the novice four boat crossed the finish line in fifth place.
May 7, 1999 – After completing the first varsity campaign, Michelle Olsgard is chosen by the U.S. National team as an invitee to the women’s freshmen rowing camp at the U.S. Rowing National Olympic Training Center.
Spring 1999 – The lightweight eight boat finishes the season ranked 12th in the nation.
February 22, 2000 – The Notre Dame lightweight eight boat sees itself ranked 14th in the preseason rowing polls, according to the CRCA/US Rowing Preseason Poll.
March 26, 2000 – The Irish played host to its first-ever home meet, taking on Louisville, Michigan State and Indiana. The event had to be put on hold for one day due to unrowable conditions the previous day, as wind gusts were recorded at 30+ miles per hour.
April 2, 2000 – Notre Dame goes on to sweep all four races against the visiting Drake Bulldogs to secure its first-ever home victory.
May 8, 2000 – Katrina Ten Eyck follows in the wake of fellow Irish rower Michelle Olsgard, to become the second team member to be invited to train at the U.S. Rowing National Training Center.
May 13, 2000 – In its first year of competition at the Central/South Regional, the Irish novice eight boat was able to qualify for the grand finals on its way to earning a fourth-place outcome.
2000 – Katrina Ten Eyck garners All-Central Region first-team honors from the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA), making her the first rower to earn regional honors. She would also go on to become the first rower to be awarded the Byron V. Kanaley Award, the highest honor given to senior student-athletes who have been most exemplary as students and leaders. Her list of accomplishments would continue to grow that year when she became the second and last winner of the Monogram Club MVP Award, as well as being named CoSIDA Academic All-District V and the recipient of the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Rockne Student-Athlete Award.
January 8, 2001 – The BIG EAST Conference announces it will sponsor the BIG EAST Women’s Rowing Challenge on Sunday, April 29, 2001, at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. Notre Dame announces that the rowing program will receive the full compliment of scholarships under the NCAA guidelines by start of the 2004-05 year.
⬇️ March 14, 2001 – Father Theodore Hesburgh C.S.C. and Father Edmund Joyce C.S.C. (pictured below) are honored by the Irish rowing team when two shells were christened in their honor during halftime of Notre Dame’s January 8th men’s basketball game against Georgetown.
April 4, 2001 – The Irish rowing team, in only its third season of varsity competition, earns a 14th-place ranking in the US Rowing/CRCA poll. It marks the first time in the young history of the program that Notre Dame’s top boat has been ranked nationally.
April 29, 2001 – The Irish compete in the first-ever BIG EAST Championships. The novice eight and second varsity eight boats are able to earn runner-up finishes in the grand finals, with the varsity eight boat posting a third-place finish. The Irish would earn second place in the team standings at the event.
May 13, 2001 – The varsity four boat earns Notre Dame its first race victory at the Central/South Region Championships by winning the petite final in a time of 7:48.00.
May 23, 2001 – Michelle Olsgard and Ashlee Warren, both first team selections, are chosen as CRCA All-Central Region members. The duo joined Ten Eyck (’00) as first team selections and their nominations marked the first time the Irish placed multiple members on the list.
2001 – Leah Ashe becomes the program’s first CoSIDA Academic All-American when she is named a second-team honoree for the Women’s At-Large program.
January 22, 2002 – Becky Luckett (first team) and Ashlee Warren (second team) are named to the U.S. Rowing Collegiate Honor Roll.
April 17, 2002 – Notre Dame moves into the top-10 in the national polls for the first time in program history, climbing to ninth in the nation just prior to the BIG EAST Championships.
April 28, 2002 – The varsity four boat becomes the first Irish boat to win a grand final at the BIG EAST Championships by posting the winning time of 7:27.40. Notre Dame secured its second consecutive runner-up finish at the conference championship as it fell to Syracuse.
May 19, 2002 – The Irish novice eight boat claims the first-ever medal for Notre Dame at the Central/South Region Championships by earning a third-place result in the grand final. For the second consecutive year, the varsity four boat finishes first in the petite finals.
May 30 – June 2, 2002 – Notre Dame competes in its first NCAA Championship in program history from Indianapolis, Ind., as the varsity eight crew earns an at-large bid. The boat places 16th by grabbing a seventh-place outcome in the repechage heat of the tournament by posting a time of 6:52.56.
June 20, 2002 – Martin Stone receives Central Region Coach of the Year honors, along with being a national-coach-of-the-year finalist.
July 31, 2002 – Ashlee Warren is named a second team All-American by the CRCA and becomes the first Irish rower to garner All-America honors. She also was a second team all-Central Region honoree.
2002 – Katherine Burnett is honored as a CRCA National Scholar-Athlete for the third time in her career as she became the first three-time recipient in program history.
February 25, 2003 – Ashlee Warren is honored as the BIG EAST/Aéropostale Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, marking the first, and only, time an Irish rower has received the accolade.
May 27, 2003 – Cassie Markstahler receives her second consecutive CRCA National Scholar Athlete Award, joining Katherine Burnett as a multi-year recipient of the honor.
September 25, 2003 – Irish assistant coach Pam Mork is named Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year and becomes one of six finalists for the national-assistant-coach-of-the-year award.
April 25, 2004 – After finishing second the previous three years at the BIG EAST Championships, Notre Dame earns its first-ever conference crown, defeating Miami (Fla.) for the title. On the day, four Irish boats – varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four and novice four – were able to earn first-place finishes in their respective grand finals. Martin Stone would later be honored as BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
May 24, 2004 – Natalie Ladine is tabbed as both a first-team CRCA All-Central Region selection as well as being named a member of the CRCA National Scholar-Athlete team.
May 28-30, 2004 – Two years after making its first appearance in the NCAA Championships, the Irish varsity eight boat earns a second trip. The crew finished 11th overall after qualifying for the petite final for the first time in program history. In the Petite Final, the boat was able to place fifth in a time of 6:43.00.
June 3, 2004 – Natalie Ladine becomes the first Irish rower to be honored as a first-team All-American by the CRCA in the programs history.
April 3, 2005 – Three Irish boats qualify for the petite finals (novice eight, second varsity eight, varsity eight), with the open varsity eight reaching the grand finals at the San Diego Crew Classic from Mission Bay, Calif. The Irish novice eight crew was able to earn the Petite Final victory at the Classic, holding off USC for the title.
⬇️ April 24, 2005 – Notre Dame claims its second consecutive BIG EAST Conference championship in Worcester, MA, led by first-place finishes by the Second Varsity Eight, Varsity Four, Second Varsity Four and Novice Eight.
May 23, 2005 – Notre Dame rower Amanda Polk is named to the All-Central Region first team by the CRCA. She becomes the first Irish rower to earn such all-Central Region accolades as a freshman. It also marks the 12th different time an Irish rower has received all-region accolades.
June 3, 2005 – Polk continues to set freshmen records with the Irish, as she became the first rookie, and just the third Notre Dame rower selected as a CRCA All-American. She was named to the second team for her efforts that year.
⬇️ April 30, 2006 – The coaching staff of Martin Stone, Joe Schlosberg and Marnie Stahl are named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the Irish to their third straight conference crown.
May 7, 2006 – Amanda Polk is invited to the U.S. National Team Selection Camp, marking the first time an Irish rower has received such an invite.
May 14, 2006 – Notre Dame finishes third overall as a team at the Central/South Championships – the highest finish ever for an Irish team. The varsity eight crew of coxswain Maria Romano, Julie Sobolewski, Amanda Polk, Mary Quinn, Laura Pearson, Allison Marsh, Melissa Felker, Meghan Boyle and Sarah Palandech wins the first-ever varsity eight gold medal by winning the grand final.
May 22, 2006 – Five Irish rowers are named to the CRCA All-Central Region team, including four members (Sarah Palandech, Amanda Polk, Maria Romano and Julie Sobolewski) are selected to the first team, while Melissa Felker garners second-team honors. The four first-balloters is the most in any single campaign. Head Coach Martin Stone also is honored as the Central Region Coach of the Year and becomes one of six finalists for national coach-of-the-year honors.
May 26-28, 2006 – For the first time in program history, the Irish qualify its entire team for the NCAA Championships. The varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four boats all compete at the championship, which was held at West Windsor, N.J. All three Irish boats advance to their respective petite finals, with the varsity eight boat earning the first petite final victory at the NCAA’s and placing seventh overall in the 16-boat field. The team earns a ninth-place finish to cap the most successful season in program history.
June 3, 2006 – For the first time in program history, Notre Dame has multiple rowers earn CRCA All-American honors – Amanda Polk (first team), Sarah Palandech (second team) and Julie Sobolewski (second team). Polk becomes the first two-time All-American in program history.
2007 – Meghan Boyle becomes the first two-time captain in program history. Along with receiving that honor, Boyle, along with Maria Romano, went on to receive the Christopher Zorich Award following the season. The award was created to recognize the contributions of student-athletes to the University and the community at-large.
April 14, 2007 – The 16th-ranked Irish varsity eight crew registered two of the biggest wins in school history, as Notre Dame produced victories over No. 5 and two-time defending national champion California and No. 7 Stanford at the opening day of competition at the Windermere Classic.
April 15, 2007 – The Irish varsity eight crew continues its successful weekend by defeating No. 9 UCLA convincingly, marking the third top-10 opponent defeated on the weekend to post a perfect 3-0 mark at the Windermere Classic.
April 28, 2007 – Notre Dame’s No. 6 ranked varsity eight boat continued its streak of victories over top-10 boats as the Irish defeat No. 5 Virginia along with No. 7 Princeton from Carnegie Lake in Princeton, N.J. The wins over Virginia and Princeton pushed the Irish’s string of wins over top-10 boats to five straight, the most in program history.
⬇️ April 29, 2007 – Martin Stone, Joe Schlosberg and Marnie Stahl garner BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the second consecutive season after guiding the team to its fourth straight conference championship.
May 2, 2007 – The Irish varsity eight boat climbs to third in the US Rowing/CRCA polls following its string of race victories over top competition. The third-place standing marks the highest ranking for the varsity eight boat in program history.
May 23, 2007 – Meghan Boyle, Lauren Buck, Shannon Cassel, Erica Copeland, Jessica Guzik, Sarah Keithley, Mary Kate McNamara, Laura Petnuch and Christine Trezza are all named CRCA National Scholar-Athlete award winners. The nine rowers represent the most ever in a single year in program history, topping the six recipients during the 2002 season.
May 25-27, 2007 – Notre Dame earns back-to-back NCAA appearances when the team was selected to the 12-team field in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Irish again would see all three boats – varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four – earn berth’s in the petite finals, placing 12th, 12th and 11th, respectively, in their respective fields. Overall, the team places 12th in the final standings.
June 11, 2007 – Amanda Polk (first team) and Allison Marsh (second team) are selected as CRCA All-Americans. With the award, Polk is named an All-American for the third straight year and also becomes the Irish’s first-ever two-time selection to the first team.
April 27, 2008 – The Irish, in securing its fifth consecutive BIG EAST title, go on to sweep all six grand final events for the first time in program history – winning the varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four, second varsity four, novice eight and novice four races.
June 2, 2008 – Senior Amanda Polk is selected as a CRCA first-team All-American. With the honor Polk becomes the first Irish rower to be named an All-American in all four seasons with the team – 2005 (second team), 2006 (first team), 2007 (first team).
July 8, 2008 – Polk is selected to the 2008 U-23 World Championships team, competing as a member of the women’s eight. The selection makes her the first Irish rower to compete for the team.
April 8, 2009 – The Irish second varsity eight crew is selected as the BIG EAST Conference Crew of the Week following its grand final appearance at the San Diego Crew Classic. It marks the first time an Irish crew has been presented the award in program history.
April 25, 2009 – Notre Dame, aided by four boats securing grand final gold, was able to lock up an unprecedented sixth straight BIG EAST Championship title. The Irish second varsity eight, varsity four, novice four and second novice four went on to capture their respective race victories.
April 29, 2009 – Lauren Buck is selected as the Byron V. Kanaley Award recipient, becoming only the second Irish rower to be presented the award (Katrina Ten Eyck – ‘00).
May 16-17, 2009 – The Irish win two petite finals at the Central/South Region Championships, marking the first time in the 10 years Notre Dame has been competing in the meet. The second varsity eight and open varsity four “A” boat were the two Irish boats to earn the victories.
June 29, 2009 – Buck continues to bring in the honors, becoming the first Irish women’s rower to receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. She was one of only 29 student-athletes competing in spring sports to receive the honor.
August 2009 – Former Irish rower Amanda Polk is selected to compete with the U.S. Senior National Team at the World Championships from Poznan, Poland as a member of the four boat. The crew would go on to capture the silver medal, holding off Canada who crossed in third.
April 25, 2010 – For the seventh time in as many seasons the Irish rowers find themselves atop the podium at the BIG EAST Championships, capturing five of the six possible grand finals. Along with bringing home the team title, individual honors were abundant for the Irish as the coaching staff received BIG EAST Staff of the Year and six rowers (Stephanie Gretsch, Sarah Keithley, Brittney Kelly, Katherine Linnemanstons, Stephanie O’Neill, Casey Robinson) were selected as all-conference honorees in the inaugural year.
May 15, 2010 – The Irish novice eight boat qualifies for its grand final at the Central/South Sprints, finishing fifth in the heat. For the regatta, Notre Dame finishes in sixth in the central region while placing ninth in the overall standings.
June 3, 2010 – Stephanie Gretsch and Sarah Keithley (pictured below) are both named as CRCA National Scholar-Athletes. Gretsch also would garner first team all-Central region accolades.
⬇️ May 1, 2011 – Notre Dame keeps its string of BIG EAST titles intact, holding on for the team’s eight consecutive conference crown. All told, four Irish boats (second varsity eight, varsity four, third varsity eight, third varsity four) claimed Grand Final victories to help the Irish edge out Louisville by five points for the team title.
May 25, 2011 – Four Irish rowers are named to the CRCA National Scholar-Athlete Team, while Carol Ann Michel (first team) and Stephanie Gretsch (second team) claim CRCA All-Central Region honors.
October 23, 2011 – The Irish send their varsity four boat to the prestigious Head of the Charles, earning a fifth-place finish overall while placing second among all college crews competing in the race.
⬇️ May 13, 2012 – Notre Dame makes it nine straight BIG EAST titles, winning five of six Grand Finals to secure the 14-point victory. Six members of the varsity eight boat are honored as all-BIG EAST selections.
May 25-27, 2012 – The Irish return to NCAA competition for the first time since 2007. Led by an eighth-place showing by the varsity four boat, Notre Dame finishes 15th at the Championships held on Mercer Lake.
June 5, 2012 – Molly Bruggeman becomes the first CRCA All-American since Amanda Polk in ‘08. The mainstay with the varsity eight earned first-team billing following her strong sophomore campaign. She becomes just the seventh All-American in program history.
2012 – Notre Dame continues to show its prominance on the international scene as both Amanda Polk, an ‘08 graduate, and rising junior Molly Bruggeman are selected to represent the United States. Polk became the first rower in Irish program history to be selected to the U.S. Olympic Team, qualifying as an alternate for the London Games. Bruggeman, meanwhile, became the second Notre Dame rower (along with Polk) to be chosen to the U-23 squad.
2012 – The Irish sweep all four BIG EAST Crew of the Week honors for the first time since the accolade came into existance. Both the varsity eight and second varsity eight claimed recognition once, while the varsity four boat twice was honored.
May 19, 2013 – Notre Dame won its 10th consecutive BIG EAST Championship, claiming five of six Grand Finals for the second straight year to earn a regatta record 151 points. The Irish defeated runner-up Louisville by 22 points. In 13 seasons competing at the conference races, Notre Dame never finished outside of the top-two team finishers.
May 28, 2013 – Five Irish rowers were named to the CRCA Central all-region team, tying a program record set in both 2006 and 2007. Erin Boxberger, Molly Bruggeman and Abby Meyers were first team selections, while Stephanie O’Neill and Ailish Sheehan copped second team recognition.
⬇️ May 31-June 2, 2013 – In its second straight appearance at the NCAA Championship, Notre Dame posted 66 points to finish in 13th place. The 22-team NCAA field was the largest in the history of the regatta. The Irish varsity four placed ninth, followed by the second varsity eight (12th place) and varsity eight (13th place, pictured below) launches.
June 11, 2013 – Molly Bruggeman and Erin Boxberger each received CRCA Pocock All-America honors. Bruggeman was named to the first team for the second straight season, while Boxberger was tabbed as a second team recipient. The Irish duo became the first Notre Dame teammates to earn All-America distinction in the same season since Amanda Polk (first team) and Allison Marsh (second team) in 2007.
2014 – Notre Dame officially joins the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) after competing for 16 seasons in the BIG EAST Conference. The Irish finished second to Virginia in their first-ever ACC Championship appearance.
⬇️ June 1, 2014 – Notre Dame tied its best NCAA Championship finish by taking ninth place overall at the 2014 NCAA regatta at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis.
May 16, 2015 – Scoring 82 points, Notre Dame finishes second at the 2015 ACC Rowing Championships in Clemson, SC, highlighted by two runner-up finishes by the Varsity Eight and Varsity Four.
⬇️ May 17, 2015 – Anna Kottkamp becomes the first Notre Dame student-athlete to ever deliver the valedictory address during graduation exercises at Notre Dame Stadium.
May 29-31, 2015 – Notre Dame finishes in 16th place (41 points) in program record fourth straight NCAA Championship appearance.
⬇️ August 13, 2016 – Amanda Polk becomes the first Notre Dame rower to earn an Olympic gold medal, helping the United States Women’s Eight win their 11th consecutive world title at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
⬇️ September 9, 2016 – The University of Notre Dame hold a private ceremony to recognize James and Lisa McConnell for their leadership gift to underwrite the construction of the McConnell Family Boathouse on the St. Joseph River.
September 1, 2017 – The ‘ND Dames’ – the first women rowers at the University of Notre Dame – present the first alumni financed boat to the women’s rowing program.
Thank you ND Dames (aka first women rowers at ND).
The first alumni financed boat in program history!#NDFamily pic.twitter.com/0NY3QbSEuV— Notre Dame Rowing (@NDRowing) September 2, 2017
September 30, 2017 – Molly Bruggeman helps the U.S. W4- to a fourth-place finish at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida.
May 4, 2017 – The Varsity Eight crew of Emily Stinebaugh, Gretchen Bruggeman, Erin Boxberger, Treasa O’Tighearnaigh, Laura Migliore, Catherine Wagner, Elizabeth Gilbert, Lauren Saunee and coxswain Reilly Kearney complete a thrilling comeback in the Grand Final at the ACC Championships, edging Syracuse (6:23.172 vs. 6:23.584) to finish second and cement an at-large berth to the 2017 NCAA Championship.
🎥 Check out THE COMEBACK
The Irish rally in the final 350m to take 2nd at the @ACCRowing championship. pic.twitter.com/RdYS2W7WSA— Notre Dame Rowing (@NDRowing) May 18, 2017
April 21, 2017 – The Notre Dame Monogram Club surprises Martin Stone at the McConnell Family Boathouse with an Honorary Monogram.
What an awesome ☘️Notre Dame☘️ moment!@NDRowCoach awarded an Honorary Monogram earlier this evening!
Congrats Coach! pic.twitter.com/Aykb5AWU8w— Notre Dame Rowing (@NDRowing) April 21, 2017
May 28, 2017 – Notre Dame takes part in its fifth NCAA Championship in six years, finishing 16th at the NCAA reagatta on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, New Jersey.
⬇️ September 15, 2018 – Erin Boxberger and Molly Bruggeman help the U.S. Women’s Four (W4-) claim the 2018 World Rowing Championship in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, finishing first in 6:25.570. It marks the first U.S. W4- world championship title since 2015.
April 24, 2018 – The First Varsity Eight is named the ACC Rowing Crew of the Week after defeating No. 15 Michigan State at the ACC-Big Ten Double Duel held at Ohio State.
June 4, 2018 – Ellen Gleadow (2016) finished second in the Women’s Lightweight Single Sculls for Team Canada at the 2018 World Rowing Cup I in Beograd, Serbia.
June 28, 2018 – Graduated senior Treasa O’Tighearnaigh is named the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, headlining seven Irish rowers selected to the All-ACC Academic Team.