Cardinals Make First Program Appearance at NCAA Championships

5/29/2026 8:15:00 PM | By: Sarah Lodge

GAINSVILLE, Ga. – The Catholic women's rowing team capped off its season on the national stage, competing in the Division III NCAA Championships. The Cardinals raced on Olympic water at Lake Lanier Olympic Park.

The second V8+ boat was the first Cardinal crew to get in the water on the day with Maely Gomez as the coxswain. Clare Gallagher sat as the stroke with Abigail Ampe in the bow. Other members included Maeve Donnelly (7), Giada Mirjah (6), Madelyn Bronson (5), April Penny (4), Bernadette Dineen (3), and Marelyn Diaz (2). The Cardinals placed fourth in their heat with a time of 7:35.601. Tufts led the way in the heat with a time of 6:40.139.

The V8+ boat, outfitted with all four recent graduates, raced 6:51.202 and placed fourth. The Bates crew led the heat with a time of 6:39.032. Sadie Mattaliano served as the coxswain. Adelaide Murrey was the stroke and Charlotte Fritz was in the bow. Other crew members were Claudia Hindley (7), Anne Mountcastle (6), Ellie Tynan (5), Katherine Elizabeth Ma (4), Madelyn Smith (3), and Bridget Robben (2).

Both boats advanced to the Petite Finals. The Puget Sound boats outpaced both Catholic boats in each petite final heats. The V8+ boat with Mattaliano as the cox raced 6:55.307 in the final. The second V8+ raced 7:28.870.

The Tufts 1V8+ and 2V8+ boats placed first in the Grand Finals, securing the back-to-back NCAA championship.

This concludes the historic season for the Cardinals and closes out the Catholic Athletics 2025-26 season.

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