Print Edition for The Observer for Monday, April 14, 2025
ND to sell alcohol at sporting events
Observer Staff Report
Notre Dame announced Friday that fans with general admission tickets will be able to purchase alcoholic beverages at concession stands in Notre Dame Stadium, Purcell Pavilion and Compton Family Ice Arena for football, hockey and basketball games.
Sales will begin in the fall with the upcoming 2025 football season.
“This expansion will provide for a modern fan experience, consistent with other professional and collegiate stadiums and venues throughout the nation,” the University’s press release reads.
A 2023 Associated Press
poll found that 80% of Power 5 conference schools had begun to sell alcohol in public areas of their stadiums.
Indiana University began selling alcohol at games in 2019, and the University of Michigan began to do so this past season.
Previously, the consumption of alcohol in these venues was prohibited for fans with general admissions tickets. Premium ticket holders had already been able to purchase alcoholic beverages in private areas.
“Notre Dame is committed to promoting responsible consumption and ensuring a safe and enjoyable environment for all attendees,” the press release concluded.
Annual edition of The Shirt revealed Holy Half attracts record number of runners
By AVABELLA MITRANO News Writer
The Shirt Project unveiled the 36th edition of The Shirt for the 2025-2026 football season on Friday. Fr. Pete McCormick emceed the event on Library Lawn, as he played a variety of games with the audience and introduced student groups like Glee Club and Irish Dance Club.
The event hosted free food trucks, lawn games and a giveaway table where students could guess the color of the shirt to receive corresponding green, blue or gold merchandise.
According to unveiling coordinator Katherine Williams, half of the proceeds from The Shirt go to The Shirt Charity, which helps students cover unexpected medical expenses, while the rest of the proceeds support student groups at Notre Dame.
Leading up to The Shirt’s
unveiling, the committee hosted student events to promote The Shirt’s cause.
“We’re getting people just to do random acts of kindness, call their friends, make little popcorn bags and again, just spread the message of The Shirt that really helps to fund our student groups here on campus,” Williams said.
Williams noted the unveiling is The Shirt Project’s biggest event and that planning begins at the start of the second semester, after The Shirt has been designed.
To plan the event, the committee coordinates with volunteers, contacts student groups, reaches out to food vendors and arranges stage equipment.
“The entire committee makes it really easy. Everybody’s willing to help out,” Williams said.
Unveiling coordinator Frances Ubogu explained
The first wave of runners crosses the starting line near the Stepan
on Saturday
Participants circled the Notre Dame campus, running two loops before completing
By SOPHIA TRAN Associate News Editor
As the sun peeked over the horizon on a cool Saturday morning, over 2,000 runners assembled at the starting line of the 20th annual Holy Half Marathon. The half marathon and 10K run began at 8 a.m. on Saturday when the first wave of runners set out from the starting line near Stepan Center.
Seniors Mary Bridget Shaughnessy and Elizabeth Stone, co-directors of the marathon, oversaw a majority of the event operations. As students coming from Notre Dame and St. Mary’s, respectively, both Shaughnessy and Stone discussed the importance of promoting this event to the tri-campus community.
In addition to the student community, the organizers also discussed how the Holy Half’s participation has expanded over the years to include more individuals outside of the tri-campus community.
Shaughnessy noted one runner even flew all the way from Alabama to Notre Dame, for the first time, just for the race. She also noticed many alumni and parents jogging alongside student runners.
Beyond seeking to unite different communities within Notre Dame, the Holy Half leaders also prioritized raising money for various organizations.
According to the co-directors, the planning committee worked with a variety of new partners to sponsor both events and materials distributed during the marathon.
“The Holy Half was started 20 years ago by students, and it’s been carried on by students ever since,” Stone said. “We work with a lot of Notre Dame partners and local community members, yeah, but all of the boots on the ground are students.”
In addition to Girls on the Run, other beneficiaries, such as Power Crunch, sponsored granola bars for the runners, and the co-directors noted many other groups contributed to the overall marathon proceedings.
On top of these collaborations, funds raised through runner registration were also given to charity. The event partnered with Girls on the Run Michiana, Education Bridge and the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation.
With a record-breaking number of runners this year, Stone and Shaughnessy relied heavily on their team and community to execute the marathon. The Holy Half core team consists of
“Girls on the Run is one of our beneficiaries, and they run a program with third to fifth graders,” Shaughnessy said. “You teach them running, or things like positive attitude. [Girls on the Run will] bring some of their runners in to cheer on, so it’s really nice to have their young girls cheering on, getting excited about their own race in May.”
Sophomore Owen Donaher and junior Elizabeth Schmidt, members of the Notre Dame Running Club, won the Holy Half Marathon with times of 1:12:58.5 and 1:24:22.1, respectively. On Saturday morning, 1,310 participants competed in the run through
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David Murphy
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Raise Your Voice
Saint Mary’s College
All-day
Friday’s paper included an incorrect headline for a feature on Drayk Bowen on page 3. The article is available to read on our website under the correct headline, “The ascent of Drayk Bowen: ‘Learning how leaders are supposed to be.’” The Observer regrets this error.
Series of events on sexual violence with keynote speaker.
Boycott Spotlight Exhibit 102 Hesburgh Library
9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
History of boycott to support farmworkers.
Tuesday
Ten Years of Laudato Si’
1030 Jenkins Nanovic
Halls
4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Integral ecology panel.
SMICK Rally
Le Mans Green
6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Annual event held for students to reclaim the word ‘SMICK.’
Wednesday
Saint Mary’s vs. Trine
Purcell Athletic Fields
3 p.m. Belles softball faces off against the Thunder.
Campus Discussion Sojourner
Thursday
Friday
Interfaith
Tragedies
5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Annual first generation cookout for students.
JONATHAN
Four ND students named Goldwater scholars Students audition to be leprechaun
By ISABEL TORRES Staff Writer
Four Notre Dame students have been named as Goldwater Scholars this year.
The Goldwater Scholarship is a prestigious national scholarship for students pursuing careers in STEM, involved in current and previous research and demonstrating high promise in the field of scientific discoveries.
The process to receive the scholarship requires a minimum 3.7 GPA, a lengthy writeup on applicants’ significant research experiences and a direct nomination from a representative of their college.
Juniors Jacob Finley, John Howe, Thomas Reimer and Connor Smith were awarded the 2025 scholarship.
Finley, an honors track physics-in-medicine major in the College of Science, discussed the importance of grounding his work in the common and applicable good of the medical field.
“I’ve always been interested in computation and always wanted to apply it in the medical field,” Finley said. “I actually started as a math major and thought that was a bit too abstract and switched into physics. I wanted to ground my research in practicality, and so radiation oncology, I found, was the best medium between these computational goals and ways to help people medicate.”
Finley emphasized the importance of identifying one’s academic strengths and interests and focusing on them, rather than simply increasing
the number of activities on a resume.
“I started the research game my sophomore year. So, I’m very fortunate to have accrued enough results to qualify for this scholarship,” Finley said. “I wish I had started a bit earlier. But that ultimately just comes down to when you can discern what you actually want to do, and for me that wasn’t until between freshman year and sophomore year.”
Howe, an electrical engineering major, indicated that his own research work has led to the discovery of new chemical reactions.
“We actually found a new chemical reaction, and it was really interesting. But that was definitely more abstract than just general chemistry and material science nowadays,” Howe said.
Howe said that his love for science has been his primary motivation throughout a successful academic career.
“I really liked physics, so I took physics in high school. I did robotics in high school as well, but I just really liked something about the way physics works,” Howe said. “I just felt like I got it, like I could see myself within electrical engineering.”
Reimer, a chemistry major on the honors track in the College of Science, said that his inclination toward a scientific field began when he was a young child. However, he was unable to tangibly realize his interest until a Notre Dame professor showed him the possibilities.
“The very first classroom exposure that I had was with a
professor named Seth Brown, who’s a very good teacher. He’s probably the best lecturer I’ve had in terms of his animation and his communicating abilities, and I think he really solidified my interest in the subject just by showing how much you can do with it,” Reimer said.
Smith, a Glynn Family Honors Program scholar and an honors track physics major in the College of Science, expressed that his own research has been a continual process that he hopes to dedicate more effort toward in the future.
“I started research in the summer of my freshman year,” Smith said “I’ve been working with the same lab from the end of my freshman year through to now, and I’m going to continue. They’re going to be the lab I do my senior thesis with.”
Smith said that awards like the Goldwater Scholarship are wonderful ways for students to be reminded that their work has a greater social impact.
“I’ve put a lot of time and effort into the lab, and so it was very fulfilling to have a lot of that work come into fruition in the way that it has with the award,” Smith said. “It has sort of reaffirmed, in my mind, the idea that it is something that I can do in a career. There is a need for this.”
The recipients will receive up to $7,500 in scholarship funding each for their senior years.
Contact Isabel Torres at itorres@nd.edu
By MEGAN CORNELL Staff Writer
The leprechaun mascot is a longstanding tradition at Notre Dame, and the tryout process reflects the importance of the role. On Friday, several candidates auditioned to be the leprechaun by showcasing their school spirit in a series of cheers, skits and crowd-engagement exercises.
Friday’s tryouts came after an elimination round. To be eligible for Friday’s event, candidates had to submit a virtual audition with a personal statement and a creative twominute video to be “used as a medium to display creativity, excitement and passion to set you apart from others as a candidate,” according to tryout information.
After the video rounds, remaining candidates were invited to engage with the crowd at a baseball game to see “in-game persona and interaction.” However, this part of the process was optional. Seven leprechauns were selected to advance to Friday’s event.
The tryouts were open to the public, and many students as well as community members turned out to cheer the candidates on.
“I went to the tryouts mostly to cheer on my friends who were trying out, but, honestly, I loved the energy. It was such a fun mix of tradition and school spirit,” sophomore Meghan Gruber said.
To begin the event, graduating leprechaun Colin Mahoney informed audience members about the structure
of the event. Mahoney was joined by members of Notre Dame’s cheerleading team.
“The cheerleaders helped create an environment very similar to what the leprechauns will actually experience at a normal tailgate or fan experience event. We also help them lead cheers and get the crowd engaged to help simulate what it would be like to get people involved,” cheerleader Marissa Massaro said.
After Mahoney’s introduction, the seven candidates entered the gym and introduced themselves. Junior McKenna Englhardt — one of the current leprechauns — was the sole female contestant. Current leprechaun Riley Cantena also returned for this year’s tryout.
Mahoney also introduced the judges, who included head cheerleading coach Delayna Myers, former leprechaun Ryan Coury and executive associate athletics director JP Abercrumbie.
The contestants’ first challenge was to perform for the crowd as if they were at a pep rally.
“We’re going to give each of our candidates a prompt backstage,” Mahoney said. “They have roughly five minutes to prep this prompt ... they have four minutes to perform. The only requirement is that they queue a Notre Dame song.”
The second prompt was an improv exercise modeling a community involvement skit. Candidates were asked to act like they were at an event in the South Bend community, such as a youth soccer game. Massaro explained the importance of the improvising for the leprechaun.
“The leprechauns are thrown into situations that they might not be fully prepared for,” she said. “For example, one of the prompts was that Fr. Pete was supposed to come and speak to a group and could no longer make it, so the leprechaun was filling in for him. There are so many different variables in what they do, and they need to be prepared for the crazy things they might face.”
Finally, all the candidates did push-ups and performed an Irish jig in front of the audience. Potential leprechauns were given a random number of push-ups between seven and 25.
The tryout process is not over yet — remaining contestants are also required to complete an interview with the judging panel and cheerleading coaching staff. Results of the tryout process will be announced sometime this week.
Contact Megan Cornell at mcornell@nd.edu
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
Professor uses MRI to research cleft lip, palate
By SAMANTHA GEBERT Staff Writer
Neda Tahmasebifard, an assistant professor in the speech and language pathology department at Saint Mary’s College, will soon begin using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study cleft lip and palate in children.
Tahmasebifard noted that cleft lip and palate results in “abnormalities and [a] gap in the lip and in the roof of the mouth. This abnormality causes several problems, such as [during] feeding, speech and hearing.”
According to Tahmasebifard, most children with this condition require surgery.
“[They] cannot talk very well ... and the surgeon needs to close their lip and the muscles in the roof of the mouth.”
Tahmasebifard is currently working on research to collect normative data on muscles in children that involve speech for those with and without cleft lip and palate. She hopes this research can provide more information to support better surgical outcomes.
“The features of this muscle [are] different according to the sex, race and age ... and so [is] our database, so we can provide information for the surgeon,” Tahmasebifard said.
According to Tahmasebifard, her experience witnessing children affected by clef lip and palate in Iran inspired her research.
“When I was in my country, I was a speech language pathologist and coordinator of the cleft lip palate team in my hometown ... I saw the [suffering] of the children that have had
football season.
that the traditions surrounding The Shirt unveiling have remained relatively the same, but this year, a balloon artist and trivia were added to the event’s offerings to increase community involvement.
The committee revealed The Shirt at 6 p.m. Shortly before it was revealed, cornerback Christian Gray and running back Jeremiyah Love spoke to their excitement for the upcoming
Holy Half
approximately 30 members, but Stone and Shaughnessy also emphasized the key role the Notre Dame community played in supporting the event.
“I don’t even know if we have a number [for the volunteers], because the amount of people that just will show up that morning and say that they want to help is truly the best thing ever,” Stone said. “We’ll be [in the Stepan Center] at 4 a.m., but people are gonna be here before the race starts.”
The support from community members did not just come from volunteers, but also from spectators in various residential halls. A number of dorms, including Lyons Hall, sponsored water stations and cheered on the runners that passed their dorm. Stone and Shaughnessy noted how this practice has been a great way to support the Holy Half as well as promote dorm pride.
Other individuals outside of the University also
a cleft lip palate ... Their selfesteem and confidence in the class and in the school was very low because of the cleft palate, because they cannot talk very well,” she said.
Tahmasebifard works with one undergraduate student on this research question. For her other research project, she has one undergraduate and four graduate students.
“I’m working on two research questions. One of them is evaluating feeding knowledge and feeding confidence of a speech language pathologist regarding the feeding of babies with cleft. For this one specifically, five students helped me,” Tahmasebifard said.
Tahmasebifard shared that using MRI to do research in this area is “very new.” However, Tahmasebifard knows six others researching this condition
“The team loves when you all come to support us, so we’re looking forward to going back out there and making it back to the national championship. We’re going to win it all this time,” Love said.
A video featuring head football coach Marcus Freeman played on a video board, in which he spoke of his excitement regarding The Shirt.
“It’s more than just a shirt. It’s a symbol of our community, and we can’t wait to see it in the stands of Notre
sought out ways to support the runners. Mike Carroll, a Notre Dame alumnus, stood alongside his family at the Holy Half to support the runners. Carroll flew all the way from San Diego to support his daughter, freshman Ellie Carroll, who participated in the half marathon. The Carroll family sported handmade signs to support their daughter, joining the myriad of community members cheering on runners.
“We’ve been encouraging Ellie [by providing] mental and physical support as a loving family,” Mike Carroll said. “We’re so proud of her, because this is the first time that she’s running a half marathon … She’s recovered from an ACL tear and reconstruction, so this is kind of her biggest kind of physical challenge since recovering from that surgery.”
With the conclusion of this year’s Holy Half, Shaughnessy and Stone hope to continue a legacy of student and community engagement. Both emphasized the emotional reward for participants and volunteers as individuals
with MRI technology in the United States. Tahmasebifard plans to use the MRI at Saint Joseph Health System in South Bend, with necessary support.
According to Tahmasebifard, working with subjects has been a challenge to her research. To help familiarize the children with the technology and nature of the experiment, she uses materials such as coloring books.
“Working with children, it’s somehow difficult, maybe sometimes children [are] afraid of the MRI machine because it has lots of noise and loud noise ... We actually have a coloring book, and children can actually paint and color the images and MRI images. By this way, they actually understand better,”
Tahmasebifard said.
Tahmasebifard noted there are further areas which could be researched, including the
Dame Stadium,” Freeman said in the video.
According to The Shirt Project’s Instagram, the dark green color of The Shirt 2025 is meant to evoke memories of night football games. The front of The Shirt features gold gothic lettering that spells out “Notre Dame.” The back of The Shirt reads “Sing Her Glory,” a phrase from the Notre Dame Victory March, with a sketch of a football player, marching band member, Irish Guard member and the leprechaun accompanying the text.
partake in this unique experience.
“I found that my favorite spot to be on the course is at the finish line,” Shaughnessy said. “The amount of emotions you see people go through when they cross
“The unveiling is about the Notre Dame community coming together and celebrating something special. The Shirt supports such a great cause, and seeing everyone’s dedication to it is very fulfilling,” Ubogu said. “I’m grateful to contribute to providing the unveiling as an avenue for the community to lean into this cause.”
Vice president Anna Huber explained to the audience at the event that The Shirt is the best-selling piece of college apparel in the country.
“Over the last 36 years, we
efficacy of surgery and feeding.
“In general, I think that there are lots of gaps in the fields of cleft lip and palate, and we need to cover that,” Tahmasebifard said.
Tahmasebifard shared that increased involvement in research on the condition will improve society, along with children’s speech and feeding.
“If I participate in some study, maybe it does not have a direct impact on me, but the information I can provide for the researchers can impact positively on other populations,” she said.
Tahmasebifard hopes the outcome of her research will “improve the efficacy of the surgery in patients with cleft lip and palate and consequently improve their speech.”
Contact Samantha Gebert at sgebert01@saintmarys.edu
have sold over three million shirts and raised over 14.5 million dollars for our student communities here at Notre Dame,” Huber said.
Freshman Emily Rowe attended the event and noted the committee did a great job bringing energy to the audience.
“This was my first unveiling, and I was really impressed. I loved the color of The Shirt and thought the design was really cool,” Rowe said.
Contact Avabella Mitrano at amitrano@nd.edu
that finish line is my favorite part. You see them cross, and some of them would get tears in their eyes and get so excited. Being at the finish line and watching people accomplish something that they might not necessarily thought they could have is my favorite thing ever … The atmosphere is something you’re not going to get anywhere else.”
Contact Sophia Tran at stran2@nd.edu
JONATHAN KARR | The Observer
Runners round a corner on the marathon course near St. Mary’s Lake on Saturday. The 13.1 mile course wrapped around both lakes and cut through North Quad, South Quad, and Library Lawn.
Claire Watson Associate Sports Editor
My experience joining theater
I have always wondered whether or not I would be good at theater. The answer? Probably not. While I can sing loudly and I am really good with instruments, I always found that being in front of people can be a bit intimidating, and it’s such a competitive field — why step outside of my comfort zone to try it? I never really understood theater until I was introduced to it last semester when I was asked to join the student run created musical “Heart on Fire” as a sound designer and mic technician.
I have always been a sports person; that was until this past October when I decided to leave for educational purposes. Leaving the Saint Mary’s softball team last fall was detrimental. I lost all hope and started to hide. I could never figure out what to do, how to relate to others and overall how to fill all the extra time. I was not quite sure if this job as a sound designer was for me, but I thought I would apply and see how it went. Guess I’ll give it a shot, can’t hurt right? I was qualified for it.
One … two … three months — nothing.
Well, I tried, and I was upset up until three days before Christmas break. I got an email back from
the director asking me to join the team. I was still worried. I didn’t know anything about theater. I don’t know how things work or the language that is used. That was until someone described it to me: “theater is like a contact sport, it never stops going.”
Still a bit confused by the sports analogy and still convinced I was going to hate this job, I went to the first crew meeting. It was intimidating to say the least. I was still heavily convinced that I was not meant to be in the theater. I wasn’t graceful or anything. I can sing but that’s pretty much it.
A few weeks went by. I designed sounds for the show such as the city sounds of the beautiful city of LA, a building falling, you get the gist. I just still felt awkward, almost like I was not supposed to be there. But that is when I got the new opportunity to be a mic technician.
What does that mean? I didn’t really know either until I started doing my job. It ranged from replacing batteries in seconds, running up and down the halls making sure actors mics were on correctly, making sure the wires on the mics were not seen and more. Lots of tech stuff. Something I never thought I would be doing. Safe to say, after experiencing all of that and being able to be with the team, it was a lot of fun and I slowly saw myself
falling in love with the theater.
All of the sudden, by the end of all the performances in February, I felt this rush of adrenaline. I felt like yeah, this was kind of like a “contact sport.” You never stop moving and you always keep going and keep rehearsing and rehearsing. The biggest thing that I enjoyed about all of this was before the rehearsals when the cast and the crew would sit in the theater and just sing, laugh and tell jokes. To me that was truly something special, sweet and heartwarming. Another fun thing about theater is that there is always room for improvement and that has always been something that is key to me in anything that I do. Thanks to this wonderful cast and crew, I have now auditioned for two more shows.
Overall, if you have an opportunity to try something new, even if you think you will hate it and it won’t work for you at all, do it. It is ok to be scared or nervous — I was. Take that opportunity. Especially if it is in theater. It is one of the most fun and electric environments you are ever going to be in. Even if you end up hating it, you’ll have tried it and you’ll know.
You can contact Claire at cwatson7@nd.edu. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
13.1 half thoughts
Mile six
Mile one
Dad says that when he runs, he thinks about his pace, his faith or sometimes, nothing at all. I wish that I could think about nothing at all. But somehow, when I run, I tend to think about everything that’s ever happened to me — all the small moments, the distracting things, the weird tidbits I’ve picked up. Even if I try to think about thinking about nothing, I’ve lost. Because by that point, I’m technically thinking about something.
It’s like that game where you try to see how long you can go without thinking about the pink elephant. But it’s looming there somewhere in your subconscious. The cerebral elephant in the room.
Mile two
I recently learned that ROMEO stands for: Retired Old Men Eating Out. There’s apparently a whole club dedicated to ROMEOs, who gather and visit new restaurants in gaggles. There’s some debate in the ROMEO community whether the R should stand for Retired or Rich.
Mile three
Maybe I do like running after all.
Mile four
Once, I threw away a penny, just to prove I could. I felt smug and clever … till the bill rang up $8.56.
Mile five
Dad says “nothing new on race day,” which is a good maxim to live by. The idea is that you will prepare yourself so well, that by the time the race arrives, you just need to repeat your training. Stick to the same routine, eat the same food, wear the same shoes. But in my half marathon training, I never got above 10 miles. Which means that the actual race I’m running right now is a completely new experience to me. This refutes the entire concept of “nothing new on race day.”
My friend told me about a date her brother went on. The brother and his date got coffee together. The conversation flowed, and they were having a good time. Then, the girl tucked her hair back and revealed that her ears were ginormous. For the rest of the date, my friend’s brother couldn’t stop staring at the girl’s big ears, couldn’t stop thinking about them. Her elephantine ears were the cerebral elephant in the room.
I feel so sorry for the girl, who didn’t ask to have big ears.
When’s the best time to reveal the fact that your ears are ginormous? At least the fourth date?
Mile seven
You’re telling me I have to run ANOTHER loop?
Mile eight
One evening, after ballet class, Dad and I were listening to the radio. Prince was singing about a girl in a raspberry beret, and how this girl had “walked in through the out door.”
Dad said: “That is an amazing lyric.” When I asked why it was so amazing, Dad told me that there was something very clever, very ironic, about doing exactly what you were not supposed to be doing.
I wonder why doing the opposite of what you’re supposed to be doing is considered ironic and clever in the case of the girl with the raspberry beret, but most of the time, it’s just considered illegal.
Mile nine
I hate running.
Mile 10
I hate running SO much.
Mile 11
I’M ALMOST THERE. I’M ALMOST THERE. I’M ALMOST THERE.
Mile 12
If I complete this thing successfully, it will be my greatest athletic accomplishment since the seventh grade, when I beat my parents in a bet.
The story goes that my sister Erica was so obsessed
with dogs that she even had a dedicated “dog bible,” which she memorized with such fervid zealousness, you might call her a canine fundamentalist. Every evening, she begged and begged my parents for a dog. Finally, they relented: if one of us could score a goal off of our heads, then — and only then — could we get a dog. This way, we still had hope, but my parents would never actually have to buy us a pet (my parents were banking on my older sister’s lack of athleticism). On the day I won this bet, my parish’s soccer team played a terrible opponent. They were truly awful. The girl that the opposing team had stuck in goal might as well have been on the bench with how little she did to protect the net.
I was standing in the box. Someone crossed the ball in — it bounced once, twice! All of us 12 and 13-yearold girls watched it rise and fall, standing still and unsure what to do with our awkward limbs. I leaned forward ever so slightly, dinked the ball off my hairline and watched it roll, inch, crawl toward the net. The keeper watched it roll, inch, crawl in too, seemingly disinterested.
The next day, my dad and I went to PetCo together. A small dog with rusty fur and triangular ears caught our eye. “You look like a little fox,” my dad told him. We took him home.
Mile 13
I’M ALMOST THERE. I’M ALMOST THERE. I’M ALMOST THERE.
Mile 13.1
How does 0.1 miles somehow feel like the entire length of the Great Wall of China? How can 0.1 miles feel longer than my entire existence?
I hope there are still some bagels left.
Gracie Eppler is a senior business analytics and English major from St. Louis, MO. Her top three things ever to exist are ‘70s music, Nutella and Smith Studio 3, where she can be found dancing. You can reach her at geppler@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Gracie Eppler The Soapbox
A word from Martinique
Dear Comrade,
All the elements of a solution to the present problems of America have, at different times, existed in African thought or elsewhere really. Such is the place for the cross-pollination of ideas and the commonwealth of human knowledge. Eurocentrism and its cousins are thus all misguided positions. Our commitment should always remain to learn from whoever, whatever, wherever, as long as they are clear-headed.
This makes the Belles’ uncharitable response to the decision of their graduation speaker befuddling. Did President Conboy invite her to preach or to share from her treasure trove of life experiences immutable lessons that will be useful to the graduates? But all this de-platforming is a matter for another day. One must be secure in what one believes.
Thanks to Kellogg funding, I moved around South Africa a bit in the summer of 2023. One of my stops was the University of Johannesburg (UJ) where I attended a meeting of local progressive activists and former Zimbabwean nationals who were fighting against their exclusion by the Department of Home Affairs. The department was in the process of nullifying their Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEP) which had allowed some Zimbabwean migrants to stay in South Africa and contribute for some as long as 20 years. Many legal channels that were previously available to citizenship in the country were also being foreclosed.
Additionally, an undisciplined vigilante group under the moniker “Operation Dudula” (Dudula is isiZulu for “drive/push back”) had emerged and inflicted grave injuries on these “illegals” to whom they attributed all the criminality, drug trade and underdevelopment in Black South Africa. They were also labeled some derogatory names like “Makwerekwere,” among others. So much for a subset of a people whose greatest gift to world culture, Kenneth Kaunda, said would be in the field of human relations.
This example is precisely why we are opposed to the general romanticization of civilizations. People are people wherever and whenever. The recent activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resurrected this memory. How do we proceed? Let’s start with the brilliant son of Martinique — Frantz Fanon.
Fanon famously left us with a challenge to create a new man — one that European civilization had only only managed to evolve in theory. Anticipating Kaunda that the world would have to look southward for lessons in human relations and that the South would have to rise up to that challenge, he wrote: “For Europe, for ourselves and for humanity, comrades, we must turn over a new leaf, we must work out new concepts, and try to set afoot a new man.”
The new man had to be forged at a particular juncture in history, where new states were
emerging from the womb of colonialism. The main challenge Fanon identified was in the mobilizing ideology with which these nascent nations had been midwifed. The genius is in the fact that he foresaw all this in 1963, when many of these political developments were still embryonic.
Contrary to some revisionists, Fanon definitely knew the limitations of bloodletting and what Lenin called “exaggerated revolutionism.” The young psychiatrist-cum-revolutionary exhorted: “But if nationalism is not made explicit, if it is not enriched and deepened by a very rapid transformation into a consciousness of social and political needs, in other words into humanism, it leads up a blind alley.”
Nationalism must be transformed into humanism — a social and political consciousness born of the acknowledgement of the universal needs of man and the fact that he is in fact man. The new man is the man conscious of both his local responsibilities and international duties. He is a man possessed with both a national and international awareness. He is thus both human and humanist — culturally and spiritually nourished, disabused of all distortionary visions, of all psychoses, chauvinisms and parochialisms.
Something needs clarifying here.
Despite the garb of national restoration and rejuvenation manifested in misleading misnomers like “Liberation Day tariffs,” the current administration and its head are not nationalist — they are pro-themselves and their interests — elitist at best. Nonetheless, they can still learn from Fanon. Fanon did in fact have Europe and America (where he would later die) in mind when he wrote. It is therefore in order for us to draw some lessons today. “What we want to do is to go forward all the time, night and day, in the company of Man, in the company of all men.” Is a world of shared prosperity and true mutuality imaginable?
The pope echoed this advocacy for humanism (stripped of its modernist colorings) in his letter to the Bishops of America when ICE was running rampage: “But worrying about personal, community or national identity, apart from these considerations, easily introduces an ideological criterion that distorts social life and imposes the will of the strongest as the criterion of truth.”
In the meeting at UJ, a preacher born in Ghana, who had lived in the UK for a while before moving to South Africa where he married a local and established a family, was among the speakers. He had been effectively denied citizenship after 40 years of trying.
The meeting’s discussion featured arguments involving the political economy (for example, the fact that South Africa’s economy was a regional one), the contributing social and economic lives of the Zimbabweans in the communities they inhabited, anthropological debates (like the fact that these communities were related by language and ethnicity) and Pan-African debates (like the fact that all Africans were brethren divided by arbitrarily drawn borders as a legacy of the 1884-85 Berlin Conference). His contribution
to the discussion was surprising. He simply asked: “Doesn’t this land all belong to God?” I struggled with this argument in an environment where “logic” reigned, but upon later reflection, it begged a question we have asked before: Who owns the earth? I’m sure the pope would like him.
The irony, of course, of an administration that campaigned on “a Christian” platform — an argument that many members of the Notre Dame community interestingly fell for — is that the administration seemingly advanced nonhumanist policies. This should not be lost on anyone. It should, however, dispel any confusion about how faith can easily be instrumentalized to attain political ends. Professor Campbell can speak better to this.
Back to Fanon: “If you really wish your country to avoid regression, or at best halts and uncertainties, a rapid step must be taken from national consciousness to political and social consciousness.”
This advice is timely for America primarily because of the international situation. Past American presidents, it has been said, got away with imperialism by being humble about the country’s imperialistic forays as its national interests were advanced. They did not need to announce it from the roof of the White House; they took the subterranean route.
The more brazenly and obscenely inward this country looks in the next four years, with no regard for any other, the more the rest of the world will become strategically less dependent. This will catalyze the process of shifting centers of gravity to new antagonistic alliances that will soon reify. In hindsight, we will say that Trumpian upfrontism was a strategic miscalculation on his part — that assuming of course that any calculation whatsoever is taking place. That behavior, one of a spoiled kid who has power on the playground because he owns the ball, will backfire very rapidly when the other kids mobilize funds and buy their own ball. “Defensive nationalism,” to borrow Tandon’s terms, will be transformed into “aggressive nationalism.” The next head of state would have quite a cleaning job on his hands to restore American hegemony — that’s if he is not part of the MAGA movement.
Nevertheless, we maintain a principled spirit of revolutionary optimism — partly because we intend to act on the world. Hope after all must remain (1 Corinthians 13:13).
One can dismiss all this as the lamentations of the powerless rest of the world. That would be justified but myopic. Hubris can only result from a lack of appreciation of history and the possibilities that the future presents.
Pray for the president!
Olemo Gordon Brian is a senior at Notre Dame studying political economy. He is deeply interested in Africa’s development and the emancipation of man. You can contact Olemo at bolemo@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Olemo Gordon Brian The Double-Giraffe View
By HARRY PENNE Scene Writer
Alfred Hitchcock, “the Master of Suspense,” is one of cinema’s most legendary directors with a career spanning the silent era through the 1970s. An innovator in horror, thriller and suspense, he pioneered the first slasher film (“Psycho”), voiceover inner monologue (“Murder!”) and the dolly zoom effect (“Vertigo”). “Rope” (1948) is one of the less-discussed entries in Hitchcock’s canon, but it is nevertheless a standout, being a technical marvel and presenting content still disturbing and thought-provoking more than 75 years after its release.
“Rope” was inspired by a real-life murder case involving two students who, inspired by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, attempt to commit the “perfect murder.” This was the basis for Patrick Hamilton’s 1929 play “Rope,” which Hitchcock adapted for film with a screenplay by Arthur Laurents (“Anyone Can Whistle” and “La Cage aux Folles”). “Rope” was one of the “The Missing Hitchcocks” removed from circulation between 1968 to 1983 due to copyright disputes. It stars frequent Hitchcock collaborator James Stuart (“Vertigo” and “Rear Window”), John Dall and Farley Granger.
The film follows the aftermath of the murder of a young man, David, by two of his peers (Dall and Granger) who are convinced they can commit the “perfect murder” and get away with it. After hiding the body in a chest in their apartment, the murderers host a party, inviting the victim’s father, aunt, best friend, schoolmaster (Stuart) and girlfriend. Rather than being a whodunnit, “Rope” is a tense
“how-will-they-get-away-with-it.” There are several times when the murderers slip up, heightening the suspense. In one scene, the titular rope (the murder instrument) is used to tie a stack of books given to David’s unknowing father. Slowly, Stuart’s character begins to connect the dots, leading to a tense finale.
From a technological perspective, “Rope” is noteworthy. The film was Hitchcock’s first color film. Additionally, it features the gimmick of looking like it was filmed in one continuous take. Given its stage show source, Hitchcock wanted it to feel like a play, showing one scene in real time. Due to film’s constraints in 1948 — the film reel could only hold up to 10 minutes of footage — the movie couldn’t be done in one long shot. Rather, the film is 10 takes edited together to give that illusion. Hitchcock used clever transitions, such as extreme close-ups, to mask the cuts. There are only four unmasked cuts. When the film was shown in cinemas, the projectionist had to swap film reels every 20 minutes, so Hitchcock decided to use these as opportunities to switch camera placements, deliberately not attempting to hide the cuts.
Hitchcock famously cameoed in many of his films, making silent, brief and often comedic appearances (such as leaving a pet shop at the beginning of “The Birds” or missing a bus in “North by Northwest”). With the limited set and cast of “Rope,” Hitchcock’s cameo is harder to find and disputed. The opening credits feature the sole shot outside the apartment: an aerial view of a street with many pedestrians. It is plausible that one is Hitchcock; however, due to low quality film, it is impossible to say for sure. Around the 55-minute mark, a neon sign in the shape of Hitchcock’s silhouette — the
logo for his television show “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” — can be seen through the apartment window. The issue here is that the silhouette logo wasn’t created until the 1950s.
On April 4, DPAC hosted the Solomon Gottfried Trio from Brooklyn to play a live score to “Rope.” “Rope” has a minimal soundtrack, excluding the opening titles and diegetic piano music. Rather, it opts for eerie and unnerving silence. Gottfried respected this unnerving silence several times, especially during many of the more disturbing scenes including the monologue about Nietzsche and the murderers’ motives. The silence was deafening, and the sudden lack of music — something previously constant from the group — drew attention to the conversation. When there was a soundtrack in the film, the trio played along and improvised off it; the two scores didn’t feel competitive but rather complimentary. The jazz genre accompanied the 1940s vibe of the film and put me in mind of the actual jazz-inspired scores for other Hitchcock films, like “Rear Window.” The trio used many techniques that created an uneasy and suspenseful atmosphere in their music, such as manipulating the upright bass’s strings to create otherworldly and unnerving sounds. Much of the music was also improvised. Overall, the live score was brilliant and enjoyable, providing a perfect complement to the film.
If you are a fan of Hitchcock’s work or the crime and thriller genre writ large, I cannot recommend “Rope” enough. Despite its age, the film holds up, both in plot and pacing. “Rope” truly is one of the greatest entries from the Master of Suspense!
Contact Harry Penne at hpenne@nd.edu
By JAYDEN ESPINOZA Scene Copyeditor
Like many other 21-year-olds, I met Claire Cottrill — the singer-songwriter commonly referred to as “Clairo” — on YouTube with songs like “Pretty Girl” and the retro-inspired “Flaming Hot Cheetos.” If there’s one thing I can conclusively say about Cottrill since adding her debut studio EP “Diary 001” to every playlist of mine during sophomore year of high school eight years ago, it’s that she seems to be genuinely allergic to traditional genre categories. “Diary 001” was undoubtedly a pioneer in the “bedroom pop” sound space, and the faux grass that made up her EP’s cover most definitely inspired many an early TikToker to put fake grass under their twin beds as a statement piece, but that’s neither here nor there.
If “Diary 001” was “bedroom pop,” then “Charm” feels like it should be called “apartment soul.” Much of the project feels familiar — almost as if she traded out her grass rug for a velvet, mossy green couch. Cottrill’s voice is as alluring as ever, but like the sound of the album (described as jazz,
neo soul and soft rock), there is a distinct maturity over the course of the project’s 38-minute runtime. Songs like “Sexy to Someone” feel as if they are in direct conversation with former versions of herself, almost as if she’s trying to place where she is in relation to them.
Is wanting to be desirable something she should’ve grown out of? This desire to map her own history is something she also has to figure out with those around her. As she questions why her partner is uncertain of their relationship on “Nomad,” she must come to terms with the reality that her partner’s life encapsulates histories of people she might never meet — curiosity and jealousy might ensue, but these are ultimately her emotions to navigate.
As we come to understand it in the following track, “Thank You,” the relationship doesn’t work out. As Clairo herself describes, “When you opened the door, cracked me wide open / Somethin’ about it doesn’t sit right with me / And how could it be? / When I walk away, it always comes in threes / We don’t get on, can’t make you laugh, personality / But I don’t invest the way I’d prefer / Someone to in me.” Not only does the relationship hold weight in her heart, but so
does the direction of the life she hopes to lead. To sit idly by wondering when life is going to happen to you isn’t enough, mentally or literally.
The album ends ominously, showcasing the downfalls of Clairo’s emotional distance from those around her. But she refuses to accept that this pitfall is the end for her journey of self-understanding and search for love in the world around her. The final 30 seconds of the song are stripped back, with her harmonizing alongside various instruments, fading into herself.
Ultimately, “Charm” feels like a pulse-check on the world of Clairo. She greets us and welcomes into her world just as quickly as she escorts us out. While we have no promises of when we’ll hear from her next or what her world might look like, fans of Clairo and passive listeners should eagerly anticipate how her image might change next.
This is an abridged version of the above piece. Visit ndsmcobserver.com to read it in full. Contact Jayden Espinoza at jespino4@nd.edu
FOOTBALL
Five key moments from the Blue-Gold Game
By BEN HICKS Associate Sports Editor
Although Saturday’s 94th annual Blue-Gold Game for Notre Dame football included very little drama and an odd scoring system, there were some major takeaways for coaches, fans and media alike to dwell on as the week one season opener against Miami lies just four months away. New defensive coordinator Chris Ash and his scheme were on display for the first time in Notre Dame Stadium, and the highly publicized open quarterback competition between rising senior Steve Angeli, rising junior Kenny Minchey and rising
sophomore CJ Carr took some interesting turns throughout the afternoon.
First
two drives end with sacks
After a bit of seven-on-seven action to warm up, the offense (blue) and the defense (gold) took the field with Angeli at the reins for the first drive of the game. It was a promising start to the drive with rising senior running back Jadarian Price breaking free for a 22-yard gain, which earned the first points of the day. However, a false start penalty and tackle for loss placed the Irish offense in third-and-17, where Angeli was sacked by rising sophomore
edge rusher Bryce Young before the drive concluded with a missed field goal.
The second drive was led by Minchey, and also started well with the offense advancing down into the red zone. This series would also stall out, however, as rising junior linebacker Preston Zinter dropped Minchey on fourth-and-six. Both defensive stands represented a continuation of the solid plus-territory defense employed by former coordinator Al Golden’s unit a year ago.
Burnette misses 50-yard field goal
As previously mentioned, the first drive of the day was
capped off with a wobbly missed 50-yard field goal attempt by rising fifth-year senior North Carolina transfer Noah Burnette. Following Mitch Jeter’s heroics in the College Football Playoff, coupled with the masterful scheme of special teams coordinator Marty Biagi, expectations for the third unit remain high entering 2025.
Burnette had a strong threeyear tenure in Chapel Hill, which included a 52-yard game-winner last season at Minnesota, as well as 95% FG conversion rate two years ago. Despite the ugly first kick, the Raleigh, North Carolina, native, would later confidently knock through both a 43-yarder and a 25-yarder, alongside a perfect day on PATs.
Carr leads first TD drive of the game
After the first five drives only yielded Burnette’s 43-yard make, Carr led the Irish offense to their first touchdown of the day during his second drive. He converted an early third-andeight on a beautifully thrown wheel route to rising sophomore running back Kedren Young, which resulted in a gain of 28 yards. Another third-and-long was successful in the red zone, with Carr finding rising sophomore wideout Cam Williams over the middle to pick up 16.
On second-and-goal from the two-yard line, Carr hit rising freshman receiver Elijah Burress in stride on an arrow route which found paydirt for the first touchdown of the day. All told, it was a composed drive from the young quarterback, one that allowed him to flash his arm talent throughout.
Angeli leads offense to the red zone, defense holds strong
In his second drive of the afternoon, Angeli once again showed his command of offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s system, an important quality that was on display when he led a key field goal drive against Penn State in the first half of the Orange Bowl. The drive began with a 16-yard throw and catch to rising freshman receiver Jerome Bettis Jr., before Angeli and rising sophomore running back Aneyas Williams methodically marched the Irish down to the one-yard-line.
From there, the Notre Dame red zone defense stepped up again, stuffing Williams on three straight rushes from just outside the goal line. Rising junior lineman Armel Mukam, rising sophomore linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and rising junior safety Luke Talich all made key tackles for loss during the stand.
Minchey orchestrates three-play TD drive
Minchey rounded out period two with a rapid drive down the field, emulating a two-minute drill while flexing his uncanny athleticism. To start the series, he was rolled out on designed bootlegs and fired a pair of darts to connect with tight ends rising junior Henry Garrity and rising sophomore Jack Larsen for 24 yards and 17 yards, respectively.
From there, Minchey scampered into the end zone before celebrating with a backflip to cap off a 76-31 offensive victory in the 2025 Blue-Gold Game.
Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu
Talich leads Irish defense in Blue-Gold Game
By CLAIRE WATSON Associate Sports Editor
Although the Notre Dame defense fell 76-31 in Saturday’s Blue-Gold Game, which head coach Marcus Freeman admitted was a function of the poor scoring system, new defensive coordinator Chris Ash’s unit made numerous key plays throughout the afternoon. The rotating No. 1 defense shined throughout the first two periods (eight series), with a plethora of unfamiliar faces showing out for the side of the ball that has consistently been the Irish’s bread and butter in Freeman’s tenure.
The star of the show for the gold team, however, was returning safety Luke Talich. The rising junior, who appeared on special teams and defense in all 16 games a year ago, is perhaps only known among Irish fans for being the only player
in program history from the state of Wyoming to score a touchdown. With good size at 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds, the Cody, Wyoming, native made 20 tackles and forced a fumble last season to go along with his 79yard pick-six in the blowout primetime win over Florida State on Nov. 9.
With two-time All-American Xavier Watts heading to the NFL, the safety position, often times the quarterback of the defense, is looking for someone to step up and lead. Speaking postgame on Talich’s development throughout the spring season, Freeman commented, “He has taken advantage of his opportunities and has really focused on improvement. Some of that improvement is production as we saw today, but he’s been consistent and that’s been a challenge for the entire team.”
Talich flashed that improvement throughout Saturday’s
exhibition, leading the game with nine tackles.
“He’s done a really good job, and that’s a reflection of how he’s been all spring,” Freeman, a former four-year defensive player at Ohio State himself, continued.
Among those nine tackles were back-to-back gap stuffers, one of which registered as a tackle for loss (TFL) during the defense’s critical three-play goal-line stand within the sixth drive.
“Our mindset down at the goal line is ‘plant the flag.’ We don’t want to let them in, so I just tried to do my job and fill the gap on fourth down,” Talich said.
The defense held up again, as it did in many key situations a
year ago, with Talich securing the key stops on both third and fourth down.
Seemingly in lockstep with his head coach, Talich revealed his mindset and approach to the spring, attesting, “Competition makes all of us better. We aren’t focused on who’s going to play, we’re just owning what we can and taking advantage of our opportunities.”
Talich also added that the shortened spring period hasn’t allowed the defense to install the entirety of Ash’s system, so it remains to be seen exactly what will remain and change with the transition from Al Golden. That said, Talich is aiming to step up and be a representative of consistency and leadership that carries the national No. 1
defense through the change.
“All of us have gotten more familiar with his coaching and his style. He’s a little different from Coach Golden, but he’s going to continue to push us every day, and I feel confident in his abilities,” Talich concluded.
With Watts, Howard Cross III, Jack Kiser and Rylie Mills all gone from last year’s defense, Talich’s development in all facets of the game has put him in position to become a stalwart in the secondary this fall. He showcased his potential on Saturday afternoon, but as Freeman said, there are still places to improve throughout the summer as Miami awaits on Aug. 31.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
DECLAN LEE | The Observer
Sophomore wide receiver Xavier Southall celebrates a touchdown during the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium on April 12, 2025. The blue team defeated the gold squad by a score of 76-31 on Saturday.
to whom you want to contact for information or to help you join forces with people who share your beliefs. Setting up a networking system that helps get your message into the mainstream will draw attention to what you have to offer. Don’t promise more than you can deliver.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Test your skills, use your imagination, and participate in an event that can make a difference to something purposeful. You are responsible for selling what you can contribute to superiors, companies, or organizations that look promising and sharing your vision. Raising your awareness and your skills will contribute to your success.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Go where the action is and do your part. It’s up to everyone – you included- to get involved in bringing about positive change. Keep your finger on the pulse of anything that moves and motivates you to be an intricate part of the movement you believe will help you maintain your rights.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take note of what those you love are doing. Protecting and supporting others will give you peace of mind, insight, and a unique perspective regarding the possibilities. Embrace learning, questioning, and rethinking your strategy; your choices will reflect your heart. A few poignant words will help build a stable and secure future.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put more thought and energy into your surroundings, how you live, and what you can do to make your space user-friendly. Take a minimalist approach and declutter; it will profoundly impact stress relief and personal happiness. A list of what’s meaningful will help you use your time and energy efficiently.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Participate and spread joy to those you encounter. Share your knowledge, experience, and talents, and you’ll attract people who can contribute to reaching your desired results. Short trips, communication, and experimentation will prove valuable. Set your sights on what you want to achieve, and don’t let up until you reach your goal.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Check to see what you can afford to part with before you make plans or designate funds to something you can’t afford. Someone close to you will try to convince you to take on more than you can handle. A blatant explanation will help deter you from being emotionally manipulated.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Make it clear what you are willing to do and spend to avoid misconceptions about contributions or someone’s expectations. A joint venture or commitment will play out favorably if you designate who is responsible for what. A detailed agreement will help you maintain equality and encourage long-term stability.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): High energy put to good use will bring handsome rewards. Map out your plan for the day and begin knocking off your to-do list with a vengeance. What you accomplish will be gratifying. A change you implement at home will help you take care of your responsibilities quickly and efficiently.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Consider living costs and create a financial plan that buys you the luxury of having a nest egg for unexpected expenses. Take an interest in maintaining a healthy and vibrant lifestyle to offset medical issues and costs. Socializing with people of the same mindset will keep you updated regarding smart lifestyle tips.
Birthday Baby: You are astute, punctual, and energetic. You are impulsive and poignant.
Irish use second-half surge to defeat Virginia
By BEN HICKS Associate Sports Editor
The No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse team returned to Arlotta Stadium on Saturday afternoon to host the Virginia Cavaliers. Following last week’s disappointing 14-9 defeat to Syracuse at the packed JMA Wireless Dome, the Irish (5-3, 1-1 ACC) were in desperate need of a crucial ACC win as they travel to league-best North Carolina next weekend.
After qualifying for three Final Fours in the last four seasons, which included a national championship in 2021, the Cavaliers are experiencing a down year following the departures of the program’s all-time leading goal scorer Payton Cormier and Connor Shellenberger, the 2021 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Entering play at just 5-6 overall and winless in ACC play, Virginia was also in dire need of an ACC win with the four-team conference tournament just a few weeks away.
While still ranked in the top 10 nationally, 40th-year head coach Kevin Corrigan’s Irish have also been a bit down from the prior two season’s consecutive national championships. With eight preseason top-50 players, Notre Dame entered the year ranked No. 1, but lost back-to-back onegoal games to No. 6 Maryland and No. 2 Ohio State in early March. A win against the Hoos would all but lock up a spot in the postseason for the Irish, keeping the hope for a three-peat alive.
With beautiful sunny skies and a large crowd on campus following the annual Blue-Gold spring football game, Arlotta Stadium was sold out and buzzing as senior midfielder Ben Ramsey led the Irish out with bagpipes for the nationally televised game. Over 5,000 fans were treated to an ugly
ND WOMEN’S LACROSSE
first half, with just six first-half goals and a tied 3-3 game heading into the intermission.
Graduate attacker Jake Taylor and senior midfielder Jalen Seymour scored for the Irish in the first three minutes of the game, but Virginia answered strongly with a 3-0 run to claim its first advantage. Senior attacker Chris Kavanagh added a man-up goal late in the first half to level matters for Notre Dame before the break.
Momentum wouldn’t swing either direction until roughly 10 minutes into the third frame, with the game now sitting at a 4-4 tie. Junior netminder Thomas Ricciardelli made a nice save in
the crease before delivering a well-timed outlet pass to Ramsey, who carried up the field and slotted home his first goal of the season to ignite the Irish faithful. Notre Dame didn’t look back from there, as Kavanagh and Taylor both added impressive individual goals within the next two minutes to seize momentum and make the score 7-4. Taylor’s second goal of the match, which came off an over-the-shoulder shot from his knees, was ranked No. 7 on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 plays of the day.
To cap off the push, Seymour tallied his second of the day with just 10 seconds remaining in the
period. Notre Dame would continue to dominate throughout the majority of the fourth, with goals from midfielders freshman Matt Jeffery, junior Christian Alacqua and graduate Devon McLane to capitalize the 7-0 run and make it 11-4 with three minutes to play.
All told, the Irish would walk away with a crucial 12-7 victory to move to 6-3 and 2-1 on the season. Ricciardelli stopped 13 shots and recorded his 100th save of the season, while Kavanagh led the group with three points in the win.
Following their third consecutive loss, the Cavaliers will return to Charlottesville to host Lafayette
before closing out the season with No. 12 Duke in a game that will determine the final spot in the ACC Tournament.
The Irish will now make the trip to Chapel Hill to do battle with the No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels, with the top two seeds in the conference tournament still up for grabs. Notre Dame will then return home the following weekend for Senior Day against the Penn Quakers. Saturday’s showdown with North Carolina is set for a noon faceoff, with coverage on ESPNU.
Contact Ben Hicks at bhicks2@nd.edu
Irish drop another heartbreaker to Pittsburgh
By CHRIS DAILEY Sports Writer
History may not repeat itself, but it surely does rhyme. The No. 25 Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team found out the hard way, losing in heartbreaking fashion, yet again, in its road clash against Pittsburgh, echoing a frustrating trend for the young team. The 13-12 loss marks the Irish’s fifth ACC defeat by two goals or less, an astonishing mark that has been the catalyst to Notre Dame’s 1-7 record in the conference. Pitt jumped out to an early 5-2 lead in the second quarter. However, their fiery run was extinguished by Notre Dame’s impressive five-goal scoring run. The flurry of
goals was inspired by the brilliance of sophomore attacker Kate Timarky. Timarky capped the Irish’s run with back-to-back goals and finished with a team-leading three on the day — stepping up in the absence of leading goal-scorer Madison Rassas. Notre Dame’s momentum was short-lived, however. Pitt stormed back with a fivegoal scoring run of its own, ranging from the late second quarter to the early third. Throughout the Panthers’ impressive offensive run, sophomore Paige Telatovich scored one goal, her third of the game. Meanwhile, fellow sophomore Avery Moon and senior Emily Coughlin netted two apiece. From there, Telatovich
kept up her rampant success. With two and a half minutes on the clock in the second, Telatovich’s dodge inside was interrupted by Notre Dame defender Grace Weigand. Weigand, a senior leader for the Irish, was called for a foul. Telatovich’s free-position shot slipped past Irish goalkeeper Isabel Pithie to extend the Panthers lead to 11-9. Although the Irish fought back to make the game 11-11 through fourth-quarter goals courtesy of senior Fran Frieri and sophomore Meghan O’Hare, Pitt was not to be reckoned with. With 6:56 left to play, senior attacker Jenna Hendrickson scored her second of the day off a clever dodge inside, marking her
44th goal of the season — a new single-season record at Pitt. Two minutes later, Pithie made an impressive kick save for Notre Dame, but the ball bounced back into play and into the pocket of Telatovich’s stick. Telatovich took full advantage of the opportunity, providing the Panthers with a comfortable 13-11 lead.
Pitt was able to hold its advantage for just shy of four minutes. Notre Dame eventually broke through with Timarky completing her hat trick, but there wasn’t enough time left in the game to surmount Pitt.
The game is a momentous victory for Pitt, marking its first win over a ranked opponent in program history. For Notre Dame, the game
effectively eliminates it from ACC Tournament contention. As evidenced by their tightly-contested losses, the Irish have shown they can compete with just about every team in the gauntlet of the ACC, providing a feeling of untapped potential for coach Christine Halfpenny’s team. However, the learning experiences picked up by the youthful squad along the way will serve to be invaluable as they move forth into next season.
Notre Dame will look to grow its ACC record to 2-7 and overall record to 7-8 when it hosts Louisville in the season finale on Thursday at 3 p.m.
Contact Chris Dailey at cdailey2@nd.edu
KEIRA JONES | The Observer
Senior attacker Chris Kavanagh loads up a shot during Notre Dame’s 12-7 defeat of Virginia at Arlotta Stadium on April 12, 2025. Kavanagh led the Irish with three points in the win, scoring two goals and adding on an assist as Notre Dame exploded for nine goals in the second half.
Watson: Carr’s potential to start at quarterback
By CLAIRE WATSON Associate Sports Editor
This past Saturday, the Notre Dame football team played a modified version of the Blue-Gold game with a heavy focus falling on the team’s quarterbacks. Four quarterbacks were present throughout the game, including rising freshman Blake Hebert, rising senior Steve Angeli, rising junior Kenny
Minchey and rising sophomore CJ Carr. All eyes were on the three top competitors of Angeli, Minchey and Carr, but for me, my focus was on the heavy competition between Angeli and Carr.
There has been heavy debate on who is going to be the starting quarterback. You could go with Angeli, the man who saved the Irish during the Penn State game, or go with Carr, who shined during
the Blue-Gold Game.
“It was a reflection of the first 11 practices,” Marcus Freeman commented on the performance of the three quarterbacks who are currently competing for the starting position and the pressure the competition puts on the coaching staff. “Those guys have been battling, they’ve all improved, you know they’re all doing really good things, and it’s crazy to think that you
SMC LACROSSE
have three guys who all can lead the program to victory and be the starting quarterback, so we’ll evaluate it, we will talk about it and have a discussion well before. Again, you would like to be able to kinda, going forward, [have] two quarterbacks battling really hard, [but having] three, we have to have a sit-down conversation about what’s best for our program, what’s best for our quarterbacks, and we’ll make that decision.”
Angeli competed in No. 1 series, No. 4 series, No. 7 series and No. 10 series and did not let me down. Throughout the four series, Angeli finished with 108 passing yards, one touchdown and one sack. Opposed to this was Carr, who I noted finished with much higher statistics and outshined Angeli. The big difference that was noticed between the two quarterbacks was distance. As I mentioned, Angeli finished with 108, and Carr finished with 170 passing yards, marking nearly a 62-yard difference. Overall, while Angeli is the more experienced player, having played in the College Football Playoff, Carr pulled through with longer passes and better gameplay overall.
Carr led the quarterbacks, competing in series No. 3, No. 6, No. 9 and rounded out the game in series No. 12. The rising sophomore finished with
170 passing yards, two touchdowns, 28 long passing yards and no sacks. Carr started to hit my radar when he hit two long passes in series No. 3, one to graduate tight end Kevin Bauman for a pickup of 23 yards, followed by a second 24-yard completion to rising sophomore tight end Jack Larson. In the sixth series, Carr continued to prove his ability for long passes with a 28-yard pass to rising sophomore running back Kedren Young, followed by handing the ball off to rising freshman wide receiver Elijah Burress for his first touchdown. Carr’s second touchdown followed in the final No. 12 series with a shot down the middle to rising sophomore wide receiver Xavier Southall to lead the blue team to victory. While some of his passes were incomplete, it is evident that Carr can throw further than Angeli and was more strategic.
All in all, throughout the entirety of the Blue-Gold Game, my attention went straight to Carr as he outplayed Angeli, was more accurate and took more chances in the different series that he was involved in. In my opinion, I believe that Carr is going to be the starting quarterback come the fall season.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
Belles struggle to keep up with Trine, lose 18-7
By CLAIRE WATSON
Associate Sports Editor
The Saint Mary’s lacrosse team fell to Trine over the weekend by an 18-7 score. This ends the Belles’ twogame win streak, as they fall to 5-7 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
Starting off in a low-scoring first quarter, freshman midfielder Annabelle Spruill put in a goal with an assist from
sophomore attacker Lana Skibins. Quickly following, Trine put in a free position shot to tie the score. Nearing the 10-minute mark, Trine put in the last goal of the quarter to pull ahead 2-1.
Trine scored the first goal in the second quarter, but the Belles came back as sophomore attack Cate Krema scored her first goal to bring the score within one. Trine continued its offensive drive,
scoring five more goals to stay ahead 8-2 and ending the second quarter.
Saint Mary’s started the third quarter as senior midfielder Valentina Rubio added her first goal of the game. After a seven-minute scoring drought, Trine quickly put in four more goals before Krema was able to put a goal in with an assist from sophomore attacker Kathryn Kalinowski to end the quarter with the
Belles trailing 12-4. Trine scored in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter bringing the score to 13-4. The Belles made their way back as sophomore attack Rachel Speckhard put in a goal with an assist from Rubio. Rubio put in the next unassisted goal to bring the score to 13-6. Trine, not giving up, put in four more goals before Speckhard found the back of the net with the help
of Rubio. Trine closed out the third quarter with a free position shot and a score of 18-7. Rubio, Speckhard and Krema led the Belles on the field as they all finished the day with two points apiece. With this result, the Belles now travel to face off against Kalamazoo at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
Belles sweep Albion, extend win streak to 10
By CLAIRE WATSON Associate Sports Editor
With its win streak now in double-digits, the Saint Mary’s tennis team swept the floor against Albion to take its 10th win in a row, winning 7-0. In addition to this, the Belles also celebrated their sole senior, Alayna Campbell, for Senior Day. The senior now has a total of 202 singles wins, with 42
of them being in the conference, and 74 doubles wins, with 30 being conference matches.
Doubles Kicking off the doubles matches were Campbell and junior Emma Kealy, as they swiftly took the 6-1 win over their opponents, Abbie Hubbard and Savannah McDonald. Heading over to the No. 2 court were
sophomore Sophia Pischalko and freshman Shannon Dudy, who swept the floor with a 6-0 win over Molly Dunn and Lynsey Brearley. Finally, on the No. 3 court, sophomore Anna Gardner and junior Hannah Gerner secured the first point for the Belles with a 6-1 win over Karina Nigg and Ava Kunkel.
Singles
It was a clean sweep in the
singles matches as all were won 6-0, 6-0 by Saint Mary’s. On the No. 1 court, Campbell defeated Hubbard followed by a win on the No. 2 court from Kealy. Next door on the No. 3 court, Gardner took down Nigg while Dudy took the win over Brearley on the No. 4 court. Freshman Lanie Brant stepped in on the No. 5 court to take the win over Dunn, and finally on the No. 6 court, Pischalko took the
win over Kashish Tank.
Throughout the season’s matches, the Belles have won a total of 66 singles and 37 doubles. With this victory, the Belles improved to 14-3 on the season and 5-1 in the MIAA. The Belles now look ahead to traveling as they prepare to face Hope at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
SMC TENNIS
GABRIELLA MARTIN | The Observer
Rising sophomore quarterback CJ Carr stretches before the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium on April 12, 2025. Carr finished with 170 passing yards and two touchdowns on 14 completions in the game.
FOOTBALL
Irish offense, defense battle in Blue-Gold Game
By CLAIRE WATSON Associate Sports Editor
The Notre Dame football team hosted the 94th Blue-Gold Game at 2 p.m this Saturday on a sunny afternoon in Notre Dame Stadium. The team was split into two groups: the offense wearing blue coached by offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and the defense wearing gold coached by new defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Three periods consisting of four series were played with 90 seconds between series and eightminute intermissions between periods.
The game was not specific to the normal rules of football, and nor was the scoring. For the offensive team, it was six points for a touchdown, one for an extra point, one for each first down, two for any play over 20 yards, three for a field goal and two for a two-point conversion. On defense, it was one point for forcing a punt, five for a takeaway in plus territory, seven for a takeaway in minus territory, 12 for a defensive score, one for a tackle-for-loss, two for a sack, three for blocking a field goal attempt, two for a PAT returned for a score, two for a failed two point conversion, two for a fourth-down stop in plus territory or missed field goal and three for a fourth-down stop in minus territory.
Period 1
Beginning the first period, freshman quarterback Blake Hebert started the first series with a special sevenon-seven play at the 35-yard line, which did not include any points. Senior wide receiver Leo Scheidler received the pass from Hebert and moved the ball down the field. Hebert connected again to Scrap Richardson, but his third attempt, also intended for the freshman wideout was incomplete.
Junior quarterback Steve Angeli then stepped in to start off the scoring game for the Blue team, handing it off to senior running back Jadarian Price, who gained a few yards to open the drive. The Blue team got on the board after a 22yard dash from Price earned them two points. Angeli looked to junior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse three times early in the drive, connecting on the
third attempt for 10-yard first-down pickup on thirdand-eight and another point for the Blue team. With the ball now lined up on the 22yard line, Angeli handed it off to Price, who was pushed back two yards by a combination of freshman defensive lineman Cole Mullins and sophomore Bryce Young off the edge. Young would get to Angeli the following play for a sack, securing three points for the Gold team and cutting the deficit to one at 4-3. Senior kicker Noah Burnette came in to attempt the 50-yarder, but was no good, pulling the Gold team ahead 5-4 after the first series.
Junior quarterback Kenny Minchey came in for Angeli to start series No. 2 of the day. After an 8-yard gain from running back Aneyas Williams, Minchey missed his first passing attempt aimed at freshman passcatcher Jerome Bettis Jr. He put the ball in the hands of Williams again the next play, and the sophomore helped Blue regain the lead with his 11-yard sprint to convert on third-and-short. Faced with a third-and-five soon after, Minchey found freshman wide receiver Elijah Burress to extend the Blue team’s lead to 8-5. The Gold team pushed back, stuffing Williams for a one yard loss to make the score 8-6. Junior linebacker Preston Zinter would later sack Minchey on fourth-and-six, giving Gold the 10-8 lead.
Sophomore quarterback CJ Carr stepped in for the Blue team in the third series. Carr dropped it in a bucket down the left sideline to graduate tight end Kevin Bauman for a pickup of 23 yards and three points. Later in the drive, another deep 24-yard completion from Carr to sophomore tight end Jack Larsen gave the blue team three more points. Sophomore cornerback Karson Hobbs got one back for Gold, blowing up the reception by sophomore running back Kedren Young behind the line of scrimmage. They held Blue to a 43-yard attempt from Burnette. This time, the North Carolina transfer nailed it to give the offense three more points and an 18-11 lead going into the final series of the first period. Angeli came back in for the offensive team in the fourth series. Sophomore
linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa forced a loss of seven to gain two for Gold. Hebert checked in for Angeli, but missed on his third-down attempt in the direction of Burress. After forcing the punt, Gold ended the period down 18-14.
Period 2
Heading into the second period, the Blue team started with another scoreless seven-on-seven play. In series five, Minchey missed his first pass on a long ball to junior wide receiver KK Smith. His next attempt found senior tight end Eli Raridon for a 15-yard gain and a point for the Blue team before the 10-yard rush from Price made it 20-14. Gold responded with two points of their own when Viliamu-Asa blew up the Minchey keeper for a loss of four.
Going into series six, Carr re-entered the game and hit another deep pass to Young for a gain of 28 yards, giving his team three more points. After leading the offense into the red zone, Carr faked a handoff and tossed it to Burress for the first touchdown of the day. Burnette converted the point after to cap off Blue’s best drive of the day and
make it 32-18.
The seventh series began on Gold’s 45 with Angeli back in at the quarterback position. The senior completed a 16-yard pass to Bettis Jr. to add a point on the first down. A series of rushes and short completions brought Blue to the 10-yard line, where Williams was stymied on multiple handoffs, including a fourth-down stand by junior safety Luke Talich that killed the drive. This brought the score to 35-23 heading into the final series of the second period.
Minchey now back at the helm, junior tight end Henry Garrity hauled in his pass down the middle for a 24yard gain. Minchey found another tight-end through the air in Larsen for 17 more before taking it himself to cap off the drive and give Blue a 46-23 lead.
Period 3
Series nine continued the routine of starting with some seven-on-seven practice. The drive died quickly for Carr, who was picked off by junior safety Ben Minich to end the series with the offense still ahead 46-31.
Starting off the tenth series, Angeli handed off to running back Nolan James
Jr. for a short gain before connecting on two consecutive passes to the freshman for gains of 13 and 37. Blue would punch it in the following play on a completion to Richardson, who took the ball to the end zone for a touchdown. Senior kicker Marcello Diomede’s extra point gave the Blue team a 57-31 lead.
Minchey came back in for the game’s penultimate series, starting with a completion to senior running back Gi’Bran Payne for a 24-yard gain. Minchey and company made it down to the sevenyard line but came up short in the end. Hobbs broke up the end zone attempt for Scheidler force a field goal, which Burnette converted from 25 yards out. The Blue team led 66-31 going into the final series.
Carr took over for the twelfth and final drive. He converted a pair of first downs on passes to James and Richardson before ending the game with an end zone connection to junior wide receiver Xavier Southall. With the extra point, Blue finished the game with a 76-31 victory.
Contact Calire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
Rising junior quarterback Kenny Minchey performs a backflip after rushing for a touchdown during the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium on April 12, 2025. Minchey totaled 106 passing yards in the game.
