No. 2 Irish host No. 1 Tar Heels in battle for first
By Jocelyn Fulcher Sports Writer
Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team faces No. 1 North Carolina this Saturday, April 11, in an intense ACC challenge as the Irish attempt to topple the Tar Heels.
This past weekend the Irish faced former No. 1 Richmond. The Irish beat the Spiders 128, jumping from No. 4 to No. 2, according to polls by Inside Lacrosse.
The Irish are currently 7-1 with their only loss being a surprising defeat to No. 8 Virginia, with a narrow score of 9-11. Similarly, North Carolina is currently 10-1 with their only loss being to No. 3 Princeton. The team rankings are in high competition, with top teams serving losses to one another, keeping the No. 1 spot up for grabs.
The Irish will rely on key scorers such as sophomore attack Luke Miller and graduate attack Josh Yago if they hope to defeat the Tar Heels. Miller had 4 goals during the Irish’s defeat of Richmond while Yago had 3. A transfer from Air Force, Yago now has scored in seven of the eight games the Irish have played, establishing
himself as a dangerous offensive threat. Not only has the Irish offense been impressive, but senior goaltender Thomas Ricciardelli had 12 saves when facing Richmond. He also held Richmond to only 8 goals, making it the second-lowest score of the Spiders’ season.
The Tar Heels are coming off of a big win against No. 4 Syracuse and are desperate to
defend their top-ranked spot. The Tar Heels’ top scorer of their last game against the Orange was junior Dominic Pietramala, who put up 5 goals in the 14-9 win.
The Irish will have a hard time scoring due to the Tarheels 22-0 record over the last three seasons of only allowing 9 goals or less. A recent addition to the North Carolina
impressive defense, freshman goaltender Josh Marcus put up a career high of 15 saves last game against Syracuse, which will also be a challenge for the Irish when hoping to get shots past the four-star recruit.
The game will be a battle and is one of the final three games for the Irish before heading into tournament play.
The Irish hope to topple the Tar Heels and capture the No. 1 title, but it will be one of their most challenging matches yet.
The game will be played this Saturday at 5 p.m. at Arlotta Fields. It will also be broadcasted on ACC Network.
Contact Jocelyn Fulcher at jfulche3@nd.edu
No. 25 Notre Dame travels to No. 3 Syracuse
By Lauren Ryan Sports Writer
The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team will be heading to Syracuse to take on the No. 3 Orange this Saturday in what could prove to be one of its toughest games of the season.
Syracuse started its season
in a rough patch, quickly falling to 0-3 after facing Maryland, North Carolina and Stanford. After that 8-6 defeat against the Cardinal in late February, the Orange haven’t lost a game. Some of their most impressive wins include Loyola, Northwestern, Yale, Virginia and Duke.
Coincidentally, Notre
Dame’s most recent loss was also against Stanford. Since then, they have dominated, winning four of their last five games by double-digits.
However, one should not expect that big of a deficit on Saturday in favor of either team. Syracuse has the fourth-best scoring defense in all of Division I, and Notre
Dame has the sixth-best. It is safe to anticipate a low-scoring affair, and whichever offense can capitalize on the few opportunities they get will likely come out on top.
In a defensive battle where every possession will be critical, another key area to watch will be draws. Notre Dame comes in with the edge in that category, leading its opponents 199-133 in overall draw controls this season, with standout freshman draw specialist Uma Kowalski securing 120 of those herself. Syracuse, despite its 11-game win streak, has been somewhat less impressive in this category, with a draw record of 113-155. If Kowalski can continue at her current draw success rate against Syracuse, those extra offensive opportunities for the Irish could easily swing the game in their favor.
The goaltender matchup should also be special.
The Orange’s top goaltender Daniella Guyette was recently named an Inside Lacrosse Midseason Media Third Team All-American. The senior posts an incredible 0.481 save rate, and she is also involved outside of the crease, grabbing 30 ground balls and causing 6 turnovers this season.
Notre Dame goaltender Ceci Patterson may only be in her freshman season, but sure doesn’t play like it. She maintains a save rate of 0.429 as well as 17 ground balls and 7 caused turnovers, plus an incredible ability to come up with the tough, high-pressure saves and to suffocate crease-rolling attempts.
Both offenses will have to choose and place their shots carefully if they want to see the ball in the back of the net on Saturday, and considering the defensive prowess of both squads, that will be a difficult feat.
The No. 25 Irish have what it takes to pull off the upset on the road this weekend. With an All-American attack duo in junior Kate Timarky and sophomore Madison Rassas, one of the best draw units in the country, and a stifling defense led by senior Franny O’Brien and graduate student Julia Carr, there is hardly a team in the country without reason to fear the Irish. But Syracuse will likely make it no easy task. The game begins at noon on Saturday and will be streamed on ACC Network.
Contact Lauren Ryan at lryan5@nd.edu
ND WOMEN’S LACROSSE
KEVIN SANCHEZ | The Observer
The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team celebrates after a goal during a dominant 25-0 win over Central Michigan on Feb. 8, 2026. The shutout victory over the Broncos remains the largest for the Irish this season.
LINA LIU | The Observer
Three Irish players celebrate after a play during No. 4 Notre Dame’s 12-8 victory over No. 2 Richmond on Saturday. The match occurred at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium for the second annual Lacrosse Day in Chicago. The Irish rose to No. 2 in multiple national polls.
THE INDEPENDENT
NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS
FRIDAY,
APRIL 10, 2026 | VOL. LX, NO. 56
IrishSAT launches studentmade payload into orbit
By Mara Hall Associate News Editor
IrishSAT, an undergraduate student-run club at Notre Dame, recently launched their Compact High Accuracy Reduced Power Magnetorquer Satellite, also known as CHARMS, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Transporter-16 mission. This marks IrishSAT’s first hardware in space.
Sarah Kopfer, who graduated from Notre Dame in 2025, is currently an avionics engineer on the Blue Origin lunar program. During her time as an undergraduate student, she was a member of IrishSAT, serving as the chief technical officer her junior year and then president her senior year.
Kopfer explained that IrishSAT had a goal of building a cube satellite but did
not have a way to get it into space. Eventually, they were asked to meet with Near Space Education, who had received a federal education grant.
“They offered us a free ride up in 2026, which was so exciting, but it meant a
super-fast turnaround. We only had about a year from start to finish to deliver our entire satellite,” Kopfer said. CHARMS is a payload onboard a larger Near Space Education cube satellite.
see “IrishSAT” on page 3
Saint Mary’s limits Google storage space for students
By Sophie Lewandowski News Writer
Beginning in June, Saint Mary’s students will see their Google Workspace storage allotments decrease from 15 gigabytes to 10GB. The change was announced in an email from Saint Mary’s Chief Information Officer Katie Rose on March 24. Her email stated the new storage allocation applies to the combined use of Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos.
In a written statement to The Observer, Rose explained the change is in response to Google’s transition away from free and unlimited storage for higher education institutions. New quotas have been implemented at other colleges and universities across the country, including the University of Notre Dame, and Saint Mary’s College will follow a similar model.
“Google no longer provides
NEWS | PAGE 4
Sexual assaults
NDPD received three reports of sexual assault during March. Two involve the same subjects.
free, unlimited storage to higher education institutions, and in order to best manage Saint Mary’s Google storage, we must begin implementing storage quotas, similar to other schools,” Rose wrote to The Observer.
Access to adequate storage is important for students, junior Laney Padilla, a student worker at the Huisking Instructional Technology Resource Center, said. The documents and emails students save can accumulate quickly.
Padilla described losing documents because one does not pay for additional storage as “really inconvenient.”
Rose said most students would not be significantly affected by the change. The majority of Saint Mary’s students are far from approaching the new storage quota.
“Students won’t notice any difference unless they start to near the quota limit, and
OPINION | PAGE 5
Graduation woes
Columnist Ana Prestamo reflects on all that could have been as graduation approaches.
right now, the vast majority of students use much less than the new quota. Google will alert you as you approach the limit so that you can decide which files you want to keep or remove from Google Drive, Photos or Gmail. If you reach the quota limit, you won’t be able to add new files to Google Drive or Photos, and you won’t be able to edit files that already exist there. However, you will continue to receive email for a grace period,” Rose wrote. If students do exceed the new storage limit, students will continue to receive emails and retain their ability to send them for a short period of time before losing access. Additionally, they will only have viewing access for Google Drive and Photos and will not be able to add new files or photos to their Workspace.
see “Data storage” on page 3
SCENE | PAGE 7 Dance Co.
Spring showcase brings 30 dances across a variety of styles to Washington Hall.
By Aynslee Dellacca and Berhan Hagezom Managing Editor and Saint Mary’s News Editor
Saint Mary’s Campus Safety received a call at 9:17 p.m. regarding a car accident at the intersection of State Road 933 and The Avenue. The crash involved a driver and passenger in a dark blue Chevrolet Equinox and a South Bend resident in a silver Toyota Camry Hybrid. No pedestrians were injured in the crash.
The Notre Dame Police Department, Notre Dame Fire Department, South Bend Police Department and St. Joseph County Fire Department were all present at the scene.
Sergeant Sidney Leda of the St. Joseph County Police Department said the driver in the Chevrolet sustained a minor injury and was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph
Car crash elicits local response Groody appointed Vatican dicastery
By Annelise Demers Notre Dame News Editor
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Daniel Groody, vice president and associate provost for undergraduate education and professor of theology and global affairs at the University of Notre Dame, to be a member of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The appointment was announced by the Vatican on March 30.
Established by the late Pope Francis in 2017, the dicastery supports the Church’s global efforts related to human dignity, human rights, economic justice, care for creation, migration, displacement, peace and humanitarian crises.
Groody, in an interview, said he was “humbled and surprised and grateful” upon learning of the appointment, describing it as a continuation of decades of work
SPORTS | INSIDER Men’s lacrosse
An inside look into Notre Dame’s success according to sophomore Matt Jeffrey.
County Memorial Hospital. The passenger in the Chevrolet and the resident were unharmed.
The resident’s vehicle was hit while en route to drop off a DoorDash order at Saint Mary’s.
According to Saint Mary’s security officer Elmer Carter, the other driver who was driving the Chevrolet, allegedly ran a red light at the intersection and hit the resident’s vehicle.
Carter said he was the first Saint Mary’s responder on the scene after the call was received by dispatch and later called for an ambulance for the driver of the Chevrolet. The driver, seen by Carter, was “laying on the side of the road” past the intersection toward Holy Cross College. He said the driver was conscious when he arrived at the scene.
focused on migration, refugees and global justice.
“As a dicastery member, the first role is really to listen, discern and advise how the Church can respond to the social issues of our time,” Groody said.
He will maintain his leadership roles at Notre Dame while serving as a member of the dicastery.
University President Fr. Robert Dowd highlighted how the appointment reflects Groody’s long-standing commitment to serving vulnerable populations and advancing Catholic social thought.
“To be called upon by the Holy See to serve in this capacity is a testament to Father Groody’s deep commitment to leadership in service of the most vulnerable among us,” Dowd stated in a press release.
“Groody” on page 3 see “Car crash” on page 3
SPORTS | PAGE 12 ND baseball
Is Notre Dame’s recent slump a valid cause for concern moving forward?
Courtesy of SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon-9 Rocket lifting off at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The same type of rocket carried the CHARMS unit.
Jackson Dille
freshman Knott Hall “Twix.”
Brady Vaughan
freshman Baumer Hall “Nerds cluster.”
What is your favorite candy?
Nick Delayo
freshman Carroll Hall “Kit Kat.”
Malik Martinez
freshman Keough Hall “Sour Patch Kids.”
Maya Ventura
sophomore McGlinn Hall “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.”
Friday
“High and Lifted Up”: Voices of Faith Gospel Mass
An opportunity for students to sing and worship together. 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Saturday
Holy Half Marathon
An annual run for charity.
8 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Stepan Center
Sunday
Notre Dame softball vs. Louisville
The Fighting Irish will compete against the Cardinals. 1 p.m.
Melissa Cook Stadium
Monday
Raise Your Voice Keynote Panel
An event dedicated to discussing sexual violence prevention. noon - 2 p.m.
Stapleton Lounge
Tuesday
Notre Dame baseball vs. Valparaiso
The Fighting Irish will face the Beacons. 5:30 p.m.
Frank Eck Stadium
PHOTO OF THE DAY | LINA LIU
Groody
Continued from page 1
Groody’s work has focused extensively on migration, theology and human displacement — areas closely aligned with the dicastery’s priorities. An internationally recognized scholar, he has authored, edited and produced multiple books and documentary films addressing migration and human dignity.
His most recent book, “A Theology of Migration: The Bodies of Refugees and the Body of Christ,” includes a foreword written by Pope Francis, who praised Groody’s attention to the experiences of migrants and refugees.
Holy Cross Brother Paul Bednarczyk, superior general of the Congregation of Holy Cross, said in an article published in Today’s Catholic, the newspaper serving the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, that the appointment also highlights Groody’s contributions to integral ecology and advocacy for
IrishSAT
Continued from page 1
Jackson O’Neill, outgoing president of IrishSAT, described the size of CHARMS, saying, “It is about a ham sandwich that is sitting on top of maybe two ham sandwiches.”
The project they set out to solve with CHARMS is one of stabilizing a tumbling CubeSat.
Tyler Hanson, senior and outgoing chief technical officer, said that when cube satellites are deployed from the rocket, they are spinning and “it is almost impossible to send any form of communication to it.” This is an issue for lack of communication, but also when the satellites are unable to orient themselves, they cannot get solar power.
Traditionally, cube satellites stabilize with a combination of reaction wheels and magnetorquers, but this equipment is bulky and expensive, according
Car crash
Continued from page 1 was conscious when he arrived at the scene.
Lieutenant Matthew Barr from the Notre Dame Police Department said they wanted to ensure everything was safe and blocked off in the area.
“It was just a car accident, just checking everybody out and making sure nobody’s hurt. Then we can get these cars out of here and
Data storage
Continued from page 1
migrants.
“His ongoing commitment to integral ecology and the promotion of the dignity of immigrants has been recognized by the universal Church,” Bednarczyk said in the article. “Father Groody’s appointment honors not only his faithful service at the University of Notre Dame, but also his ongoing commitment to integral ecology and the promotion of the dignity of immigrants.”
Groody said the appointment also reflects Notre Dame’s broader mission as a global Catholic research university. He emphasized the importance of connecting academic work with the real-world needs of the Church throughout the world.
“I think the goal is to connect the research engine of Notre Dame with the needs of the global Church,” Groody said.
He added that the role may create new opportunities for students to engage with the Church around the globe through academic programs, research and international partnerships.
to Hanson.
“We wanted to make this low-cost and low-power so that it would be very accessible not only to industry but also other CubeSat teams and collegiate teams that might be working on kind of a limited budget,” O’Neill said.
To do this, O’Neill said they only use magnetorquers. The core idea of a magnetorquer is it creates a magnetic field by running a current through a coiled copper wire, and the magnetic field can then react with Earth’s magnetic field to stabilize the satellite.
“There are companies that make things like this, but based on all of our testing, we were outpacing those specs by a lot,” Kopfer said.
According to O’Neill, the development costs for CHARMS added up to about $4,000, but the unit itself was only about $1,500.
“Most of our cost reduction comes from doing everything
get it sorted out,” lieutenant Matthew Barr, a police officer for the Notre Dame Police Department, said.
Saint Mary’s sophomores Syd Klaer and Leah McLaughlin crossed by the scene while various emergency vehicles were present. They said at least seven police cars including two K-9 units, two firetrucks and an ambulance passed by. The College’s security department helped to block off the main path entering from St. Mary’s Road,
Rose noted that if Saint Mary’s students need more storage for academic purposes, they can request it through the Resnet office.
Rose recognized that digital storage is an important asset for students, faculty and staff.
Groody’s appointment follows his 2025 appointment to the General Council of the Laudato Si’ Higher Education Center at
in-house. The most interesting piece of technology, in my mind, that we built was a magnetorquer wrapper.” O’Neill said. “For the magnetorquers that are about the size of your finger, we wrapped it over 2,000 times. We did not want to do that by hand, so we actually made an automated machine that could do that.”
Most of their work is open source between the electrical engineering senior design website and the IrishSAT website, according to Kopfer.
“We are not a profit corporation, so people can take our designs as they see fit. We have not published anything on our website specifically about the printed circuit board or the dimensions of the mechanical stuff of the payload, but we actually just published a document about the software,” O’Neill said.
The team expressed excitement toward seeing the project finally launch.
with drivers being rerouted.
“We were driving in, getting ice cream, then saw it and then walked over here,” McLaughlin stated.
Klaer mentioned that they were not able to view much of what occurred due to the lineup of cars.
“I just hope everyone’s safe. We just didn’t really see much, we just walked down here and turned around,” Klaer said.
Lieutenant Corey Cole from the Notre Dame Fire Department said little about
“Everyone needs storage — it’s important for nearly all the work that happens at Saint Mary’s, whether someone is a student, faculty, or staff member. We must take steps to manage Saint Mary’s Google storage space differently to ensure that everyone can continue to use Google services,” Rose wrote.
Castel Gandolfo, now known as Borgo Laudato Si’, where he helps guide initiatives related to sustainability and integral ecology.
“I keep saying really cool, but I think that does not really cut it,” Hanson said. “It is just so cool because I remember when we were giving it off to SpaceX to send. We were doing our final testing, final integration, I was holding it and I was like this thing is going to be up there.”
Kopfer shared this excitement.
“It is really exciting to have finally hit that milestone. It has been something I have been wanting for 10 years now, so it is so rewarding and it just feels like the perfect let go of college into career because now that is what I get to work on every single day,” Kopfer said. “Getting to see it launch then the other day was so absolutely exciting. It was 4 a.m. for me, so I set my alarm and woke up and watched it go up and get deployed. We could actually see it shoot off into space off of the rocket, so it was really cool.”
the crash, which he believed occurred on the intersection.
“The only thing that I can tell you was that there was a car accident, car versus car, no pedestrian was hit. One got transported to the hospital to observe her injuries and the other two signed refusals,” he stated.
The fire department responded to Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame and Holy Cross campuses, along with Clay Fire and South Bend areas as needed. The Notre Dame
Contact Annelise Demers at ademers@nd.edu
As of Wednesday, O’Neill said they had heard from Near Spaced Education that their satellite was turned on for a minute or two and received some communications that it is on and working.
“We are excited to start the mission operations phase,” he said.
IrishSAT is still striving to build a CubeSat of their own. Hanson explained this would be not only a cool build of their own, but it could carry a payload of antenna research by Jonathan Chisum, an electrical engineering professor, to space. They have applied to the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative program the last several years but have not yet won.
“When we do get that, they will cover the launch cost which is like 90% of the cost of building a cube satellite,” Hanson said.
Contact Mara Hall at mhall27@nd.edu
Police Department contacted the fire department. Following the immediate incident, the University’s fire department turns it over to the South Bend Fire Department and then signs refusals. Blinkie was also rerouted down the St. Mary’s Inn entrance due to the intersection block-off.
Contact Aynslee Dellacca at adellacca01@saintmarys.edu and Berhan Hagezom at bhagezom01@saintmarys.edu
Notre Dame is reducing access to Google storage as well, effective July 1. Storage for personal accounts at Notre Dame will be limited to 100GB for Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. Shared Drives in Google and Microsoft 365 will be limited to 5 terabytes of digital storage. Additional storage can be purchased for a fee, $150 per 1TB per year.
Contact Sophie Lewandowski at slewandowski01@saintmarys.edu
Fr. Daniel Groody, the newly appointed dicastery, shake hands. with Pope Leo XIV. Groody will continue to work at Notre Dame and at the Vatican, where he will be advising the church on global justice issues.
Three sexual assaults reported to NDPD in March
By Observer News Staff
Three instances of sexual assault were listed in the Notre Dame Police Department’s crime log for the month of March.
Two rapes were reported on March 3, 2026.
One of the rapes is reported as occurring between Feb. 27 and March 2 at an unspecified campus location.
The other rape is recorded as
occurring on Feb. 20 in an on-campus women’s residence hall.
A sexual battery was reported on March 25. The battery is recorded as occurring on the night between Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 at an on-campus residence.
All three incidents were referred to review by the Office of Institutional Equity.
A note attached to both the sexual battery and the rape recorded as occurring on Feb. 20 states the
following: “A single report filed with OIE included multiple instances of rape during this time frame; all instances involved the same individuals.”
“The March 5 daily crime log includes two separate reports of rape, both originating with the Office of Institutional Equity. The victim in one of the cases later filed a formal complaint with OIE alleging sexual battery in addition to the rape, all occurring within the same
general time frame. This resulted in a third report, which appears on the March 27 crime log as ‘SEXUAL BATTERY — Multiple instances — same individuals involved,’” a University spokesperson said in a statement to The Observer.
No notification was provided to the Notre Dame student body following any of the incidents. The last time an alert was provided to students was Oct. 29, following a reported rape in a bathroom of
Jordan Hall of Science.
“In both cases, following a full review of the facts, it was determined that a timely warning was not warranted,” the spokesperson stated.
A University spokesperson previously stated to The Observer in April 2025 that alerts are sent only when “there is an ongoing threat to the University community, and the report is sufficiently timely such that a warning will aid in the prevention of similar crimes.”
Jones and Riley sworn in during student senate
By David Murphy News Writer
Student body president Elijah Jones and vice president Riley Evers have officially begun their term. The pair took their oaths of office at a meeting of the student senate on April 1.
Jones and Evers won the Feb. 4 student body election. They ran on a “policy-driven” platform, pledging to push more legislation through the student senate and reallocate budgets for additional club funding. In a hotly contested race, Jones and Evers defeated the opposing candidates Mason McCart and Luke Parikh with 54.29% of the vote. They described their reactions in an interview with The Observer just before assuming office.
“First, it was pure shock, and then immense gratitude,” Evers said. “I went to the Grotto that night and walked in front of the Dome, and it was just a very surreal moment … We had no idea how much support we truly had until we got those results, and that’s something that we’ll never forget.”
Jones said he was also surprised by the results. He said his
expectations had been lowered by the fact that his campaign had fewer followers on Instagram than the McCart-Parikh campaign.
“It was amazing to see that many people were silently supporting us,” he said.
The pair attributed their victory to the presidential debate and vital outreach in the final days of the campaign.
“The Observer endorsement helped us out a lot … I think that endorsement swayed things in our favor,” Jones said. “We didn’t get endorsed by College Republicans, but we got College Democrats, and we actually showed up and talked to Knights of Columbus and Right to Life, which helped us out.”
With the start of his term, Jones highlighted several priorities for his new administration.
According to Jones, his first steps will be to reinvigorate the campus life council, which passed its first resolution — calling on Notre Dame and South Bend to curb early lease signing practices for off-campus housing — in three years this February.
Jones said he would push the University to call a meeting of the
council as quickly as possible.
Another priority for Jones isclub funding reform. He says he would like to decrease student government’s operational budget and increase funding to student organizations across campus.
Before Jones and Evers assuming office, then student body president Jerry Vielhauer sent an email to students on March 31 thanking them for their support of his administration on behalf of himself, vice president Sonia Lumley and chief of staff Ethan Chiang. This was accompanied by an End of Term Report. The Observer interviewed Vielhauer before the turnover, who offered some thoughts on how he hoped students would remember his legacy and administration.
“I think that if they will remember me just for being a good person, being someone who is there for them and who is supportive, I think that means more than being remembered for any certain achievement,” he stated. “But I also do hope that people will remember our administration and student government as a whole. It does actually do things and does actually get work done for the student body.”
Vielhauer said he hoped that Jones’ administration would continue any ongoing initiatives from his term and further offered advice to the incoming student body president.
“It’s definitely important to be able to know how to delegate and how to spread out responsibilities … make sure you surround yourself with people who are passionate about what they’re doing,” he stated. “And having the mindset of service leadership. It’s really integral to this position … If you’re doing it to boost your resume or experience a leadership position, then it’s not going to go well … and make sure you’re building up that team around you that has that same attitude.”
Vielhauer expressed confidence in the administration succeeding his own. “I’m very excited for Elijah, Riley, Kaeleigh and their new administration, and very confident in their ability to find success and serve the student body,” he stated.
As inauguration day approached, finding the right cabinet picks was top of mind for Jones and Evers. After hiring a new chief of staff, junior Kaeleigh Picco, the trio conducted dozens
of interviews to find new leaders for their executive cabinet.
“Our cabinet is an incredible mix of people. We have people who did FUEL this past year,” Evers said, referring the First Undergraduate Experience in Leadership program for freshmen run by student government.
“We have a couple of returners from past administrations, even stretching back to the Dawson administration,” she added, referencing 2024-25 president Dawson Kiser.
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Evers said she also hopes to develop close personal relationships with members of the student senate and wants to see the body work more effective in the upcoming year. “I’m also looking forward to building the relationship between the senate and the executive cabinet … I want to get coffee with every senator,” she said.
Contact David Murphy at dmurph23@nd.edu
DAVID MURPHY | The Observer Elijah Jones and running mate Riley Evers were sworn in as student body president and vice president before the student senate on April 1.
OPINION
The Notre Dame experience that
By Ana Prestamo Columnist, “Mind the
This is it. It’s finally sinking in: four more weeks of class, four more weeks of college. And as I walk around campus, I begin reconciling with all the versions of myself that I could have been, but I wasn’t.
Perhaps I could have been a finance major. My favorite place to study would have been the trading room in Mendoza, with all the stocaks and trading screens empowering me to go on to become a sales and trading professional.
Or perhaps I could have been an English major. I would have spent countless hours on O’Shag’s second floor, debating whether Faulkner is better than Hemingway. I would have been looking at becoming a teacher or an author in the future
Maybe I could have been a math major. Spending hours in Hayes-Healy, calculating derivatives or using Euler’s method.
I could have been an engineer. My home would
have been Fitzpatrick Hall, hunched over CAD models and stress tests, learning to build things that hold the world together — bridges, circuits, systems.
And so my reconciliation goes. Envisioning the major I could have chosen, the clubs I could have participated in.
But as the end draws near, I face the fact that none of
those versions of me ever really existed — and I’m not sure I’d trade them for the one that did.
Because the person who showed up was someone shaped not just by classrooms, but by the people who filled the spaces in between. By late nights that started as study sessions and became something closer to growing
up. By friendships that taught me how to show up for someone, to disagree and still stay, to laugh until it hurts and then talk about something that really does.
The version of me that exists is not just the product of the major I chose or the papers I turned in — she is the product of every conversation that ran too long, every
shared meal, every person who saw me on a hard day and stayed anyway.
I could have had a different major, lived in a different dorm, found a different table to sit at freshman year — and I would have become someone else entirely. That thought used to unsettle me; now it fills me with a feeling of gratitude. Gratitude for the particular combination of choices and accidents that made me this person, with these people, in this place. I made peace with my path, not because it was perfect, but because it was genuinely mine. And as I get ready to leave Notre Dame, I’ve stopped mourning the versions of myself I never became, but I am proud of the one I am — and genuinely, quietly excited to meet the one I’m still becoming.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Ana Prestamo at apresta2@nd.edu
Gap”
REDMOND BERNHOLD | The Observer
Can Notre Dame students read (part 2)?
By Sophia Anderson Associate Opinion Editor
Last January, I wrote a column responding to an Atlantic article claiming college students are no longer able to focus on or understand entire books. At the time, I was genuinely surprised by the article; I don’t have any friends who are “unable to read” or even close, and “elite college students” read more in my experience than anyone else I know.
In the year and a half since I wrote the article, I’ve continued to reflect on why it frustrates me so much when people imply that young people can’t read (or can’t do anything else, for that matter). I’ve written on the demonization of TikTok, “brain rot” and the prevalence of the stereotypes around youngest generations (that we’re not hard-working or intelligent, which has been said about every generation of young people by the generation before them for decades).
My original article focused a lot on the value of genre-fiction, a subsection of literature that I have loved for as long as I’ve been able to read and one which I have seen consistently under-appreciated by classic literature fanatics.
The impetus for this
follow-up, which I have been considering for a while now, was a TikTok I saw recently discussing Owen Yingling’s Substack article “The Cultural Decline of Literary Fiction.”
As an avid defender of genre fiction, easily baited by and instantly suspicious of the term “ensloppification,” I was forced to consider this new (to me) voice on the topic.
Yingling argues literary fiction is declining because “(1) basically no one is writing literary fiction and (2) the present-day norms of literary fiction mean that the general reader will never like anyone who is.” His main point is that as magazines that published the genre declined in readership (due to a loss of ad revenue to the internet, not young people only being smart or focused enough to ingest TikToks), literary fiction became less economically feasible for authors. People with notable talent shifted to other industries, like screen writing, and remaining authors prioritize critical acclaim over general readership (and thus, book sales). As talent left the genre, Yingling says, genre-fiction took its place.
While I appreciate that the blame is shifted off of the “philistine dopamine-addled masses,” I’m still not sure if I agree
with Yingling’s point. I think part of the issue with the entire conversation is a lack of recognition of the popular authors who do exist in the contemporary literary fiction space. This could be for a variety of reasons; some of these authors write across genres (making writers like R.F. Kuang not technically just a “literary fiction author”), many are women and write about primarily female characters (I find that female authors often get mis-genred into romance or “chick-lit,” and the publishing industry’s tendency to trivialize their cover designs may not help) and, of course, the explosion in popularity of genre fiction. However, the truth is that authors like Madeline Miller (think “The Song of Achilles”), Sally Rooney (“Normal People”) and Celeste Ng (“Little Fires Everywhere”) have all published novels in the last ten years. They’re certainly contemporary, fall under the literary fiction category (“The Song of Achilles” could maybe be double-categorized as historical fiction, but it’s certainly “literary”) and are very popular, well-selling books. Many have been adapted, in fact, into movies or shows; so what makes us so dismissive of their commercial success, and
why are they dismissed in this conversation?
What’s more, the idea that all non-literary fiction books are “slop” is not only untrue now, it’s always been untrue. It may be clear that “Fourth Wing” is maybe not the most groundbreaking literature (though it still has cultural value), but novels like “This is How You Lose the Time War,” “The Fifth Season,” “The Only Good Indians” and even the recently-adapted “Project Hail Mary” only brush the surface of contemporary genre-fiction that explores powerful cultural themes and has received major literary acclaim alongside commercial success.
Compare these to “Frankenstein,” “The Hobbit” or “Pride and Prejudice.” Each represents a pioneer of future genre convention, and we can objectively agree that each warrants critical acclaim. They all have literary value, they can all fall under the “literary fiction” umbrella, but they incorporate genre-specific themes like a central romantic plot line, an impossible scientific alternate reality or an elaborate fantastical world. For some reason, we’ve begun insisting on separating literature from genre fiction, but it wasn’t always this way.
Finally, I stand on the ground that even the more “middling” (as Yingling puts it) genre fiction of today (not every fantasy can be Tolkein, just like not every literary fiction can be Hemingway) still has cultural value and literary relevance. Reading average works of fiction can still develop your reading skill, cognition and vocabulary while providing entertainment in a way that is accessible to readers in-between literary masterpieces. They can be funny, lighthearted, emotional, frightening or just binge-able, and these things have value, too.
It’s okay to have diversity in what you read. Just because someone recommends that you try the critically acclaimed TV-show “Severance” doesn’t mean you can’t also watch the less-than-acclaimed “Grey’s Anatomy.” It’s widely acknowledged that these shows take different approaches and serve different purposes; I don’t know why we can’t understand the same about our books.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Sophia Anderson at sander38@nd.edu
Artemis II is an inspiration to keep going
By Duncan Stangel Opinion Editor
Do you know what a Vulcan is? Have you ever heard someone yell “frak”? Have you attempted to grow potatoes in your own poop? These are all famous sci-fi references. I have indulged in all forms of science fiction for most of my life, starting with the post-scarcity world of Star Trek and branching out into complex and deeply human stories. For the past week, I have felt a little closer to every short story, book, movie and TV show. I even changed my lock screen to a picture of the Earth peeking out behind the moon, a reminder of the shifting perspectives we face as we inch further into the cosmos.
Artemis II is more than a week into its flyby mission around the moon. After a gravity assist from a slingshot maneuver, four humans traveled farther than any others ever have. For a brief moment, they were more than 250,000 miles from Earth. It is an incredible feat of both engineering and the human spirit. But people keep (fairly) asking: Why? We have an affordability crisis, war in the Middle East and a variety of other concerns in our atmosphere. We can not afford to
now.
In a recently revisited 2022 “Late Show” interview, Commander Reid Wiseman noted the reason behind the lunar flyby: “We want to go to Mars.” The red planet is more than 33 million miles away (47 times the total distance of Artemis II) in the most optimal launch window. Even that is just a theory. It would be a multi-year mission and a feat of human ingenuity to even launch a rocket to go to Mars. Who knows what would happen along the way, as fans of “The
This most recent trip to space has the scientific goal of understanding how human bodies behave in space by studying everything ranging from bone marrow to cognition. In this sense, we can prepare for further exploration and counteract the unsavory side effects of deep space. More importantly, we will restore national pride through the American space program.
So far in history, humanity has touched the final frontier but never embraced it out of fear of expense or failure. Both are
anyway. There is nothing more human than setting off a massive explosion to explore a new frontier. There could be something (or someone) out there that changes our world. Even if there isn’t, pushing the boundaries of space will always be worth my tax dollars. You cannot put a price on an American flag planted on the moon. This is a symbol of national pride worth our talents, efforts and money. It is our duty to our species to disperse a fraction of our funds to feed the most primitive human desires: curiosity.
It’s the reason we innovate and challenge ourselves. It should be protected at all costs.
NASA’s annual budget sits at $24.5 billion. The Trump administration has threatened budget cuts, all while asking for $1.5 trillion for an increased defense budget. Twenty-five billion dollars is a fair amount for Americans to pay for missions like Artemis II. It may just be a lunar flyby for now. One day, though, we could watch our species step on red sand. Even further in the future, a human could look up at Jupiter from the surface of Titan.
Humanity should continue its progression into the stars. We should also learn from our mistakes — we have to keep going this time. This matters especially in a time of economic turmoil. It means something when we fail. It means everything for our humanity. Humans do not love keeping peace or paying taxes, but we do love exploration. Godspeed, Artemis II. I hope your mission pales in comparison to what we do next.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Duncan Stangel at dstangel@nd.edu
LIAM FLYNN | The Observer
Dance Co. showcase has something for everyone
By Ainslie McKenna Scene Writer
Bold red lights set the backdrop as twenty-five dancers take the stage. They perform a contemporary dance to Adele’s “Rumor Has It,” starting the show off with a powerful, energetic and exciting tone.
This Thursday and Friday, the Notre Dame Dance Company (Dance Co.) will present their spring showcase, featuring an impressive 30 dances with 90 performers spread out across all the acts. The show highlights many dance styles, with everything from lyrical contemporary to upbeat tap, to energetic hip-hop, to jazzy musical theatre, to classic ballet. The variety does not end with just the style of dance, but the music too. Acts feature songs by artists of all genres: Noah Kahan’s folk style, classic rock from the Eagles, classical orchestra from “Carnival of the Animals” and “Sleeping Beauty” and a David Guetta upbeat mix. This spring showcase has something for every kind of dance fan, as well as those not well versed in dance, as all the acts provide a few minutes of musical, lyrical beauty and are an entertaining watch.
The program alternates between large group numbers and smaller ensembles, duets and
solos. I found these smaller pieces to be among the best of the show. The large numbers, while definitely full of skill, vibrance and energy, all began to run together in my head by the end of the two hour show. With similar costumes, moves and music, these large contemporary numbers begin to lack differentiation and become slightly repetitive, with rows of girls all performing the same motions at (roughly) the same time. In small numbers, dancers can have their moment to
shine in the spotlight, highlighting the immense skills each individual on stage possesses. While every act had something great to show for it, a few stood out to me a little extra. The trio of Clare Hoban, Julia Hartweger and Molly Nosal dancing to “Life Goes On” by Ed Sheeran presents viewers with not only beautiful contemporary dancing skills and precise, satisfying movement, but the integration of the choreography, costumes and lighting work in perfect harmony with the lyrics
of the song. Additionally, the hiphop dance called “Feedback” gives a high-energy, sparkling sensation, flipping the vibes of everything leading up to the act. The dance is club-meets-cardio, where the twenty-five dancers bring unmatched energy, smiles, glitter, and athleticism to the stage.
The tap acts consistently shine as some of the most fun, visually and aurally satisfying, and represent the best of what Dance Co. stands for: talented dancers
happily and excitedly sharing their gifts. Of all the dances, the hip-hop and tap dancers had the most expressive faces, clearly enjoying the art that they were performing.
The three ballet performances also provided a pleasant switch from the many contemporary dances. The ballerinas exuded poise and control, all clearly welltrained, probably long before coming to college. There are three ballet acts, one being a solo by senior Dora Tomko to a “Sleeping Beauty” variation, and two other group numbers. The ballets show a promising future for not only ballet within Dance Co., but also for the emerging Ballet Club.
The Notre Dame Dance Company spring showcase lives up to its name. A bright, beautiful performance, it serves as the perfect segue out of a long, cold winter, and into a hopeful spring. The talented dancers, ranging across all grades and dance styles, work in harmony to present a wonderful display of skill, grace, emotion and joy. Dancers and non-dancers alike will surely enjoy this showcase, making it a worthwhile experience for anyone looking to explore Notre Dame’s student arts scene.
Contact Ainslie McKenna at amckenn6@nd.edu
Starry or teary-eyed: ‘The Mario Galaxy Movie’
By Sydney Jansen Scene Writer
“The movie theater hates to see us coming,” I tell my equally cinephilic sister every time I’m home for a holiday break. Most recently during Easter break, I managed to attend two movies in my 4-day trip — numbers I’m hoping to increase during the summer season. My nephew and I put our Cinemark Rewards to use at “The Mario Galaxy Movie”: an energetic film to both its benefit and downfall.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” that preceded the new film was a hit at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing film based on a video game — a big achievement for us nerds — so many had high hopes for this galactic sequel. Despite the “Mario Galaxy Movie’s” success in the box office (taking second place for video game movies), some fans weren’t starstruck. I personally loved the movie’s wonderful cosmic scenes, references to other Nintendo games and sentimental plot, but the movie jumps around too much to let us sink into this galactic realm before we have to go back to Earth.
A major part of the storyline follows the “queen of the cosmos,” Rosalina (voiced by Brie Larson) on her journey to save her long-lost sister Princess Peach (voiced by Anya-Taylor
Joy) from Bowser Jr. (voiced by Benny Safdie). The movie begins with Rosalina telling the story of Princess Peach out of her canonical “Rosalina’s Storybook” to her adopted “Lumas” when she abruptly leaves for the fight, leaving the audience on just as much of a cliffhanger as those adorable little stars. This is just the beginning of the stream of rushed content watchers are force-fed.
Apart from its “Mario Kart”paced plotline, this video game adaptation has much to offer visually. The Illumination studio has always had a distinctively bubbly style of animation that I have appreciated since the release of “Despicable Me,” and it carried on beyond our universe in this film. Its vivid coloration of far away lands and dazzling starry scenes transports the audience to the various maps featured in the original 2007 video game, calling back its roots — if only we could sit and enjoy those moments for more than a cut-scene.
My nephew followed the film to a tee, but I often found myself in the middle of being entertained and confused, as there were no reminders of the first movie’s plot: an element this movie definitely could have benefited from. I, and probably many parents in attendance, felt dialed out of the context of Jack Black’s Bowser
shrunkenness and Mario and Peach’s situationship status. Even a slight flashback or referencing line to past events would have clarified the confusion us non-avid Mario movie watchers had.
What I love most about having a sister is what my sister and I call our “kinship like none other,” or simply the ability to connect so deeply with each other because of our history together as siblings; we can reminisce and just be in each other’s presence, and that’s enough to “get” each other. Because of our absurd connection, I very much enjoyed the idea of Rosalina and Princess Peach coming together to save the universe through the strength of sisterhood, but when this idea played out on screen, it was disappointingly unrealistic. Sure, saving the universe by high-fiving your sister is unrealistic in itself, but my point is that their sisterly bond is not strong enough to matter in the film. The longing of Peach to find Rosalina was so brief amid the film’s chaos, leaving no moment for the two to showcase their deep connection, letting their separation dwindle into insignificance.
Aside from the lack of familial sentimentality, there were many Nintendo easter eggs that enlivened my spirit each time I caught one. Not only was the soundtrack of the film filled with Mario
game sound effects, referencing generations of “Mario Bros.” games, but other Nintendo characters like Fox McCloud from “Star Fox,” Pikmin creatures, Monty Mole from “Super Mario World” and R.O.B. from “Super Smash Bros.” (among many others). Seeing each one of these brief references honed into the iconic character of “Super Mario Bros.” as a 40-year-old creation. Maybe it’s too much to ask for more heartbreak in a children’s
movie, but “The Mario Galaxy Movie” had a lot to live up to in that department after Jack Black’s heart-wrenching “Peaches” as Bowser in the first film. If you’re a movie or Nintendo fanatic, it’s worth your time, but with fair warning; it may leave you more heartbroken from its faults than its sentimental content.
Contact Sydney Jansen at sjansen2@nd.edu
ABRAHAM MEDINA | The Observer
The Notre Dame Dance Company performed the first night of their spring showcase Thursday evening, demonstrating a wide range of genres and disciplines through 30 pieces by 90 tri-campus students.
Notre Dame splits weekend in North Carolina
By Dan Kilcoyne Sports Writer
After a tough ACC stretch in recent weeks, Notre Dame women’s tennis picked up two huge home wins against No. 19 Cal and No. 40 Stanford to put the season back on the right track. Sitting at No. 42 in the nation, the Irish spent Easter weekend in North Carolina, with two key matchups against No. 68 Wake Forest and No. 10 NC State to draw a close to the ACC campaign.
First up was a visit to Winston-Salem, with the Irish in good form, brimming with confidence. Despite a surprising loss 6-4 for the Irish pair of sophomore Bianca Molnar
and senior Bojana Pozder to Nevena Carton and Kady Tannenbaum, the Irish were still able to pick up the crucial doubles point. Senior and freshman pair Rylie Hanford and Gabriella Rawles brought their record to 12-5 on the season, fighting to a 6-4 win against a strong Wake Forest pairing of Sankavi Gownder and Evie Oxford. The third Notre Dame pair the sealed point with a 6-3 victory, as another senior and freshman pairing of Akari Matsuno and Mari-Louise Van Zyl picked up their sixth win of the year. With the doubles point secured, all eyes turned to the singles. The Irish got off to a flying start as Matsuno breezed past Blanch 6-1, 6-0 to give the Irish a 2-0
lead with her 15th win of the season.
Oxford gave Wake Forest hope as she picked up a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Pozder, and Gownder tied it up, defeating Hanford 7-5, 6-1. With the match hanging in the balance, it was Irish star Molnar and freshman sensation Holod who produced when it mattered most. Molnar picked up a gritty 7-5, 6-2 win over Carton before Holod overcame a fantastic effort from sophomore Heidi Bulger to seal the Irish victory with a 7-6(4), 6-4 win, her team-leading 13th dual singles win on the season. The victory made it three in a row for the Irish as they turned toward much tougher opposition to end the North
Carolina double header. An Easter Sunday trip to Raleigh for NC State’s senior day was always going to be a tough visit, with the Wolfpack ranked No. 10. Led by four ranked singles players and the No. 2 ranked doubles pairing in the nation, NC State boasted stars everywhere. The Irish fell short in the doubles but put in spirited performances, with Molnar and Pozder losing 6-2 to the No. 2 pair in the nation of Gabriella Broadfoot and Victoria Osuigwe. Matsuno and Van Zyl fell just short losing 6-4 to sophomore Mia Slama and freshman Lavinia Tanasie as NC State took a 1-0 lead.
Moving on to singles, it was disappointment for the
Irish as Matsuno, Holod and Pozder lost in straight sets to Broadfoot, Tanasie and Anna Zyrynova respectively as the Wolfpack took home a 4-0 victory. One of the unfinished games saw a spirited comeback from Molnar, who fought back after losing the first set 6-0 to Slama to take the second set 6-3 before the game was stopped.
After a split weekend on the East Coast, Notre Dame heads into the final regular season matchup against DePaul Sunday with a 15-8 record before returning to North Carolina for the ACC tournament starting April 14.
Contact Dan Kilcoyne at dkilcoyn@nd.edu
Irish stumble against Cavaliers and Hokies
By Jacek Kawczynski Sports Writer
Notre Dame men’s tennis looked to close out a series of away duals this weekend, taking on Virginia Tech and No. 4 Virginia. On the back of a five-dual win streak, Irish fans were cautiously optimistic heading into Friday. However, Notre Dame came up short, losing 1-4 to a dominant Virginia team led by star player Dylan Dietrich. It replicated the same score on Sunday, bowing out 1-4 against a floundering Virginia Tech. The disappointing results were eerily reminiscent of Notre Dame’s last pair of losses against Wake Forest and NC State, both occurring on an away trip to North Carolina.
Virginia
Things could not have gotten off to a worse start for the Irish Friday. Virginia blitzed into the lead, courtesy of freshman Andrés Santamarta Roig and sophomore Jangjun Kim, who crushed Notre Dame duo of freshman Nicholas Patrick and junior Evan Lee 6-0. Stiles Brockett and Keegan Rice clinched the doubles point for the Cavaliers, upsetting No. 47-ranked Luis Llorens Saracho and Peter Nad 7-5 in an all-sophomore clash. Virginia continued its hot start in singles play, with No. 14-ranked Keegan Rice defeating No. 72-ranked grad student Perry Gregg 6-3, 6-3. The Irish finally got on the board, thanks to Peter Nad’s 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 comeback win over Jangjun Kim. Virginia senior Douglas Yaffa struck back quickly, however, battling past Llorens Saracho
6-3, 0-6, 6-1. No. 2-ranked junior Dylan Dietrich secured the duel for Virginia with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 victory over No. 15-ranked senior Sebastian Dominko. The match was as good as advertised, with both players flaunting their powerful serves and massive baseline presence. After splitting the first two sets, Dietrich broke early in the third, courtesy of consecutive Dominko double-faults, and didn’t look back.
Virginia Tech
Despite the short drive from Charlottesville to Blacksburg, a day’s rest must not have been enough for Notre Dame, which fell to a struggling Virginia Tech team in the midst of a six-dual losing streak. Notre Dame started off strong in doubles, with senior Noah Becker and Nicholas Patrick breezing past freshman Drew Fishback and grad student Frank Thompson 6-3. Virginia Tech duo junior Ilyas Fahim and sophomore Patrik Jurina struck back, defeating Dominko and Gregg 6-4. Sophomores Blake Hilsen and Eyal Shumilov snatched the doubles point for the Hokies, battling past Llorens Saracho and Nad 7-5. Shumilov went right back to work in singles, flying past Notre Dame sopohomore Giuseppe Cerasuolo 6-0, 6-4. Nad pulled one back against Fishback, prevailing again in three sets, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4. Virginia Tech senior Julian Lozano extended the Hokie lead, gutting out a 6-4, 7-6(7) win over junior Kyran Magimay. Ilyas Fahim put the cherry on top for Virginia Tech, upsetting Dominko in a massive comeback, 3-6,
7-6(5), 6-3.
While the weekend didn’t yield what the Irish desired, it may have been exactly what the team needed — a reminder of what it will face come postseason. Doubles play improved between the two duals, and Peter Nad cemented himself as
Contact Jacek Kawczynski at jkawczyn@nd.edu ND WOMEN’S TENNIS
a strong anchor in the singles lineup, continuing his breakout season. Notre Dame is now 19-6 and returns to South Bend for a rematch against Louisville on Saturday, before heading to Cary, N.C., for the 2026 ACC Tournament. The Irish have the pedigree for
multiple deep runs in the season-ending tournaments, but if the team wishes to leave a mark, it must be prepared to battle tough competition on consecutive days.
Priesthood Ordinations
ND MEN’S TENNIS
The Drowsy Chaperone
PEMCo performed the Drowsy Chaperone March 26-28 at Washington Hall.
Photos by Editor-in Chief Gray Nocjar
Ryan: Losing local talent is frightening for Irish
By Lauren Ryan Sports Writer
Junior guard Markus Burton, freshman guard Jalen Haralson and sophomore guard Cole Certa have announced they will be joining sophomore forward Garrett Sundra, sophomore guard Sir Mohammed and freshman guard Ryder Frost in the transfer portal. The losses of Burton, Haralson and Certa should trigger an alarm for anyone with an interest in Notre Dame men’s basketball.
The trio would have clearly been the three top players on the Irish roster next year. It goes without saying that Burton’s injury this past season was completely devastating for the Irish. Burton earned preseason first-team All-ACC honors, and Notre Dame simply was unable to make up for his lost talent throughout conference play. The only players who came close to filling Burton’s large shoes were Haralson, whose athleticism and scoring ability made him a legitimate force to be reckoned with in his first year of college basketball, and Certa, whose remarkable shooting allowed him to post three 30-plus-point performances against ACC opponents. Burton, Haralson and
Certa were Notre Dame’s top three scorers by average points per game, though Burton only played in the first 10 games of the season. Only Braeden Shrewsberry, who will return to play his senior season alongside his incoming-freshman brother, otherwise averaged more than six points per game.
However, aside from the impending drop-off in scoring ability, there is another reason that Burton, Haralson and Certa all entering the transfer portal scares me. That reason can be found by looking at their hometowns.
Micah Shrewsberry has developed a well-earned reputation as a great recruiter in his time at Notre Dame. The current freshmen class, which Haralson headlined, was the highest-ranked in program history. Shrewsberry particularly targets — and, to his credit, gets — local talent. Top players from Indiana and the rest of the Midwest have chosen to play at Notre Dame, often despite offers from higher-ranked programs in other parts of the country. The incoming class of three recruits is proof of that, as guard Nick Shrewsberry and center Gan-Erdene Solongo will be coming to Notre Dame
from in-state, and guard Jon Sanderson, the No. 68 recruit in the class according to SCNext, hails from Michigan. Solongo, Sanderson and Haralson all went to the same high school only 30 miles from Notre Dame.
If Notre Dame loses its Midwestern talent, it is not likely to find replacements of the same caliber from anywhere else in the country. Burton, Haralson and Certa are all players, who, in accordance with recent recruiting patterns, might never have chosen Notre Dame if they were raised elsewhere. With Mishawaka native Burton, Haralson from Anderson, IN, and Certa from Le Roy, Ill. all transferring, it leaves me wondering: If the Irish lose the “locals,” what will the program have left? Where are Notre Dame’s best players going to come from, if not from Indiana and Illinois?
Overall, the one thing that even Micah Shrewsberry’s harshest critics will grant him credit for is his ability to attract top Midwestern players. Now with those players transferring, prospects for the program look increasingly grim.
This offseason will certainly test Shrewsberry’s ability to recruit transfers like never before.
ND MEN’S BASKETBALL
This year, he only brought in Carson Towt through the transfer portal; the other roster additions were former NAIA player Matthew MacLellan and five freshmen. That is not an indication that Shrewsberry cannot recruit well in the portal, but rather that he has not done so yet. Now, as a majority of Notre Dame’s key players look for opportunities elsewhere, the incoming freshmen alone are not going to cut it. Shrewsberry has his work cut out for him, and it will be interesting to see how
well he is able to make up for the lost talent.
I am certainly not yet ready to count the Irish out for next season, and I am excited to see what incoming transfers the Irish manage to land. I am alarmed, however, to see the Midwestern talent leaving the roster for other opportunities considering these local players have been the best thus far in the Shrewsberry era.
Contact Lauren Ryan at lryan5@nd.edu
Muething: Impact of early transfer portal losses
By Jack Muething Sports Writer
To say the Notre Dame men’s basketball team underperformed last season would be an understatement.
Going 13-18 on the season and missing the ACC tournament was still an embarrassing result, even with the loss of junior guard Markus Burton to injury in December. The program will be happy to turn the page, but many questions
remain about who will and won’t be returning for the Irish.
The argument of the offseason, regardless of what decision the Notre Dame athletic department makes, will be whether or not Micah Shrewsberry should return as head coach. No matter who fills that role, Notre Dame will need to make a few moves in the transfer portal to elevate this team. It has already been confirmed that the program
is losing sophomore forwards Sir Mohammed and Garrett Sundra, as well as freshman guard Ryder Frost — all of whom primarily served as rotational players and are likely seeking a chance at more playing time elsewhere. The one player confirmed to be returning is freshman Brady Koehler, who averaged 5.6 points and 16 minutes per game. He’ll be an important piece for next year’s team, and he will probably slot into the starting lineup next season.
What do these early announcements mean for the Irish? I believe there are two possible scenarios. One is that the players departing — Sundra, Mohammed and Frost — are disappointed with the state of Notre Dame basketball and are the first of many to announce they are departing for another place to play. Another is that these three (again, all bench players) believe their roles won’t increase next season, and they are looking for another school to see more minutes.
It is very possible Notre Dame will retain some of their high-impact players for next campaign. The ideal big three is Burton, freshman Jalen Haralson and sophomore Cole Certa. I think it’s possible the
program retains at least two of them. One could argue that Shrewsberry isn’t the best ingame coach. However, he is a fantastic recruiter. He brought in the program’s most loaded freshman class ever last season, and two seasons ago, he kept four of his five starters from the 2023-2024 team — a remarkable achievement in the transfer portal era. While we’ll know more for sure once the portal opens on April 7, Shrewsberry is an exceptional recruiter and retainer of talent, and there is a real chance he has convinced some of the Irish stars to stick around for at least another year.
In terms of the transfer portal, the Irish will need to acquire a big man — preferably two. One key problem for the Irish last season was the lack of a scoring threat inside. Graduate forward Carson Towt was an exceptional rebounder, ranking No. 4 in the ACC in rebounds per game, just trailing lottery picks such as forwards Cameron Boozer of Duke and Caleb Wilson of North Carolina. With the way last year’s team was going to be guard-heavy, it made sense to find a big man whose primary skill was rebounding the ball. However, it didn’t work well in the end, as other teams didn’t
have to worry much about an offensive Irish power in the paint. Defenses could sag off Towt and focus on the guards, which was especially harmful after Burton’s ailment.
The Irish also saw just how much not having a backup big man hurt last season when Kebba Njie went down with an injury, leaving Towt as the sole 5. The Irish need depth at the center position, not just talent. Finding a big man who can be a top-3 leading scorer on the team and complementing that with another efficient rebounder like Towt would help this Irish team exponentially next season.
Change will be needed for the Irish as they head into next season, but I don’t think as much will need to change as people think. The return of Burton could solve a lot of this team’s problems, and if the Irish are able to pair him and Haralson together, they could be a potential tournament threat. In short, this team is not far from being a tourney contender, and if it retains key pieces while bringing in one or two impactful players, it could be in a solid spot for next season.
Contact Jack Muething at jmuethin@nd.edu
KEIRA JONES | The Observer
Freshman guard Jalen Haralson posts up for a shot in the 68-64 Irish victory over Boston College on Jan 24, 2026, where he totaled 17 points.
MARIELLA TADDONIO | The Observer
Sophomore guard Sir Muhammad runs to the basket during a 100-56 loss to Duke on Feb. 24, 2026. He has since entered the transfer portal.
Laslo: Can Irish escape midseason slump?
By Ethan Laslo Sports Writer
Last spring, Notre Dame baseball had a very polarizing beginning to the season. The Irish got off to an 8-1 start in non-conference play before starting off 1-8 in the first three series of ACC play. At 9-9, the midseason slate was up-and-down despite breakout stars such as sophomore utility man Bino Watters and now-Texas Longhorn sophomore catcher Carson Tinney coming into their own.
This season, Notre Dame had a much more consistent start to the season. With a tougher non-conference schedule which included teams such as LSU and UCF, the Irish still emerged with an 8-3 record entering ACC play. Then, they started off a very respectable 6-3 in their first three series matchups in the conference. However, things have since taken a turn for the worse. After sweeping then No. 19 Clemson and reaching the 15-6 mark, the Irish have dropped seven straight games.
Two weeks ago, they were steamrolled by then No. 13 North Carolina at home after entering the top 25 for the first time since the final rankings of 2022. Last weekend, they traveled to Raleigh
and were subsequently swept by NC State. Finally, they dropped their seventh game of the skid to Michigan State on Wednesday. So, what happened?
The problems for Notre Dame start in the bullpen. At the beginning of the season, coach Shawn Stiffler expressed confidence in the pitching depth of the team. Unfortunately, things haven’t quite panned out as he hoped they would. The Irish have held a lead at some point in all nine of their ACC losses, a statistic that Stiffler called “nightmare fuel” in a postgame press conference.
A lot of this can unfortunately be attributed to pitching depth, as evident by the NC State series. In all three games, the bullpen surrendered multiple runs.
On the other hand, starting pitching has mostly been a focal point. Junior righty Jack Radel has been just as good as expected this season. He has been tabbed twice as the ACC’s Pitcher of the Week following stellar performances against UCF and Clemson. Statistically, he has also been outstanding: he allows just a .168 batting average to opposing hitters, which is second-best in the ACC. His 64 strikeouts are third in the conference, while his 2.85 ERA stands eighth. Following Radel,
graduate righty Ty Uber has been solid this season after transferring from Stanford. He has done well pitching to contact and holds the best record among the Irish pitching staff at 4-1 on the year.
However, the problems once again arise with the third starting pitcher. Freshman left-hander Caden Crowell has struggled thus far. As a freshman, it’s only natural that he takes his lumps. Unfortunately, his 8.40 ERA in eight starts is not going to cut it for a team looking to make a run into the postseason. It’s likely that he will only improve as the year goes on, but his performance is a point of concern nonetheless. One name that has been floated as a potential alternative third starter is senior righty Xavier Hirsch, who hurled five scoreless innings in Friday’s matchup at NC State. Only time will tell what direction the Irish take. Fortunately, there is still plenty of good and hope to be had for Notre Dame baseball, particularly on the offensive side. Junior catcher Mark Quatrani has filled the shoes of Tinney almost flawlessly since transferring from Cornell. The former First Team All-Ivy Leaguer has been a monster at the plate this year, leading the Irish in hits, home runs, batting average, extra base hits, RBIs
and slugging. Beyond Quatrani, the Irish offense has been relatively consistent. Five out of eight players with more than 20 plate appearances are currently sporting averages above .300.
Stiffler felt similarly about the offense. “Our superpower as a group is our ability to offensively come back in games,” he said.
Stiffler also explained that team, “has shown to score in bunches and to score early in games, late in games and in the middle.”
Notre Dame cannot count on another late-season surge to propel them into postseason play
this year. Last season, the Irish finished an unthinkable 16-3 after losing their series at Boston College. Runs like that are extremely hard to replicate. The key going forward for Stiffler and his men isn’t to hope for another historic run; it’s to play one game at a time and play a consistent brand of baseball that gets them into games and keeps them in them.
Eventually, the dominoes will start to fall.
Contact Ethan Laslo at elaslo@nd.edu
Irish struggle on the road against Florida State
By Chris Dailey Sports Writer
Over Easter break, Notre Dame softball was swept on the road by No. 10 Florida State. Although the Irish were hoping to turn some heads and steal a win, the series instead provided this young Irish team with much-needed experience against the ACC’s best.
In Game 1, the Irish fell 7-2. Despite the rather lopsided score,
Notre Dame managed to notch five hits to Florida State’s eight. However, uncharacteristic issues in the field combined with Florida State’s explosive offense proved to be the difference.
Notre Dame’s two runs came in the second and sixth innings, both solo home runs courtesy of freshman Lily Hagan. Hagan has steadily played a larger role on the team this season, and Friday’s game was undoubtedly
her breakthrough moment.
Hagan’s first home run was delivered deep into left field, nearly drilling a car that was driving on the street just behind JoAnne Graf Field. Luckily, the driver hit the brakes just in the nick of time. Hagan’s second home run was crushed into left center. This time, the ball landed by a picturesque tree.
While Hagan’s power offered a glimpse of hope on Friday night,
things worsened for the Irish in Game 2. Notre Dame’s offense struggled mightily, recording a mere one run to Florida State’s 12. Inside the circle, sophomore starting pitcher Brianne Weiss couldn’t find her groove. Weiss faced 15 batters, allowing six hits and five earned runs.
Freshman Molly Conner and junior Kami Kamzik attempted to settle things down, but neither had the needed formula. Ultimately, Florida State runruled Notre Dame in five innings, 10-0.
The Irish, however, showed signs of life once again in the final game of the series.
In the top of the second with runners on first and third, sophomore Rebecca Eckart drove a smooth ground ball down the leftfield line to bring home freshman Hayden Kyne. Moments later, junior Tenley Sweet soured the hearts of Seminoles fans as she launched a fastball over the fence for her first career home run.
Then, in the bottom of the second, senior Micaela Kastor recorded a big-time strikeout to keep the game at 4-0.
But the momentum quickly slipped away, as the Seminoles inevitably found their form in the third inning. Florida State’s Jazzy Francik came into the game in replacement of starting pitcher Bella Dimitrijevic and instantly
made an impact. In the 2.2 innings pitched, Francik allowed only one hit.
Ashtyn Danley finished things off for Florida State, allowing zero hits in two innings pitched.
Florida State’s talented bullpen effectively shut down the Notre Dame batters once they stepped into the game, while the Florida State offense simultaneously heated up.
In the bottom of the third, the Seminoles got runners on base early. From there, Danley hit a soft grounder to bring one runner home. In the next at bat, Eckart was unable to field a choppy ball hit by Anna Hinde, bringing in two more runs for Florida State.
Florida State stayed relentless the rest of the way, scoring one run in the fourth and fifth innings and adding three more in the sixth to win 8-4.
The three losses drop Notre Dame to 16-22 on the season and 5-10 in ACC play. The Irish will look to build on the lessons learned against preseason ACC favorite Florida State as they return home for a midweek matchup against Valparaiso at 6 p.m today. Notre Dame then resumes conference play on Friday with a three-game homestand against Louisville.
Contact Chris Dailey at cdailey2@nd.edu
ND SOFTBALL
DECLAN LEE | The Observer
Sophomore utility Caroline O’Brien defends the Irish possession during the 6-2 win over Cal on March 28, 2026. The Irish went on to split the three-game series by tallying two wins and one loss against the Bears.
GABRIELLA MARTIN | The Observer Freshman infielder Dylan Passo steps up to bat in a 13-7 loss against North Carolina. The Irish lost all three games against the Tar Heels.
Irish drop all three games against NC State
By Zach Jones Sports Writer
Notre Dame baseball lost all three games at NC State over Easter weekend. The team lost 7-3 ballgames on Thursday and Friday before dropping Saturday’s getaway game 7-6. The Irish have now lost six straight games and are 15-12 overall with a 6-9 record in ACC play.
Thursday
It was freshman lefty Caden Crowell on the mound to kick off the series Thursday for Notre Dame. After a scoreless first inning, freshman second baseman Mason Barth put the Irish on the board in the second with a tworun double. NC State responded, however, by tagging Crowell for five runs and chasing him from the game. Mark Quatrani tacked on a solo home run in the third to pull within two, but then the bats went cold. NC State scored two insurance runs in the eighth to make the final score 7-3. A bright spot in an otherwise
forgettable game for the Irish was senior righty Xavier Hirsch. He provided five scoreless innings in relief and kept the Irish within reach for most of the game. Unfortunately, the lineup couldn’t find a big hit to put them over the hump. The offense managed just seven hits and went 1-5 with men in scoring position. Barth led the Irish with a 2-3 performance with two RBIs, while junior catcher Mark Quatrani provided the other RBI with his solo home run.
Friday
The Irish came into Friday’s game hungry for a rebound after Thursday’s disappointing loss. With staff ace Jack Radel on the mound, Notre Dame had the perfect opportunity to get back in the win column. However, a pivotal seventh inning saw NC State take a three-run lead, and the game ended by the same score as the night before: 3-7 Wolfpack.
Radel pitched into the seventh with the game tied 2-2. In that inning, the Wolfpack used a walk and a double to take a 3-2 lead
with one out. Radel was then relieved by graduate right-hander Eli Thurmond, who promptly surrendered a two-run home run. The home run put NC State up 5-2. The Irish scored a run in the eighth, but the Wolfpack notched two more runs in the bottom of the inning to take a decisive 7-3 lead, and the game would end by that score.
Radel took the loss after giving up four runs over 6.1 innings. A highlight on offense was a 2-4 performance by sophomore shortstop Noah Coy. Another bright spot was a solo homer by sophomore right fielder Jayce Lee, who led the Irish with four total bases on the day.
Saturday
Notre Dame entered Saturday’s contest in danger of being swept in two straight ACC series. It wasn’t apparent Saturday’s game, though, as the Irish displayed a lack of urgency and competitiveness. For most of the game, Notre Dame didn’t play like a team whose postseason chances
are imitating of a lead balloon. Instead, for the first eight innings of Saturday’s contest, Notre Dame continued to be outclassed by NC State in all phases of the game.
The opportunistic Wolfpack were eager for a series sweep and showed it by scoring four unearned runs in the bottom of the second after a costly two-out error by Barth. The Irish took the blow largely without response and entered the ninth inning down 1-5.
Facing a four-run deficit in the ninth, Notre Dame showed some toughness by scoring five runs to take a 6-5 lead. Sophomore left fielder Bino Watters galvanized the lineup with a solo home run to deep left field. The Irish tacked on four more runs in the inning, including two on a clutch double by freshman third baseman Jamie Zee, who later scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
Entering the bottom of the ninth, freshman left-hander Dylan Singleton was tasked with protecting a one-run lead. After
center fielder Brandon Logan made a great diving play to get the first out, though, Singleton gave up three straight hits, and NC State walked it off, earning the series sweep.
After being swept at home by then No. 13 North Carolina two weekends ago, the NC State series was a chance for the Irish to rebound and show an ability to hang with postseason teams. Instead, Notre Dame dropped all three games, and with two nationally ranked opponents next up on the schedule, the squad’s fortunes might get worse before they get better. The Irish will host No. 13 Virginia this weekend before traveling to No. 5 Florida State next weekend — two series where wins will be hard to come by.
Before hosting the Cavaliers next weekend, the Irish have a chance to get right when Michigan State comes to town Wednesday for a 5 p.m. game.
Contact Zach Jones at zjones3@nd.edu
Irish fall to Spartans for seventh straight loss
By Zach Jones Sports Writer
Notre Dame baseball lost to Michigan State by a score of 7-4 Wednesday afternoon. The Irish dropped to 15-13 on the year, while the Spartans improved to 11-19 overall.
Pitcher Chase Van Ameyde got the starting nod for the Irish. Van Ameyde, a sophomore righty out of Lake Orion, MI, logged one inning and gave up a wind-assisted solo homer to left field. He was replaced by freshman righty Will Jaisle, who delivered two innings of one-run ball. The Irish bats lay dormant until the bottom of the third, when sophomore shortstop Noah Coy got the Irish on the board with an RBI single down the right field line. The score sat at 2-1 Spartans after three complete.
Freshman lefty Caden Crowell took the mound for the Irish in the top of the fourth inning. In that consequential inning, Crowell was tagged for four runs and five hits by the opportunistic Spartans, who took a 6-1 lead, which they’d keep for the rest of the contest.
The Irish didn’t go down without a fight, though. They scratched across one run in the fifth with a sacrifice fly from graduate outfielder Drew Berkland. Later, in the seventh, they used a sacrifice fly (also by Berkland) and a wild pitch to score twice more, making the score 6-4 Spartans with two innings to go.
With sophomore righty Oisin Lee and freshman lefty Dylan Singleton combining to shut out
the Spartans in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, the Irish looked poised to make a late-inning comeback and salvage the afternoon. The Spartans, however, stayed one step ahead of the Irish. Michigan State logged an insurance run in the eighth with a solo home run and quelled a ninth-inning Irish rally, ending the game at a final score of 7-4.
Coy led the charge for the Irish at the plate with a 2-3 performance. Berkland paced the Irish with two RBIs but did not record a hit, the streak ended on April 2. Bright spots on the mound came from Lee, Singleton and senior lefty Noah Rooney, who combined for five innings of one-run ball to close out the game.
Lee and Rooney worked a scoreless inning each, while Singleton provided three solid innings, allowing one run on one hit — a solo home run in the eighth. It was a great bounceback outing for Singleton, who had a rough Sunday against NC State last weekend where he 6-5 lead.
Wednesday’s loss was the first midweek game Notre Dame has dropped all season. The Irish have now lost seven straight games, dating back to their loss two Fridays ago against North Carolina. This weekend, No. 5 Virginia comes to South Bend for an Atlantic Coast Conference weekend series, with first pitches scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Contact Zach Jones at zjones3@nd.edu
KEIRA JONES | The Observer
Freshman left-handed pitcher Dylan Singleton releases a powerful pitch atop the mound in the Irish 14-3 mercy-rule victory over Western Michigan. Singleton was one of four pitchers who saw action in the match.
Notre Dame defeats Richmond and moves to No. 2
By Katelyn Huber Sports Writer
On April 4, the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team traveled to Chicago to compete against the Richmond Spiders at Martin Stadium. With plenty of drive and determination, the Irish secured a win against the No. 1 team in the country with a final score of 12-8.
The Spiders have demonstrated an incredible effort throughout the 2026 season by defeating Virginia, Cornell and Georgetown but were unable to conquer the Irish. Before the game, Richmond had been ranked No. 1 with
a 9-0 record, with the reputation for having an elite defense. This unit held opponents to 10 goals or fewer in the last six games.
Before facing Richmond, the Irish had put together an impressive 6-1 season defeating well-respected teams such as Maryland, Georgetown and Michigan. Suffering the first loss of its season at Virginia, Notre Dame fell just short with a final score of 11-9 on the road. This defeat gave the Irish the motivation necessary to bounce back against the No. 1 ranked men’s lacrosse team.
The Irish focused on upholding a stellar performance
from the opening faceoff. After scoring eight goals during the first quarter, it was clear that the offense was on fire. Junior faceoff specialist Tyler Spano won the opening faceoff and immediately sparked a string of passes for the first goal. Spano found sophomore Chris Reinhardt, who swung the ball to sophomore attack Luke Miller, who successfully scored the goal. Quickly, Notre Dame added more pressure as it went ahead 2-0 only one minute into the game.
Despite Notre Dame’s consistent drive, Richmond responded quickly. By the end of the second quarter, the score
was 8-4. However, senior Josh Yago completed a one-hand finish before the end of the quarter, giving the Irish a 9-4 lead by halftime. In the third quarter, the Spiders scored the first two goals, but the Irish retaliated and scored two more, continuing to lead 11-6. Slowly crawling back up the scoreboard, the Spiders scored another two goals during the fourth quarter but never got closer than 11-8. Miller fought back by scoring his final goal, concluding the game 12-8.
Spano would finish the game 16-of-22 with a season-high nine ground balls and an
assist. Miller led the Irish attack by scoring five points off a game-high four goals. Yago claimed four points off three goals. Senior Thomas Ricciardelli also made significant contributions to the game, making 12 saves.
This was a significant game for the Irish, improving to 3-1 against Richmond all-time in the series.
The Irish are set to return home to Arlotta Stadium to face No. 2 North Carolina on Saturday.
Contact Katelyn Huber at khuber01@saintmarys.edu
DECLAN LEE | The Observer
Graduate midfielder Fisher Finley maintains possession against a defender in a game against Bellarmine at Arlotta Stadium on Feb. 17, 2026. The Irish won 29-10, their most lopsided victory of the season. The Alpharetta, Ga.,
Sophomore midfielder Matt Jeffery barrels down the field, maintaining possession and looking for a smart pass in a home game against Michigan on March 13, 2026. In the 9-4
victory, Jeffery scored 2 goals on 7 shots. In the eight games he has played this season, he has scored 8 goals and maintained a 28.6 shot percentage as a strong player on offense.
Jeffery attributes lacrosse success to football
By Jack Muething Sports Writer
The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team has been incredible this season. Through eight games, they sit at 7-1 and are ranked No. 2 in the country with a chance to become No. 1 if they earn a win on Saturday against No. 1 North Carolina. A lot has helped the Irish get to this point, and one of the main contributions is the Irish are able to find offensive production. One of those underrated pieces is sophomore midfielder Matt Jeffery. The reigning ACC freshman of the year has 8 goals and 5 assists so far this season, exceeding his totals from last season in both aspects. He has picked up a point in all but one of the games this year and has 4 goals in the past 3 games.
Jeffery’s strength is his ability to dodge, and that was put on display with the assist he picked up against former No. 2 Richmond last Saturday, April 4. He put together a fantastic dodge which forced other defenders to commit to blocking him in order to not let him take a shot. Because of that, he was able to find a wide-open graduate attack Josh Yago who converted on the shot attempt, the third goal in the 8-0 run the Irish
put together to start the game.
That first quarter of the Richmond game was the main reason they were able to overcome the Spiders, and it was especially meaningful for the Irish because of their matchup a week prior. The Irish were defeated by the Virginia Cavaliers largely because they were shutout in the fourth quarter.
When speaking with Jeffery, he said the offense has “definitely felt that, you know, misconnection of not being able to score at certain times during the game, and then going on different runs.”
“But I feel after that game, we realized, took a look back, and tried to figure out where our weaknesses are and where we need to improve, and I think it starts right off in the beginning of the game,” he continued.
The Irish have started fast a couple of times this year, but nothing compares to what they were able to do in that Richmond game, and that first quarter shows the potential of the Irish to be one of the best offenses in the country. Jeffery also highlighted how the unit is less star-focused than previous years.
“I think our whole entire offense is very talented, and each player has the ability to
score and make plays, and I feel like that ability to have six guys all working around, moving together, working in unison throughout the offense has definitely shown a lot more this year,” Jeffery said.
Certainly, after the loss of the entire starting attack from last season, Notre Dame was going to need guys to step up. Every offensive player that plays regular minutes, whether at attack or midfield, has been able to contribute heavily this year which brought the Irish success this season.
Jeffery said the defense’s talent has supported the offense and play at a high level this year.
“I think it gives us confidence knowing that our defense has got our backs at all times, knowing that if we turn the ball over, go a little bit aggressively to the cage and don’t get that scoring opportunity, we know that our defense has our backs,” Jeffery said. “The best lacrosse teams are always well-rounded, and the Irish have certainly shown that ability so far this year.”
Although junior wide receiver Jordan Faison may be the more well-known player that played both football and lacrosse for the Irish, Jeffery has taken a similar route. The
Cheshire, Connecticut, native was on the depth chart at wide receiver this past season as well, and he cited his football skills have aided him as a lacrosse player in many ways.
For Jeffery, football helps him from an “overall physicality standpoint, building endurance over the fall and strength and building up speed.”
“I feel like I’ve gained a lot of different ways of dodging [and] using my abilities, and in the football realm of going in different routes, running different routes and just tracking the ball in a different way than lacrosse,” Jeffery continued.
Several of those elements have been very apparent in Jeffery’s play this year. Near the end of the Ohio State game, when the Irish were up by 1, he jumped to catch a long pass to keep the ball inbounds and got hit incredibly hard by an Ohio State defender. Jeffery hit the deck, but then got up a split second later, still having possession of the ball in his pocket and dodged through five different defenders to keep the play alive.
Additionally, he talked about his ability to dodge, and not only did his assist in the Richmond game make that clear, but the way his goals
have been scored also is clear evidence of that as of his 8 goals this season, 7 have been unassisted, showing that he’s been able to create a lot of his opportunities himself.
Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan offered very high praise for Jeffery as well, referring to him as a “party starter” for the team.
“He’s a guy that can kind of beat his matchup and make the defense move a little bit, and everybody’s job gets a little easier when the defense is moving,” Corrigan said. “He’s a competitive guy. He puts himself out there every game.”
Later, Corrigan joked, “Sometimes I wish he’d put himself out there less. He’s taken a beating because he just puts himself right in the mix, but that’s who he is.”
Heading into the game against North Carolina, the Irish are going to need the whole team to play at their highest level. If the offense is going to succeed in their search for top spot in the nation, Jeffery is going to need to continue displaying the excellence he has made his trademark in his time for the Irish.
ND MEN’S LACROSSE
LINA LIU | The Observer
Irish