Print Edition of The Observer for Friday, February 16, 2018

The independent

To uncover

newspaper serving

the truth

Notre Dame and

and report

Saint Mary’s

it accurately

Volume 52, Issue 84 | friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

University honors late rector Sister found ‘dream job’ as Notre Dame rector

Mass celebrates Sister Mary McNamara

Faculty member dies

By COURTNEY BECKER

By NATALIE WEBER

News Editor

Associate News Editor

Observer Staff Report

As a Sister of the Incarnate Word, Sister Mary McNamara proclaimed the Gospel of love by bonding in community.

And at Notre Dame, she found that community in the form of her dream job: being the rector of Breen-Phillips (BP) Hall.

Serving as the rector of BreenPhillips Hall was the most fulfilling ministry of her life, Dillon Hall rector Fr. Paul Doyle said.

“She expected to be in the ministry a lot longer, but never to take

Relatives, members of the Notre Dame community and Sisters of the Incarnate Word gathered Thursday to honor the life of Sister Mary McNamara, the rector of Breen-Phillips Hall, who died Feb. 7 due to complications from a stroke.

University President Fr. John Jenkins presided over a memorial mass held in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Fr. Pete McCormick, director of Campus Ministry, delivered

The University announced in a press release Thursday that Michael L. Helmer, an associate professor of finance in the Mendoza College of Business, died of natural causes Wednesday.

An alumnus of the University of Chicago, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Dayton, Helmer taught courses on financial and investment management and derivatives.

Helmer, who previously

see MASS PAGE 3

see FACULTY PAGE 3

see McNAMARA PAGE 3

ROSIE LoVOI | The Observer

Candles at the Grotto spell out the name of Sister Mary McNamara, the late rector of Breen-Phillips Hall, who died last week.

Mayor’s chief of staff reflects on women’s rights

By MARTHA REILLY Saint Mary’s Editor

When she was 10 years old — long before she ascended to the role of deputy chief of staff for mayor Pete Buttigieg — Suzanna Fritzberg dressed up as activist and reformer Susan B. Anthony for Halloween. Since then, her desire to advocate for women’s rights has only intensified, as she developed a more nuanced understanding of feminist thought, she said in a lecture in Spes Unica Hall on Thursday.

“I have learned since then that feminism is about a lot more than predominantly white women protesting for the right to vote, in particular ways,” Fritzberg said.

She said she fills three major roles in her job.

“I’m a force multiplier, meaning that if the mayor needs to be somewhere, and he can’t make it … that’s my job,” she said. “I also help to manage city operations, and I am a contact point between departments of the mayor’s office.”

One of her favorite parts of the

NEWS PAGE 2

job involves helping manage the city’s health and human services policy portfolio, she said.

“I’m the city lead for a bunch of things that are big, complex problems that are deeply intertwined with the root cause of poverty,” she said. “For example, right now, I’m leading a work group to focus on developing a rental unit inspection ordinance because we think there are a lot of problems with lead contamination, mold contamination … in our affordable housing stock.”

Fritzberg said she is particularly interested in the connection between social policy and political philosophy. She explained that this interest shapes her perspective on working in government.

“Government is a tool for accomplishing moral ends, not just technical ends,” she said. “Often, the problems that we think of as technical — for example, how do you best set up shelter systems so that homeless people have a place to go? — are also really intensely see CHIEF PAGE 4

SCENE PAGE 5

Jenkins comments on DACA deadlock in Senate Observer Staff Report

University President Fr. John Jenkins commented in a press release Thursday on the failure of the U.S. Senate to advance immigration legislation that would resolve the legal limbo surrounding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children. This group, known as “Dreamers” faces uncertainty as a March deadline for resolving their status fast approaches with

no solution in sight.

“I am deeply disappointed that the Senate failed to pass a bipartisan immigration bill that would have, at long last, protected Dreamers,” Jenkins said in the press release. “These young women and men have done nothing wrong and have known life only in the United States.”

Jenkins expressed concern for the Dreamers at the University.

“The Dreamers who are enrolled at Notre Dame are also poised to make lasting contributions to the United States,” he

said.

Jenkins expressed hope for a solution and emphasized that Notre Dame will continue to support its Dreamer population.

“We pray that our leaders will end the cruel uncertainty for these talented and dedicated young people who have so much to offer our nation,” he said. “ ...

Notre Dame will continue to support them financially, maintain their enrollment, provide expert legal assistance should that become necessary and do everything it can to support them.”

College to host first STEM preview weekend

By SYDNEY DOYLE News Writer

Saint Mary’s will hold its firstever STEM preview weekend on Saturday and Sunday. This twoday recruiting event is intended to be a way for admitted students to get a better sense of the STEM programs at Saint Mary’s.

VIEWPOINT PAGE 6

Thirty-five prospective students who have expressed interest in pursuing a STEM major are expected to attend the weekend’s programming.

Experiments and events have been scheduled throughout the weekend for the students interested in the academic fields of biology, chemistry, engineering,

ND W BASKETBALL PAGE 16

physics, math and computer science.

Professor Toni Barstis, who teaches physics and chemistry, explained that visiting students will be hosted by current STEM majors during their campus visits. She said she hopes that see STEM PAGE 4

BENGAL BOUTS PAGE 16

2

TODAY

The observer | friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

Have a question you want answered?

Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com

What are you giving up for Lent, or what is your Lenten promise?

P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Chris Moy

Shelene Baiyee

sophmore Alumni Hall

sophomore Badin Hall

“Flex Points.”

“Being lazy, complaining, sweets.”

Martin Heli

Connor Sabers

freshman Fisher Hall

freshman Dunne Hall

“Social media.”

“Complaining.”

(574) 631-4542 bpadanil@nd.edu

Elly Bleier

Lauren Davancaze

Managing Editor

sophmore Welsh Family Hall

junior Ryan Hall

“Swearing.”

“Pray before bed every night.”

Editor-in-Chief Ben Padanilam Managing Editor Katie Galioto

Asst. Managing Editor: Marek Mazurek Asst. Managing Editor: Rachel O’Grady Asst. Managing Editor: Megan Valley News Editor: Viewpoint Editor: Sports Editor: Scene Editor: Saint Mary’s Editor: Photo Editor: Graphics Editor: Advertising Manager: Advertising Manager: Ad Design Manager:

Courtney Becker Mary Freeman Elizabeth Greason Adam Ramos Martha Reilly Chris Collins Lauren Weldon Molly McCarthy Alexandra Pucillo Madison Riehle

Office Manager & General Info

Ph: (574) 631-7471 Fax: (574) 631-6927 Advertising

(574) 631-6900 ads@ndsmcobserver.com Editor-in-Chief

(574) 631-4542 kgalioto@nd.edu Assistant Managing Editors

(574) 631-4541 mmazurek@nd.edu, rogrady@nd.edu, mvalley@nd.edu Business Office

(574) 631-5313 News Desk

(574) 631-5323 news@ndsmcobserver.com Viewpoint Desk

(574) 631-5303 viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com Sports Desk

(574) 631-4543 sports@ndsmcobserver.com Scene Desk

(574) 631-4540 scene@ndsmcobserver.com Saint Mary’s Desk

mreilly01@saintmarys.edu Photo Desk

(574) 631-8767 photo@ndsmcobserver.com

The next Five days:

Want your event included here?

Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

EXALT Adoration Dillon Hall Chapel 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Evening adoration in Dillon Hall Chapel with Rev. Nate Wills.

Junior Parents Weekend campus-wide all day Visit jpw.nd.edu for more details.

Junior Parents Weekend Brunch Dahnke Ballroom 9 a.m. - noon Visit jpw.nd.edu for more details.

Workshop: “The Three Big Isms: Race” LaFortune Student Center 2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

“K-9 Meet and Greet” Reckers 9 p.m.

Reckers and NDSP host meet and greet with NDSP K-9 unit

Hockey vs. Michigan Compton Family Ice Arena 7:35 p.m.

The Irish take on the Wolverines.

Grand Rapids Ballet “Romeo & Juliet” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Tickets available online.

2018 Chinese New Year Celebration LaFortune Ballroom 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Includes food, games and activities.

Prayer Room Dedication Jenkins Nanovic Halls 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Fr. John Jenkins will offer a reflection.

Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” featuring Richard Armitage DeBartolo 141 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Free to the public.

Systems & Web Administrators

(574) 631-8839 Policies The Observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac and Saint Mary’s College. Editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of either institution. The Observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content.

The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors and department editors.

Commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Viewpoint space is available to all readers. The free expression of all opinions through letters is encouraged.

Letters to the Editor must be signed and must include contact information.

Questions regarding Observer policies should be directed to Editor-in-Chief Ben Padanilam.

Post Office Information The Observer (USPS 599 2-4000) is published Monday through Friday except during exam and vacation periods.

A subscription to The Observer is $130 for one academic year; $75 for one semester.

The Observer is published at: 024 South Dining Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-0779 Periodical postage paid at Notre Dame and additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: The Observer P.O. Box 779 024 South Dining hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-077 The Observer is a member of the Associated Press.

All reproduction rights are reserved.

Today’s Staff News

Sports

Tom Naatz Alexandra Muck Serena Zacharias

Tobias Hoonhout Connor Mulvena Mariah Rush

Graphics

Scene

Dom DeMoe

Brian Boylen

Photo

Viewpoint

Zachary Yim

Hannah Bruening

Corrections The Observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at (574) 631-4541 so we can correct our error.

SMC Board, nuns play for charity

By ERIN GRIMES News Writer

It’s not often that nuns and trustees face off in a volleyball match.

Nevertheless, that was the case Thursday night when the Saint Mar y’s Board of Trustees challenged the Sisters of the Holy Cross to a rematch for the second annual Sisters vs. Board volleyball match.

The Sisters took the v ictor y in three sets. The campus event started w ith a special picnic dinner in the dining hall, fans who arrived early received free thunder sticks and there was a table for face painting.

First year Mar y Blake said she enjoyed game because it benefited benefited a great cause.

“I thought it was really neat to see the board and the nuns play volleyball,” she said “It just sounded like something fun and it was for a good cause, which is important.”

Vice president of student affairs Karen Johnson said she was excited to watch the game and rooting for the nuns.

“I couldn’t wait to see the Sisters beat the Board of Trustees,” she said.

First-year Madison Kaple said she attended because she anticipated the event would be noteworthy and was being held to benefit a worthy cause.

“I thought it would be entertaining and I wanted to donate to the cause so I bought a rally towel,” she said.

Sister Patricia Riley came to the game to cheer on her fellow sisters.

“I am here to support the sisters who are play ing,” she said.

Johnson emphasized the communit y-building aspect of the event, noting that many different groups of people were draw n to spectate the match.

“It brings in all kind of people, facult y, students, staff, alums, parents [and] families together just to have fun and watch this competition,” she said.

Kaple said the event helped bring the communit y together.

“I think it is a great way to bring people together and to see who is on the Board of Trustees and see familiar faces among the Sisters,” she said.

Apparel items were available for purchase — rally towels and shirts

were sold prior to the match w ith the proceeds going to support the Sisters’ worldw ide missions.

Blake said that she believes that Saint Mar y’s has a dut y to support the Sisters.

“The Holy Cross sisters founded our school so I think the school has an obligation to support them and their missions,” Blake said.

Contact Erin Grimes at egrimes01@saintmarys.edu

Follow us on social media: Facebook fb.com/ndsmcobserver

Twitter @NDSMCObserver

News

Mass Continued from page 1

the homily in which he recalled saying Mass at Breen-Phillips Hall (BP). “[McNamara] would always start by standing and thanking everyone who attended, saying ‘I recognize there are a number of places you could attend Mass this night but you honor us with your presence to be here in BP.’ My brothers and sisters, on this night we remember a woman of great faith, a woman who witnessed her religious vows to so many people,” McCormick said.

“We honor her by your presence as we gather in prayer.”

Sister McNamara usually began

McNamara Continued from page 1

on another one: This was going to be it for her,” Doyle said. “She called it her dream job.”

Sister McNamara died Feb. 7 due to complications from a stroke, according to an email sent to students by vice president of student affairs Erin Hoffmann Harding.

She was 67.

Senior Nhi Vu, a resident assistant (RA) in Breen-Phillips Hall (BP) who attended Sister McNamara’s funeral in her hometown of Cleveland on Tuesday, was touched to learn that although Sister McNamara only spent six years at Notre Dame, she considered them to be some of the best years of her life.

“When we went to Cleveland, everybody was just saying that being a rector was her dream job, it was her favorite job, she loved Notre Dame so much, she loved this, this was her favorite ministry,” Vu said.

“And [they said] just how big of a role we actually were and how seriously she took her job and how much she loved us and just all the life and sass and soul she brought to BP.” Attending the funeral, Vu said, enlightened her and the rest of the BP community to the many other ministries Sister McNamara undertook throughout her life, including mentoring people from at-risk communities, such as the mentally disabled and those reintegrating into society after time in prison.

“She was very interesting. The more we keep learning about her and hearing the other stories, the more we keep learning about who she is,” Vu said. “We know her mostly just from being our rector and that’s just like, the very top of the hierarchy. We always respected her a lot and saw her in that authority role, and I think working with her, as closely as we did as seniors and now hall staff, we slowly learned so much more about it.”

Sister McNamara, who celebrated her Golden Jubilee as a Sister of the Incarnate Word in 2017, was a loyal Cleveland native and sports fan, a teacher in the Moreau First Year Experience course and an avid Notre Dame women’s basketball fan — a fact the team recognized by honoring her on the video board in Purcell Pavilion during its Feb. 11 game.

Senior and Breen-Phillips RA Kaitlyn Keffler said the outpouring of love for Sister McNamara from

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, february 16, 2018 | The Observer

Mass with a joke, McCormick said.

In honor of this tradition, McCormick opened his remarks with a joke, telling the story of a young man who collect-called his father in need of money.

McCormick said like the father in the joke, who eventually suggests the phone operator pay the son in his place, people often wish others could “pay” their grief.

“You know, I think sometimes in grief, when we lose a loved one, it feels a whole lot like ‘Man, I wish someone else could pay this grief’ because we feel it in every part of our being,” McCormick said.

“Some days are good, some days are bad. And let’s be perfectly honest, sometimes it’s broken down

into seconds. Some minutes are good, some minutes are bad.”

Following the Mass, Sister Margaret Taylor of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word, — Sister McNamara’s religious congregation — recounted Sister McNamara’s love for the BreenPhillips community.

“First, I want you to know that being rector of Breen-Phillips these last six years has been her dream job,” Taylor said. “ … She was thrilled to be accepted as the rector of BP in July of 2012 and she hoped this ministry would last until her retirement.”

Residents of Breen-Phillips Hall filled the pews, wearing pink shirts marked with the words “We live in

hope,” one of Sister McNamara’s favorite sayings. Taylor reflected on these words, saying Sister McNamara’s life was shaped by her faith. “[McNamara] would often to say ‘We live in hope’ and we say the same tonight because we know we will see her again,” Taylor said.

“What she experienced the last week of her life was truly her own paschal mystery. At her bedside, we witnessed the motto of the Holy Cross Congregation: ‘Hail the cross, our only hope.’ We are grateful for her 51 years of prayer and presence as a Sister of the Incarnate Word.”

the Notre Dame community in the wake of her death, as well as at her funeral, demonstrated how many lives Sister McNamara touched.

“It’s made me at least realize just how lucky we were and lucky we are to have known her,” Keffler said.

“Like I said, she has our BP community and then the greater Notre Dame community — so that’s one family — and then I’ve met her two families: Her biological family and then her Sisters of the Incarnate Word are both amazing. So that’s at least three, I’m sure there are more people out there.”

One member of Sister McNamara’s extended family the BP community has rallied around is Sister Mary Jane Hahner, the rector of Pasquerilla West Hall (PDub) and Sister McNamara’s best friend.

“We had the initial stage of grief and then the ‘How’s Sister MJ?’” Breen-Phillips Hall Assistant Rector (AR) Erin Daugherty said.

“Because they were inseparable.

Absolutely inseparable. And Sister Mary Mac would always just refer to her as her buddy. ‘I’ll see you guys later, I’m going to catch up with my buddy.’”

Doyle said he admired the close bond between Sister McNamara and Hahner.

“Fr. Bob Loughery of Sorin Hall was over at Cleveland for the [funeral] events over there, and at the wake service he observed to everybody … that he wanted to thank MJ for showing the rest of us what a true friendship was alongside of Mary,” Doyle said. “The two of them saw each other as best friends, but there was an openness in their friendship for including the rest of us.”

Along with Flaherty Hall rector Sister Mary Donnelly, Sister McNamara and Hahner called themselves “the Golden Girls.” This friendship started with a shared sense of humor and love for basketball, Hahner explained, but developed into a relationship in which both women could be completely vulnerable.

“I always felt at home because I was free to be myself — the good parts and the bad parts — and hopefully I allowed her to have that freedom, too,” she said. “We told each other that we loved one another every day, just about. … And we weren’t ashamed of saying that to one another. And that’s a tremendous gift, to be able to find that and have a relationship that develops that wide.”

A competitive streak, Hahner

said, extended to many aspects of Sister McNamara’s life.

“I needed this spice and she said, ‘I’ll bring it over,’ and I said, ‘No, you don’t have to bring it over, I’ll come over and get it,’” she said. “She said, ‘No, I’ll bring it over. I’m gonna beat you,’ and she hung up. And with that … I raced out of here and we met in Siegfried in the circle. Both of us were gasping for air because we tried to run, and we were laughing so hard.”

Laughter followed Sister McNamara, Doyle said.

“I don’t know that I have words to describe it, but she made funny things happen and laughed at appropriate times — she was just alive,” he said.

Daugherty said one of Sister McNamara’s signature habits was telling a joke to start her welcome speech before each hall Mass in BP. “She had an absolutely wonderful sense of humor, whether it was in staff meetings or she always opened Mass with a joke that had something to do with the readings,” Daugherty said. “And I don’t know where she’d get these things from but they were absolutely hilarious and you’re just like ‘I can’t believe she just said that at Mass but it’s pretty awesome.’”

Sister McNamara’s ability to tie a joke into a teaching about the Gospel, Hahner said, was indicative of her natural propensity for teaching.

“She was a born teacher, and she did that in everything. If she was supposed to say the prayer for, like, rector training, she went online and she would get something that was comical and then would tie it in,” Hahner said. “ … So she would take that joke, and then she would interpret the Gospel as only a good teacher really could. And she loved teaching Moreau because it was about Notre Dame; it was about life; it was about relationships; it was about healthy living.”

Junior Ryan Green, a student in one of Sister McNamara’s first Moreau classes, said her enthusiasm for the course was contagious.

“She seemed to have such a good attitude that you couldn’t help but participate and want to be there,” Green said. “It wasn’t like she had these crazy activities, we didn’t go travel the universe in the Magic School Bus or anything like that, but she just — her attitude, I thought, was contagious. … She had such an easy way of making things enjoyable, making people happy.”

One of the biggest examples of Sister McNamara’s leadership was her role in BP’s adoption of an “honorary Babe” last year, Daugherty said.

“I think one of the biggest impacts [she had] was her intense desire for everyone in the community to band together,” she said. “ ... So last year, we had an honorary Babe who was a little girl who was really sick, and she actually ended up passing away over the summer. But [Sister McNamara] singlehandedly motivated the entire dorm to write letters to her, write a joke book, to visit her — things like that. … She really pushed people to try and look outside themselves and to see what not only they individually [could] do, but what a group of strong women could do for someone else.”

Hahner said Sister McNamara’s faith in the power of women was a core tenant of her beliefs.

“You know, she was always very strong for women, and she’s the one who taught me ‘A-men and A-women’ — that there should be an equality in our church, in our world for men and women; that as long as respect was there, life was worth living,” Hahner said.

Sister McNamara did not limit her quest for justice to only women. Vieser said everything Sister McNamara did was driven by a desire for justice.

“The thing that kept coming up was her favorite beatitude was, ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this all makes sense,’ everything she did in her life was for that end. That wouldn’t be something she necessarily shared with us, that that was her favorite beatitude, but I think knowing that now, it all makes sense.”

This ultimate goal, Hahner said, spoke to her conviction as a nun.

“She was a Sister of the Incarnate Word, first and foremost, and that means that she was bringing the Jesus to people, and she would be like, ‘What would Jesus do? What would Mary Mac do?’ because it was usually right,” she said. “You know, God was really important in her life, and so are God’s people.”

Keffler said Sister McNamara’s care for others is something everyone in the BP community is trying to keep in mind despite her absence.

“She was always telling us to look out for each other and, you know, ‘Best People, Best Place,’ so we still have to live up to that,” Keffler said.

Contact Natalie Weber at nweber@nd.edu

3

Faculty Continued from page 1

served as a Kaneb teaching fellow, had been at Notre Dame since 1992.

Roger D. Huang, the Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business, said Helmer’s loss would be felt in the department.

“He was always willing to help with department needs, from hosting prospective faculty to teaching the complicated subject of derivatives,” he said in a statement. “Mike will be greatly missed on a personal and professional level.”

“I think that’s something that she truly believed in, and that’s part of the reason why we’re doing OK right now at least.”

Sister McNamara would be proud to see the way BP has rallied around each other during their time of loss, Hahner said.

“They were her girls,” she said. “ … She was just really very, very proud to be their rector and to live among them, and she considered them a gift from God. And they are.”

Aside from the day-to-day tasks of a rector, Koch said, the hardest adjustment for the BP residents has been not being able to turn to Sister McNamara in times of need.

“I think the biggest thing is getting used to the fact that she’s not around anymore,” Koch said.

“You’d always see her door open and you would pop in and say ‘hi’ or things like that.”

While the hall will not be the same, however, Vu said she knows Sister McNamara has not left it behind.

“Everyone can feel that BP just feels so empty and different without her, but we still know that she’s watching over us and is still with us,” she said.

Doyle said although he misses having Sister McNamara here with him, no one would “begrudge her a trip to where she’s gone.” “[Tuesday] night when we drove back from Cleveland, I was with MJ and Pat Kincaid of Knott Hall, and I said ‘What I would like right now is for Mary to be in the fourth seat here in the car and just telling us about all that she has experienced about all that she has experienced in the last two weeks, including heaven, you know?’” Doyle said.

“I don’t think we look for replacements, we look for successors. Mary was Mary and we were blessed.”

In the end, though, Hahner said, perhaps no one felt more blessed than Sister McNamara herself while she was at the University.

“We would look up at the Dome and she would say, ‘J, we’re at Notre Dame,’” Hahner said. “ … She didn’t ever cry, but — not never, but she cried at things that were important. And she would always fill up, and she said that — looking at Our Lady — and said that it was the best job she ever had and that she hoped that it would be her last job in ministry. And God took her up on it.”

Contact Courtney Becker at cbecker3@nd.edu

4

NEWS

The observer | friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

STEM Continued from page 1

the students fall in love with the experiments, activities and Saint Mary’s.

“Our goal is to convert them from admitted to enrolled students,” Barstis said. “On Saturday, students will arrive and meet their hosts, tour our [campus and buildings], attend a major-club fair, eat dinner at the student center, socialize. On Sunday, students will engage in activities alongside our current STEM majors, hosts and faculty.”

This recruiting event is a way for the science and math departments and the current majors in those departments to demonstrate what they can accomplish through a Saint Mary’s education. Barstis said the point of the weekend is for the admitted students to have an authentic experience of the STEM program at a women’s college.

“Our current STEM students and faculty will have the opportunity to showcase our majors and programs, clubs and research,” Barstis said. “Through coursework, research, one-on-one mentoring and professional development opportunities, our STEM majors are trained to become strong women leaders.”

Barstis said this weekend represents an opportunity to showcase the College and the intelligent

women who work and research there. She said this first-ever STEM weekend event will be unique and hands-on and will hopefully result in more hard-working women deciding to attend Saint Mary’s.

“This is unlike other recruiting events in that the admitted students will perform researchbased STEM activities alongside our current students and faculty,” Barstis said. “The participants are not simply watching, but rather engaging in STEM. The STEM faculty and students at Saint Mary’s College are active participants in their education, and this is what we are demonstrating throughout this event. We hope to grow our STEM majors [and] programs at Saint Mary’s, and create more STEMinists.”

Throughout the weekend the students will eat meals together, performs experiments together, socialize and listen to speakers. Professor Calli Versagli, who teaches biology, said she is excited to meet some of the prospective students and show them why they should pursue their STEM Majors at Saint Mary’s.

“We have so many talented students who are coming in from all over the country to visit,” she said.

“It is important to share what we do at SMC and what makes our programs so special.”

Contact Sydney Doyle at sdoyle01@saintmarys.edu

Chief Continued from page 1

ethical questions.”

Fritzberg said her understanding of women’s studies enables her to approach the challenges of her job with innovation and practicality.

“I find women’s studies a really interesting and urgent academic field, particularly right now because we’re in this moment where dignity and personhood and freedom, if you’re not a white man, is a little up for grabs,” she said. “I find feminist thought particularly validating because it talks about lived experience rather than alternative facts, because it recognizes interdependence rather than elevating individual success at all costs and because it predisposes us to a careful evaluation of government’s role in everyday life.”

Fritzberg said familiarity with the problems women face can enhance awareness of other issues, as women’s studies is interdisciplinary.

“Feminist thought insists on this merger between theory and practice, between learning and doing, between saying and actually putting it on the line,” she said.

The link between economic and social regulations cannot be understated, as policy influences gender and vice versa, Fritzberg said.

Paid Advertisement

“A lot of the welfare aid in the United States goes to women with children and there have been a bunch of different rules over many different decades that structure women’s personal, professional and sexual lives around a particular moral ideology,” Fritzberg said.

“At one point … there was a rule that if you were receiving U.S. welfare aid, and you were an unmarried mother with children, you couldn’t have a live-in boyfriend or anyone living with you that was a male partner that wasn’t your husband.”

Fritzberg said this precedent, known as “No Man in the House,” demonstrates that the personal really is the political.

“There’s this conservative agenda about household composition,” she said. “At the same time that this program is meeting human need, it’s also exposing a tension over state power in individual lives and where we think the appropriate line is for the state to be dictating morality.”

The interdisciplinary nature of women’s studies, Fritzberg said, benefits her immensely, as her job often requires her to synthesize various avenues of thought.

“When I work on homelessness, for example, I have to get an onthe-ground understanding of our service system and our homeless population — sociology, a little bit of anthropology,” she said. “I have to synthesize data on the public

and private expenditures related to homelessness — economics. I have to understand the political levers that we need to implement solutions — political science. And then I have to effectively communicate with city administration, community members, business owners and social service leaders.”

Skills such as creativity and agile thinking foster a strong community capable of striving for social justice, she said.

“We’re connected to this long and rich legacy of feminist thought that allows us to turn our attention to any number of different topics with particular grounding in theory and methodology,” Fritzberg said. “I believe my choices at home and at work are opportunities to build a world that’s grounded in my values and my principles.”

Contact Martha Reilly at mreilly01@saintmarys.edu Paid Advertisement

5

The observer | friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

By BRIAN BOYLEN Scene Writer

We live in strange times. A billionaire launched his car into space, Twitter makes nuclear war seem ever imminent and MGMT is making pop music again. On Feb. 9, the band released the album “Little Dark Age,” which is a return to their poppy roots and their most accessible release since their debut.

For a duo which saw grand initial success from catchy hits such as “Kids” and “Electric Feel,” their subsequent departure from pop into the less accessible landscape of psychedelic and progressive rock may have seemed a strange choice. While their sophomore LP “Congratulations” certainly has a cult following, much of their initial fan base was turned off by the new sound. Unfortunately for those who just wanted to hear the hits, MGMT was never going to be that band. One of their biggest songs, “Time to Pretend,” was filled with irony, with the duo jokingly pretending to live the rock star lifestyle that they never actually wanted.

Ten years after the release of their 2008 debut, “Oracular Spectacular,” MGMT has finally decided to make pop music again in the form of “Little Dark Age.” But why? Maybe they just wanted people to listen to them again, but I believe that is only a small part of the equation. In an interview with band members Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, the duo expressed dissatisfaction with the current political and social landscape, an attitude that comes through on multiple songs off the record, as well as in the title itself. Furthermore, they expressed a strong

By RYAN ISRAEL Scene Writer

“King of my city, king of my country, king of my homeland,” utters Kendrick Lamar over a simple piano riff.

Taken out of context, this statement from Lamar seems conceited, narcissistic and very far from “HUMBLE.” However, to gain a deeper understanding of Lamar’s words, one has to merely look to the title of the song — “Black Panther.” The song is the title track from the recently-released project “Black Panther: The Album.” The album was released a week before the highly-anticipated blockbuster which hits the screens Friday. The anticipation surrounding the superhero flick is a result of the fact that it is yet another Marvel film and its representation of African culture.

“Black Panther: The Album” is captained by the aforementioned Kendrick Lamar, who produced and curated the project while appearing on nearly every track. The Grammy award–winning rapper’s best appearance comes on “Black Panther,” when he drops a single extended verse with skillfully executed ebbs and flows.

Lamar’s lyrics highlight the duality of the album — his words sound as though they could be coming from either Kendrick or T’Challa, the “Black Panther.” However, most artists on the album do not deliver the same doublemeaning that Lamar does.

The result of throwing together a multitude of artists to create “Black Panther: The Album” is a mix of a few

intention to make music that was danceable in order to facilitate people having real life experiences with one another.

I think that is a noble intention in today’s age and “Little Dark Age” certainly lives up to the goal. The album immediately kicks off with opener “She Works Out Too Much,” an energetic, funky track that touches on themes of superficiality in relationships and social media. It is filled with silly samples of a robotic exercise instructor reminding you to focus on form and drink water. While certainly a cheesy touch, it does contribute to the humor and catchiness of the song. This is a theme present across the album — weird lyrics and flourishes are common, but they don’t turn the album into a big joke. They make it more fun.

Two of the singles, “Little Dark Age” and “When You Die,” maintain the momentum from the opener. “Little Dark Age” has a dark sound propelled forward by heavy synths and drums and is topped off with monotonous, detached singing by VanWyngarden. “When You Die” continues the bleak atmosphere and singing, but puts the synths away and picks up a guitar instead. Lyrics such as “Go f--- yourself / I’m mean, not nice” are delivered in a jokey way, making them more laughable than depressing.

Despite the foreboding outward surface of “Little Dark Age,” it ultimately is an album with more joy than despair. This positive attitude shines on one of the album’s standouts, “Me and Michael.” The record is, as a whole, a throwback to synth driven ‘80’s pop, but this influence is seen the most on “Me and Michael.” Carried by the exceptionally catchy hook, “Me and Michael / Solid as they come / Me and Michael / It’s not a question now,” the song

is an ode to friendship, something that is often ignored by music in favor of romantic relationships. Other stand out tracks include “One Thing Left To Try,” another energetic, positive anthem and “Hand It Over,” a stripped back yet utterly triumphant closer.

While overwhelmingly a success, there are a few missteps on “Little Dark Age.” The deep singing voice used on “James” feels more gimmicky than creative and isn’t backed by tremendously interesting instruments. The good easily outweighs the mediocre, however. “Little Dark Age” is musically interesting and lyrically stimulating, but most of all, it is fun. If MGMT’s intention was a fun album to enjoy with your friends, then they succeeded with flying colors. Whether they keep this pop sound moving forward or turn once again to the experimental is another question. I look forward to seeing what they will do next.

different types of songs. With such a mix, the album lacks consistency and finds itself spread across multiple genres.

The most prevalent genre found on “Black Panther: The Album” is rap.

“Paramedic!” is the album’s best rap song and it presents the outstanding work of the Bay-area rap collective SOB x RBE. The group’s four rappers stay on-par with Kendrick throughout the entire aggressive rap track and Yhung T.O. closes out the song with an outstanding verse.

Other rap tracks, however, fall flat, like “X” by ScHoolboy Q, 2 Chainz and Saudi. Kendrick Lamar’s excessively long and repetitive chorus is too much and 2 Chainz’s verse feels out of place. “X” misses the mark, despite utilizing the letter used to mark the spot.

Rhythm and blues is the second major genre found on “Black Panther: The Album” and the first of these tracks is “The Ways” by Khalid and Swae Lee. While the combination of these two exceptional singers may seem good on paper, it does not work incredibly well here. Despite delivering a catchy hook, Khalid’s voice sounds unnaturally distant and removed while Swae Lee is offset by Lamar’s echoes.

Later on the album comes “I Am,” an excellent R&B jam which showcases the talents of Jorja Smith. Smith, a young English singer, handles the track’s heavy beat easily and delivers the poignant verse “When you know what you got, sacrifice ain’t that hard.”

The third type of song found on “Black Panther: The Album” is the formulated chart topper. “All The Stars” is the chart topper that stands above the rest. On this track, Top

Dawg Entertainment artist SZA dominates both her chorus and verse while a dynamic beat plays to her strengths.

“All The Stars” seems poised to win the contest for most popular song from “Black Panther: The Album” and contrasts sharply with “Pray For Me,” the album’s concluding track. “Pray For Me” is an unfortunately failed mixture of The Weeknd’s signature style with Lamar’s raw lyrics.

For every exceptional track on “Black Panther: The Album,” there seems to be another that falls short. Most of these blunders are understandable given the difficulty of basing an entire album off of a film and the wide variety of artists included. In the end, however, when looking at the project on its own, the blunders draw “Black Panther: The Album” down to mediocrity.

Contact Brian Boylen at bboylen@nd.edu

“Little Dark Age” MGMT Label: Columbia Tracks: “One Thing Left To Try,” “Me and Michael,” “When You Die” If you like: Phoenix, Foster the People, of Montreal

Contact Ryan Israel at risrael1@nd.edu

“Black Panther: The Album” Kendrick Lamar and more Label: Aftermath Records Tracks: “Paramedic!,” “I Am,” “All The Stars” If you like: Any pop or rap music

DOMINIQUE DeMOE | The Observer

6

The observer | friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Inside Column

First person (a point of view) Mike Donovan Scene Writer

It is morning.

First, I’m asleep. Like most people, I begin my day in bed, asleep. Then, an alarm goes off. I still sleep. Chris (my roommate) throws a pillow. The aforementioned pillow makes contact w ith my face. I wake up. Follow ing my awakening (in the least metaphorical sense), I brush my teeth. I do so for the dentistrecommended two minutes w ith a loud electronic toothbrush. Chris considers throw ing another pillow at my face. I open the door, at which point I walk out the door (of my dorm room) and proceed left dow n the hallway. I turn right and begin to descend dow n three f lights of stairs. I stop half way dow n, pull out my earbuds, plug them into my iPhone and begin to play my favorite song, “Levels”

by Av icii. It is a good song. I pass Adam (my roommate) on the way dow n. He cracks a soft smile. I wave. We are roommates, but we are also friends. At the bottom of the stairs, I take out my earbuds (“Levels” by Av icii is now over) and turn right. I turn left. Walk straight.

Open door. Outside. I am. W ho be? We are?

No. Principles of Management class (8 a.m.) opens my mind. Management equals leadership (at a .05 significance level). At least that’s what Simon Sinek (the grand master duke master person of leadership) says. W hen management class concludes (the class is one hour and 15 minutes, or, in other words, 75 minutes), I ex it DeBartolo Hall (the location of the relevant Principles of Management class) and rotate my body roughly 67 degrees to face South Dining Hall. I walk (as you might have guessed) to South Dining Hall where Adam (roommate/friend), Mike (roommate/friend), A lly (friend) and Elise (friend) and not Owen (roommate/friend?) sit together some mornings to consume food.

W hen I arrive at South Dining Hall, I first sw ipe my card (as is necessar y). Next, I put my coat dow n by the table (where Adam, Mike, A lly, Elise and not Owen are sitting and eating breakfast foods). I place my coat on an empt y chair, adjacent to my friends/ roommates. I enter the space in the dining hall designated for the ser v ice of food. I desire hash brow ns. I put hash brow ns on my plate. I don’t desire eggs, but I feel they are necessar y for a complete breakfast. I put eggs on my plate. I desire cereal. I put cereal on my plate. I desire orange juice. I put orange juice on my plate. I desire constant affirmation that I don’t quite deser ve. I put constant affirmation that I don’t quite deser ve on my plate. Plate loaded, I return to the table w ith my friends/roommates. We consume foods together. I consider interesting topics for my next Inside Column. Mike mentions a funny meme. I forgo my prev ious line of thought to engage Mike about this new meme. It is indeed a funny meme. Adam, Mike, A lly, Elise, not Owen and I agree to meet up later and listen to “Levels” by Av icii.

Contact Mike Donovan at mdonov10@nd.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

It’s time to show up It’s the middle of the third quarter of a Februar y game in Purcell Pavilion.

One of the nation’s perennial powerhouse programs has had little trouble moving the ball up and down the court. Basket after basket, it seems as if the team is scoring effortlessly — pass after pass, 3 after 3, backdoor cut after backdoor cut.

Notre Dame seems more skilled than its opponent. And it shows on the scoreboard, as the Irish lead 59-29 against North Carolina — a lead that they held essentially all the way through the 9462 final.

Put another tally in the win column for the Notre Dame women.

Now ranked No. 5 in the countr y with a 23-2 record, the Irish could potentially finish the year with their fifth-consecutive ACC regular season and tournament titles and are in strong contention for yet another No. 1 seed in the NCA A tournament. That’s despite the fact they play arguably the toughest slate of any team in the countr y.

Despite the fact they have already lost four scholarship players to torn ACLs. Despite the fact that a large majority of the student body seems altogether disinterested in supporting them through attendance at their games.

So, especially in light of the fact that Feb. 7 commemorated National Girls and Women in Sports Day — which the U.S. formally obser ved for the 32nd time this year to promote female engagement in sports and to highlight gender disparities within athletics — we feel compelled to ask: W hy don’t the women of Notre Dame have the same support on the court from their peers that their male counterparts do?

For this Editorial Board, it seems this problem is part of a much larger — and just as troubling — trend, one on which the buzzer has yet to time out.

Consider the sheer numbers at the collegiate basketball level: 31,859,477 fans showed up to watch NCA A men’s basketball during 2017, while just about a third of that number —11,346,021, to be exact — attended the women’s NCA A games last year.

Additionally, the quantity of coverage of women’s basketball — and women’s sports in general — remain “dismally low” compared to their male equivalents. And even when these women

have earned the level of respect and recognition of male athletes with their achievements, it is too often easily dismissed — such was the case when the Chicago Tribune labeled three-time Olympian Corey Cogdell as the “wife of a Bears lineman,” belittling Cogdell’s own achievements as a two-time medalist up to that point in her career.

Empty rows of seats and insufficient media coverage are both glaring instances of disparity in women’s sports, especially at a professional level.

But the problem goes far deeper than merely attendance and coverage. Consider this: At this point in their careers, these women have already jumped through a series of hoops: Girls have 1.3 million fewer athletic opportunities in high school and drop out of sports at twice the rate of boys by the age of 14.

And when women do get the opportunities and support they deser ve? Well, consider the example of the 2015 FIFA World Cup, which remains the most-watched soccer match in United States histor y. Five members of the victorious women’s team filed a wage-discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, alleging they earn just 25 percent of what the U.S. male players do, despite generating nearly $20 million more in revenue than the men’s team did that year. With this example to look up to, young girls considering a career in sports cannot possibly be expected to jump right into a field rife with institutionalized sexism.

Though no quick fix can resolve the issues female athletes face, we can take sensible steps to establish a support system within our own community. Members of a University that aims to further equality cannot afford to continually sit out on women’s games while over whelmingly showing up to the men’s. Particularly with a team as talented and successful as the Irish women playing half their games on campus, there is no excuse for student attendance at their games to be what it is.

If you are truly the basketball fan you claim to be, it’s time to show up and support a championship-caliber team that ranks amongst the nation’s 20 best — in both the men and women’s games — at putting the ball in the basket.

Because females in sports at all levels, as well as the young girls discerning whether or not they belong in the field, deser ve better — better turnout, better pay and better opportunities.

And it can start right now w ith us.

Join the conversation.

Submit a Letter to the Editor:

Email viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com

7

The observer | friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Looking back and looking forward Seniors, We’re graduating; there’s no avoiding it.

We’re constantly surrounded by reminders that this whole experience is coming to an end, from the 100 Days Dance, to graduation pictures, to the fact our parents won’t be in tow n this weekend for JPW. Each of our Notre Dame stories is unique.

We threw ourselves into our random dorm and roommate assignments. We joined clubs and sports teams. We stayed up way too late study ing and, sometimes, way too late w ith all our friends.

We found classes and professors we loved. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the stadium to cheer on the Irish, come rain, snow or sleet. We won f lag football or Bookstore Basketball games w ith our best friends. Some of us stayed here all four years, while some of us studied around all corners of the world.

No matter how your particular Notre Dame stor y played out, each of us impacted this Universit y as much as it impacted us.

As we w rap up our time on campus, we are

constantly wondering, “W hat’s next? ” For many of us, this means a new job, further education or some soul-seeking travels. For all of us, this means making our mark as Notre Dame’s newest class of alumni. As the Class of 2018, we have a unique responsibilit y to wonder not only what our next steps w ill be, but what is next for Notre Dame.

We’re Anthony and Sarafina, and we’d like to inv ite you to join us in leav ing our legacy at Notre Dame. Senior Legacy is our chance to show how much we care about Notre Dame and her current and future students. Our class has chosen to support the Office of Student Enrichment by driv ing gifts to the Fighting Irish Initiative.

One of the most requested items students apply for in the Office of Student Enrichment is football ticket packets. Just $10 from each member of our class equates to over 90 football ticket packets for students next year. That’s like giving up t wo covers at Finny’s or a burrito and a drink from Chipotle — all to give a student next year the highs (and the lows, to be honest) of a

football season in the student section.

We’ll be in touch throughout the semester w ith details about how you can get involved and some of the perks of giv ing back, including a part y on the field as our way of thanking each senior who joins us. We’ve had a great four years, and we wouldn’t trade it for the world. Our mission is to ensure that ever y student at Notre Dame can have the best experience possible. If we can give a little to ensure deser v ing students next year can experience a lot, then this w ill be a semester well spent.

Thank you and go Irish!

Anthony Caputo senior Sarafina Joseph senior co-chairs, Senior Legacy Feb. 15

Pass or fail: Football wins matter Gary Caruso Capitol Comments

My neighbor — a Penn State graduate who vehemently opposed the NCAA sanction to strip former head coach Joe Paterno of his all-time win total in light of the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal — whisked by me on his way to work early Wednesday morning. “How does it feel that Notre Dame is the Black Lives Matter of college football?” he asked in reference to the NCAA decision to vacate Notre Dame’s 2012 and 2013 wins. He continued, “Don’t worry.

You may get it overturned like we did with Paterno, but probably not.”

SBNATION’s Richard Johnson notes this week in his column, “The four wildest things about the NCAA vacating Notre Dame’s 2012 and 2013 wins,” is that the only dispute Notre Dame expressed concerning their appeal was the vacation of 21 total wins. The retroactive sanction levied by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions hinged on several overlying facts that even Notre Dame President, Fr. John Jenkins, could not adequately counter in his eloquent open response letter. Both sides seemed to accept the facts while differing on how they should be applied under NCAA regulations.

Neither dispute that a former Notre Dame parttime athletic training student was correctly judged to have violated NCAA ethical conduct rules and committed academic misconduct by completing assignments for two football players. She further provided six other football players with impermissible academic extra benefits. As a result, the University through what Jenkins describes as its “academic autonomy” recalculated those illegally inflated grades previously earned through cheating. The University additionally opted not to expel the student-athletes, but to thoroughly investigate the matter and give those students an opportunity for a second chance.

As it turns out, that was the University’s death knell.

When the University imposed the warranted academic sanctions for cheating against the involved student-athletes, the penalties lowered grade point

averages. Any respectable, nationally-reputable, educational institution would be expected to punish their cheaters. But in this case, since Notre Dame maintains such a sweatshop grade–chasing atmosphere, it created — in the eyes of the NCAA infractions panel — a legally indefensible condition. The lower grade point average changed the student-athlete eligibility status to “ineligible to compete” while he, in fact, participated in Notre Dame football games. Perhaps if those courses, among a number of other courses University-wide, had been structured with pass/fail grade options, the student-athletes may not have fallen into an ineligible status.

Regardless of whom one believes, the case hinged on the following: one, whether or not the part-time athletic training student was an instrument of the University’s institution; two, whether or not unprecedented retroactive sanctions were appropriate in this case; three, whether or not Notre Dame’s stringent standards limited its academic autonomy; and four, whether or not the offending student-athletes were ineligible to participate.

Mike Vorel, in his ND Insider column, quotes head coach Brian Kelly as saying, “When you hear about vacating wins, you think of lack of institutional control. You hear of clearly abuse within the University relative to extra benefits, things of that nature.”

Notes Jenkins in his letter, “Student-to-student cheating is not normally within the NCAA’s jurisdiction. But the NCAA concluded that the student’s role as a part-time assistant trainer made her a ‘representative of the institution’ and justified a vacation of team records penalty in this case.”

Unfortunately, several defining employee relations’ forces were at play at that time. The National Labor Relations Board had expanded the scope of the student-university relationship at Columbia University. On Aug. 17, 2015, the NLRB issued its ruling in Northwestern’s final appeal against the football players seeking to unionize. As a result of these events, in 2016 the NCAA clarified their governing documents (cited by Jenkins) regarding academic integrity and student assistant limitations

and definitions. The NCAA clarified their definitions — not changed them — for student assistants: “An individual who meets this definition retains such status during the enrollment of the prospective student-athlete at the institution.”

Sadly, it appears that Notre Dame’s rigid academic structure cascaded consequences beyond the University’s control, which ultimately doomed the Irish in the eyes of the NCAA. By not expelling the offending athletes but recalculating their grade point averages, they plummeted below eligibility levels but still participated in football games. That was the irrefutable violation that penalized the University.

Interestingly, had the Notre Dame culture been less of an uber-demanding, grade-chasing sweatshop grind on students, but with perhaps more pass/fail options or some other positive, yet more forgiving GPA calculating aspect, Notre Dame would still have those 21 wins. Perversely, North Carolina knowingly created fake classes that benefitted both athletes along with non-athletes so that the NCAA did not penalize that more choreographed scheme to pass athletes. Notre Dame should consider adopting a liberal grading method to reduce the stress within the entire student body, but most assuredly, to assist the students who commit themselves full-time to the University.

Ironically, moving forward Notre Dame will be viewed sympathetically by some while despised by others — akin to my neighbor’s “Black Lives Matter” analogy. Whether football games matter in the future may lie in the University’s restructuring of pass/fail grades or simply by taking a Christian approach of turning the other cheek.

Gary J. Caruso, Notre Dame ‘73, serves in the Department of Homeland Security and was a legislative and public affairs director at the U.S. House of Representatives and in President Clinton’s administration. His column appears every other Friday.

Contact him on Twitter: @GaryJCaruso or email: GaryJCaruso@alumni.nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

@ObserverViewpnt

8

DAILY

The observer | Friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Crossword | Will Shortz

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Don’t get carried away or overreact to what others do or say. Remain calm and make rational decisions and the success you desire will be yours. Don’t be tempted by those seeking indulgence and excess. Stay tuned in to what matters, not what others have. Make this a year of progress and humanitarian acts that make a difference. Your numbers are 5, 17, 22, 26, 30, 34, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Make personal changes for the right reasons.

Look at the consequences that will result if you are reluctant to follow through with your plans. Live up to your word and make a point to encourage others to do the same.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Too much of anything will result in a setback.

Only offer what you can and only put up with what’s reasonable. Good things will come your way if you put in the effort required to accomplish what you set out to do.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Go about getting what you want by offering to do things for others. A desire to share with others should be your motivation to make the world a better place. Your involvement in practices that bring about positive change will alter your life.

CANCER ( June 21-July 22): You’ll be tempted to implement change because someone else does. Think twice before you follow in the footsteps of someone who is underestimating what it will take to reach his or her goal.

Be smart with your finances.

LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22): Old emotions will be sure to surface. Recognize what’s causing you to feel the way you do and make adjustments to your life that will ease your stress and help you head toward the people and things you enjoy most.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A change in a contract, settlement or the way you treat a physical problem will be helpful. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Stubbornness will work against you. Disillusionment regarding a relationship will leave you unsure of your future.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Refuse to let anyone put demands on you. Take care of your responsibilities quickly and make plans to do something that you enjoy. Spending time with someone special is encouraged as long as you are moderate in your spending.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Focus on the information and ideas that come from an unusual source. You don’t have to go overboard, but you do have to try something unique if you want to achieve peace of mind. Good results will come from mindfulness, not anger.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Overreacting will hold you back. Avoid any situations that require you to be dishonest or which may lead to confusion.

Own up to what you want and get on with your life. Positive change begins with truth.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Don’t be tempted to get involved in something that is going to cost you emotionally, financially or legally. Set boundaries and only do what brings you greater security. Avoid unstable or unpredictable individuals.

AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Look for the path that first encouraged you to be a participant. Don’t sit back when you can bring about positive changes.

Make your life and the lives of those you love better. A healthy attitude will ensure positive results.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’ll be tempted to give in to someone who is asking too much. Unreasonable demands will be placed on you if you aren’t quick to say “no” and walk away. Refuse to get dragged into an argument that will lead to a stalemate.

Birthday Baby: You are pioneering, upbeat and devoted. You are benevolent and dramatic.

WINGin’ it | BAILEE EGAN & Olivia wang

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

Work Area

Make checks payable to and mail to: The Observer P.O. Box 779 Notre Dame, IN 46556

Published Monday through Friday, The Observer is a vital source of information on people and events in the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Community.

Join the more than 13,000 readers who have found The Observer an indispensable link to the two campuses. Please complete the accompanying form and mail it today to receive The Observer in your home.

Enclosed is $130 for one academic year Enclosed is $75 for one semester Name Address City State Zip

sports

ndsmcobserver.com | Friday, february 16, 2018 | The Observer

ND Women’s tennis

Sports Authority

Forget the past to focus on LeBron Jack Concannon Sports Writer

I’m sick of debating LeBron James versus Michael Jordan.

I’m exhausted of the same recycled arguments about LeBron’s Finals losses, about his choice to leave Cleveland and about Michael Jordan’s six rings. It’s the most tired debate in sports.

I’m going to settle the debate right now.

First, I’ll introduce our contestants for greatest of all-time status. There is general consensus — at least there should be — that LeBron James is the best player in this era of NBA basketball. His seven straight finals appearances are unprecedented since the 1960s, and his statistics are eye-popping. Beyond this, the value he adds to the teams he plays for is incredible. After infamously leaving the Cavaliers and taking his talents to South Beach after the 2009–2010 season, his old team went from 61 wins with him to 19 wins without him — in a single season.

From the best regular season team in the NBA to the worst.

That’s hard to even fathom.

With this level of achievement, you would think fans would watch in awe and appreciate his greatness as it stands, but you would be wrong.

Next, we have Michael Jordan. The original GOAT. Every young LeBron-hater’s favorite player despite not even being alive when he was in his prime. He’s 6-0 in the finals, despite leaving the NBA for two years to pursue professional baseball in his prime.

He led the American “Dream Team” to a gold medal in the first year professional athletes were allowed in the Olympics.

They both have incredible resumes, so who is the winner?

The answer, definitively, is that this question isn’t worth your time and in some ways ruins modern basketball.

Every time LeBron James achieves anything, Twitter has to explode comparing LeBron James to Michael Jordan. People emerge from all corners of the internet to attack the greatest player of our generation, criticizing him for his Finals losses and whatever other metrics they choose to

9

attack him with. Why do we have to do this? It’s nonsensical for several reasons.

First, the argument between LeBron James and Michael Jordan is deeply flawed because they played in different eras. Today’s NBA has a far different landscape than the NBA Michael Jordan played in. We’re in the era of superteams, of free agents being courted and signing max deals with the team that gives them the best chance to win.

Comparing the Finals accomplishments of Jordan and James is impractical and really impossible. Yet we still do it.

Second, all this debate really does is just expose our biases.

Many of the people reading this article were too young to even see Michael Jordan play. Take a second and think, “What am I even basing my opinion off of?” Did you just read articles online and reach this conclusion? Do you just not like LeBron James as a person and therefore join the Michael Jordan camp? Maybe because you never saw MJ play you just latched onto LeBron by default. Either way, you’re using deeply flawed reasoning.

Could you imagine how much worse the NFL would be if every time Tom Brady took a step we were forced to hear tired debate about Brady versus Manning or Montana, or whoever else? It’s ridiculous.

We get to watch LeBron James, an athlete whose replays will be shown for the rest of our lives. He is so skilled he has transcended basketball and built a brand for himself outside of sports, and all half of us can do is criticize him relative to a player who hasn’t played in decades?

The next time you watch LeBron put his incredible skill set on display, do us all a favor and just appreciate how good he is. I don’t want to hear you talk about Michael Jordan or Wilt Chamberlain. Let’s just appreciate the stars we have in the NBA now, and not obsess over guys that played decades ago.

Contact Jack Concannon at jconcan2@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Irish prepare to take on Hoosiers and Raiders

By MEAGAN BENS Sports Writer

After a week off, the Irish hope to bounce back from two straight losses on the road as they face Indiana University and Wright State University at the Eck Tennis Pavilion on Sunday.

Notre Dame’s last match was a 4-1 loss against Louisville in the conference opener Feb. 9, as the match against University of Illinois on Feb. 11 was canceled due to weather conditions. Although the Irish (2-2, 0-1 ACC) have had a break from competition, head coach Jay Louderback said the nine-day break was beneficial.

“It was tough that we had a canceled meet and we eventually need to get it rescheduled,” Louderback said. “It ended up being good though because it gave the girls two days off, Saturday and Sunday. We had some good practices

matches with Indiana no matter what the rankings are, even if one is ranked way higher than the other,” Louderback said. “They are pretty big hitters, and I’m happy to be home to play them. We are also indoors so we need to be ready for balls with pace. ”We haven’t played Wright State before though. It looks like they have been up and down. They’ve played well during their last matches and seem better now than earlier in the year. But the second match is always tougher. The girls are in shape though so it should be fun to watch. The second match will also provide us an opportunity to tr y out different double teams.”

Notre Dame is set to open the competition Sunday against the Hoosiers at 10 a.m., followed by Wright State at 2 p.m.

Contact Meagan Bens at mbens@nd.edu

Observer File Photo | The Observer

Irish senior Brooke Broda returns a forehand during Notre Dame’s 5-2 win over Purdue on Feb. 22 at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Broda won her singles match against the Boilermakers in straight sets.

The Observer accepts classifieds every business day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Notre Dame office, 024 South Dining Hall. Deadline for next-day classifieds is 3 p.m. All classifieds must be prepaid. The charge is 5 cents per character per day, including all spaces. The Observer reserves the right to edit all classifieds for content without issuing refunds.

For Rent Follow us on Twitter. @ObserverSports

and we came back focused after those two days off.”

W hile Notre Dame started the season with two straight 7-0 sweeps, the Irish have dropped their last two matches, both road matchups. Despite the recent dip in form, Louderback said the tough matches will benefit the team in the long run.

“We’ve had a good week of practice and felt like both meets will help us later on,” Louderback said. “Being on the road and having an ACC match on the road is something ever yone has to go through. The freshmen and sophomores have to go through tough ones on the road eventually, and we bounced back with a great week of practice.”

With the upcoming match Sunday, Louderback said the team will have to be prepared to handle the intensity Indiana (8-1) brings and unknown of Wright State (3-5).

“We always have tight

Commencement Rental - 2BR 1Ba Perfect location - next to Eddy Street Commons - walk to everything.

For more information please email ndhouse@sbcglobal.net.

There’s something about the way

the street looks when it’s just rained.

There’s a glow off the pavement, walk me to the car. And you know I wanna ask you to dance right there.

In the middle of the parking lot, Yeah.

We’re drivin’ down the road, I wonder if you know I’m tryin’ so hard not to get caught up now. But you’re just so cool, Run your hands through your hair. Absent mindedly makin’ me want

you. And I don’t know how it gets better than this, You take my hand and drag me head first, Fearless. And I don’t know why, but with you I’d dance In a storm in my best dress, Fearless.

So baby drive slow, Til we run out of road in this one horse town, I wanna stay right here. In this passenger’s seat, You put your eyes on me. In this moment now capture it remember it.

10

Sports

The observer | friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

M Bball Continued from page 16

on 49 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from behind the 3-point arc.

Additionally problematic was Notre Dame’s inability to stop junior Eagles guard Jerome Robinson. Robinson shot 15-of-23 in the game and put up an impressive 46 points against the Irish, most of it in the second half.

While priority No. 1 for Brey has to be containing Robinson, the second goal for the Irish is to get Gibbs and Farrell going again on the offensive end of the floor.

In Monday’s 83-66 loss to No. 14 North Carolina, Gibbs and Farrell combined for just 19 points on 4-of-27 shooting.

Gibbs only hit one field goal in 38 minutes, but did go 7-for-9 from the free-throw line.

In place of the guard duo, sophomore forward John Mooney and Geben stepped up offensively for the Irish against the Tar Heels. Geben, though dealing with foul trouble in the first half, came out strong in the second frame and scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting to finish the night with 18 points in 17 minutes of gametime.

Mooney also stepped up, making all six of his 3-point shots and chipping in 18 as well.

Mooney’s six made 3-point field goals tied a school record for the most made 3’s in a game without a miss.

“It’s a testament to Matt [Farrell], T.J. and Rex, getting in there and probing, getting the [defense] to commit to them and kick it out,” Mooney said of his recent uptick in production.

“I’ve been open and hit shots. It feels good.”

“I’ve always been a confident guy, but get some wins and the confidence goes up.”

Injury updates The Irish trio of Bonzie Colson, Farrell and freshman wing D.J. Harvey have missed a combined 24 total games for Notre Dame this season.

Harvey has sat out the last seven games due to a bone bruise suffered against Louisville on Jan. 16. Brey said the freshman was a full go in practice Thursday and as long as things went well, Harvey is likely to start against Boston College on Saturday.

Colson, out since early January with a fractured foot, has recently been running on a zero-gravity treadmill and shooting without his boot.

Colson seems on track to return in two weeks and could play in the last regular season game against Virginia or, baring that, in the ACC tournament.

Notre Dame and Boston College will tip-off Saturday at 4 p.m. in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

The Irish have not lost to the Eagles since joining the ACC. ZACHARY YIM | The Observer

Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu

Irish sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs takes a 3-point shot during Notre Dame’s 84-69 win over Florida State on Feb. 10 at Purcell Pavilion. Gibbs scored 19 points in the win, his 13th-straight 10-plus point game.

Paid Advertisement

W Lax Continued from page 16

significant amount of offensive firepower from last season, w ith their two leading goal-scorers and five of their six highest point-scorers from last season graduating, but do return key pieces elsewhere, including senior midfielder Asht y n Hiron, who recorded 77 draw controls and 32 caused turnovers last season on her way to an A ll-Atlantic-Sun selection.

Like Jacksonv ille, Stetson is a relatively young program play ing in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but the Hatters have not had the same immediate impact as the Dolphins. The Hatters have an 18-68 all-time record after opening this season w ith a 15-13 loss to Arizona State in which they trailed 11-2 late in the first half. Stetson has never posted a w inning

Please recycle The Observer.

record in conference play, w ith last year’s 5-5 showing being the team’s best achievement.

W hile the Hatters have lost 2017’s scoring and assists leaders in Lindsay Summers and Sam Maguire, their returners include senior midfielder Maddie Holvey, who led the team in draw controls, senior attack Hallie Merz, who recorded 46 points as both a freshman and as a sophomore, junior attack Shelby Lehmann, who scored five goals against the Sun Devils and sophomore goalkeeper Liza Diamond, who was named last week’s Atlantic Sun player of the week after 16 saves against the Sun Dev ils.

The Irish and the Dolphins w ill begin play at 1 p.m.

Saturday at D.B. Milne Field in Jacksonv ille, Florida. The Irish w ill face Stetson in the Athletic Training Center in DeLand, Florida at 11 a.m.

Sunday.

Sports

W Bball Continued from page 16

second quarter w ith 30 of its 37 points coming inside the paint. Head coach Muffet McGraw noted the team’s fast start gave the Irish a big advantage.

“I’d like to do it ever y game.

I don’t think it’s a challenge at all because I think this team is focused and they know what they have to do,” she said. “With the way we can score, we’re going to be tough to beat when we get that kind of lead.”

As the game went on, Notre Dame began to show more of its offensive repertoire and got scoring from a number of key players. Sophomore guard Jackie Young showed off her play making abilit y 11 points and eight assists in the v ictor y, and junior guard Marina Mabrey prov ided a solid performance as well, knocking dow n four 3-pointers on the way to a 16 point night. The star of the night for the Irish, however, was junior guard A rike Ogunbowale, who posted 27 points on the night as well as eight rebounds.

“I think it keeps the defense on their toes when people in all different positions can score,” Ogunbowale said postgame. “They have to honor ever ybody and there can’t be a lot of help side because we can score from all different areas.”

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, february 16, 2018 | The Observer

In addition to the w in, the night proved to be particularly special for both Ogunbowale and Shepard, who passed the 1,500 career point milestone in the game.

McGraw commented after the game about how important the two players have been to the team.

“Arike, she’s done so many great things for us in the three years that she’s been here. She is somebody that is just electric when she gets the ball in the middle of the f loor, you know great things are going to happen,” McGraw said. “She’s a really good passer, she’s really worked on her three-point shot this year. She’s really a difficult matchup for anybody and that’s something we tr y to exploit whenever we can.

“Jess really started out great. She’s done so many great things and I don’t know where we would be w ithout her … She’s capable of a double-double ever y single night, and she’s another tough matchup for the defense.”

Moving forward, the Irish are still tied with Louisville for first place in the ACC with just three games to go. Notre Dame will next play on the road against Boston College on Sunday before a pair of home games against Virginia Tech and North Carolina State next week to close out the regular season. As her team looks to wrap things up, McGraw

11

SARAH OLSON | The Observer

Irish junior forward Jessica Shepard goes up for a layup during Notre Dame’s 94-62 win over North Carolina on Feb.1 at Purcell Pavilion. Shepard recorded eight points and six assists in the game.

feels good about the position her team is in, even in what has been an extremely talented conference this season.

“We’ve got the best conference in the country. I think we’ve got a lot of really good teams … I think it’s so incredibly competitive and there’s just not a game that you can

look past, so I think the ACC is as strong as it’s been since we’ve been in,” McGraw said.

“We’re in a great place right now. I think tonight we had some foul trouble that we haven’t really had to deal with, so we got to play the bench a little more which was good. Offensively, I think we

can score in a lot of different ways. I’d like us to be a little more cognizant of the mismatches, I thought we could’ve done a little better job there, but overall, I’m really pleased with where we are.”

Contact Alex Bender at abender@nd.edu

Paid Advertisement

SARAH OLSON | The Observer

Irish sophomore guard Jackie Young drives in for a layup during Notre Dame’s 94-62 win over North Carolina on Feb. 1.

12

Sports

The observer | friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Bouts Continued from page 16

but Walsh soon took over the fight and took advantage of Isner’s risky strategy with more blows to Isner’s head. Walsh was awarded the victory by unanimous decision.

Dan “I Don’t Tan” Wilborn def. Christopher Wall Both fighters came out swinging immediately in a heated start, but the fight soon regressed to clinching with few actual punches landed.

Wilborn, an Alumni senior, appeared to take charge late in the first round and rode that momentum to a dominant start to the second, landing several flurries and blocking any of Wall’s attempts.

Although the referee started a count late in the second round, Wall, a Zahm freshman, was able to fight on into the third, where Wilborn was content to defend early in the round before another aggressive burst led to Wall seeing the count again. Wall made it to the end of the fight but Wilborn was awarded the victory by unanimous decision.

Patrick “Dunny” Donovan def.

Ryan “Lochte” Lockhorst

Morrissey sophomore Lockhorst and Dunne sophomore Donovan both started aggressively but neither appeared to land many punches during the first round. The second round started much more cagey as Lockhorst attempted to keep his distance from Donovan. Eventually, Lockhorst managed to get close enough to land some late blows that seemed to put him on top entering the final round. Early in the third round, however, Donovan appeared to take over, but could not maintain the momentum as Lockhorst went back to keeping Donovan at the end of his reach. Neither fighter appeared to be a clear-cut winner by the end of the third round, but Donovan was awarded the victory by split decision.

Chris “Chip Dethlefs def.

McGuire

Blood” Timothy

Dethlefs, a Sorin senior, dominated the fight early on and landed a rapid flurry against McGuire, a Siegfried freshman. McGuire soon improved his defensive stance and, although Dethlefs remained on top, ensured that few other punches could land.

The second round continued in similar fashion, with Dethlefs occasionally inviting

punches from McGuire in order to land some counterblows of his own. The strategy appeared successful as the referee started a count against McGuire late in the second round. With Dethlefs well in control, he played it safer in the final round, content to keep his distance on his way to the unanimous decision victory.

Evan “Almighty” Muller def. Dan “The Hedgehog” Hanlon Both men came out swinging from the start. Hanlon, a senior from Fisher, started swinging fast in the first round but there was no clear advantage in the beginning. Muller, a freshman from Zahm, opted for more variety, frequently throwing uppercuts as he held his own against the senior.

Muller began to pull ahead in the second round, but both started losing steam as the round finished up. Hanlon continued to throw a vareity of punches, but Muller’s accuracy gave him an edge in the less energetic third round.

Neither boxer fought very defensively throughout and kept the frequency of their attacks up in an offensive showing.

But in the end, the freshman was more efficient with his punches and beat the senior by unanimous decision.

Paid Advertisement

Arthur “El Fuego” Ortiz def. Conor “Cinnamon Apple” McConville Ortiz, a sophomore from Keough, was on the offensive from the opening bell for a powerful start against McConville, a freshman from Keenan.

McConville had an impressive defense and did his best to defend himself before the referee had to stop the fight. The ref stopped the fight once again and McConville struggled to get in one solid hit before the bell rang to end the round. In the second round, Ortiz continued to control the ring, but McConville attempted some more jabs. Still, Ortiz kept up powerful and persistent combinations and McConville continued to take a beating in the third round, causing the ref to pause the bout again. After a dominating performance, a unanimous decision gave Ortiz the win.

Thomas “Tommy Gun” Manno def. Kyle “Yo Pi’ierre” Pieri Both fighters came out swinging in an energetic first round. Manno, a Zahm junior, got in more punches, but Pieri, a sophomore representing Morrissey, defended himself well. Manno kept throwing combinations of hits in the second round, getting in some

solid blows. Pieri continued responding to Manno’s persistent punches with some consistent jabs and crosses of his own. After two rounds, Manno maintained his agility, while the match began to wear on Pieri. But by the time it was all over, the Zahm junior had regained his offensive advantage, throwing more punches and making more contact. Edging out the Morrissey sophomore, Manno took home the win by unanimous decision.

“Sweet Baby” Ray Zhao def.

Gregory “Pockets” Wall The off-campus graduate student Zhao preferred using low hooks in the first round to make contact with his taller opponent, Wall, a Fisher sophomore. Wall’s jabs and crosses often went over Zhao’s head, but he persisted in throwing punches up high for the first round. In the second round, Wall threw some good hits, but Zhao’s combinations overpowered his single-punch style. Wall deflected as many of Zhao’s punches as he could, but was still outmatched in the second round. Both boxers’ energy was noticeably drained. To open the third round, Wall started to make more contact, but Zhao continued to respond, but with less impactful hits. Both were

Sports clearly exhausted by the end of the fight, but Zhao’s earlier performances got him the win by unanimous decision.

148 lbs.

Christopher Nunes def.

Thomas “6’3” on Tinder” Tran In a fight between two offcampus grad students, both started with aggression but it was Tran, who had more success in the first round.

Nunes appeared to start the second round on top, but Tran soon fought back cutting Nunes’ mouth with a jab midway through the second round. The aggression of the first round appeared to tire out the two fighters, as each moved slowly for the remainder of the second. Despite the effects of both blood and tiredness, Nunes landed some well-timed punches towards the end of the second round.

The fight was sloppy through the third round, with neither fighter landing many punches, but Nunes continued to have the better of the bout and was awarded the victory by unanimous decision.

Conor “Baby Face” Ward def. Dan “The Man” Moran In another senior-freshman face-off, Ward, a senior from

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, february 16, 2018 | The Observer

Knott, and Moran, a Stanford freshman, started the match dancing around the ring, looking for an opening. When he did strike, Ward went for high hooks and jabs which continued to land on Moran. Moran fought more patiently and took the defensive position for most of the first round, but held his own. Ward kept up his combinations to solidify an advantage in the second round. He pushed Moran up against the ropes and landed a big hit to the torso before the ref paused the bout right before end of the round. In the third round, Moran barely made any contact and took several hits to his head from Ward, whose higher energy and aggressive approach got him the win with a unanimous decision.

Leonard “Lenny” def. Joo Sung Kim

Calvo

Leonard “Lenny” Calvo, a freshman from Keough aggressively went after Joo Sung Kim, a Duncan sophomore, in the first round and landed the most punches. Kim hit his stride in the second round, landing more punches than the first. In a decisive third round Calvo came out of the gate hard, immediately landing a series of quick punches on Kim. The judges rewarded Leonard “Lenny” Calvo

for his aggressive offensive style with a win by unanimous decision.

Juwang “Dat Stick” Lee def. Michael “Ginja Ninja” Kurkowski The crowd roared through nearly all of the KurkowskiLee matchup, as Juwang “Dat Stick” Lee, a sophomore from Fisher Hall, went after Kurkowski aggressively in the first round. Michael “Ginja Ninja” Kurkowski, a sophomore from Knott Hall, responded with hard hits of his own. However, Lee’s relentless series of hard and fast punches to the head nearly knocked Kurkowski to the ground in the first few minutes. Kurkowski threw the first punches of the second round, coming out a bit stronger putting Lee on the defensive. Lee used his quick footwork shorter stature to his advantage, as he managed to duck under Kurkowski’s punches. The two continued their fierce battle into the third round, with both landing hard punches, but the judges eventually awarded Juwang “Dat Stick” Lee with a unanimous-decision win.

Matthew “The Fighting Amish” Yoder def. Ryan “Short Stack” Smith Smith, a Morrissey freshman, Paid Advertisement

held his own against O’Neill senior Yoder. Smith’s first round was filled with precisely-placed hits against Yoder’s strong and continuous stamina. Smith started the match strong with a high caliber of play while Yoder gained momentum throughout the fight. Yoder was given the victory in a split decision.

David “R.A. Dave” Hamilton def. Tim “Jim Jhompson” Thompson Thompson, a Keenan sophomore, took on Hamilton, a Siegfried senior. Hamilton had a strong ringside showing, with a large group of Siegfried residents supporting the senior RA. Thompson had a strong defensive performance, fighting tirelessly throughout the match while Hamilton continuously gained speed and motivation from his group of supporters.

Hamilton ultimately fought with experience and precision and went on to win the match in a unanimous decision.

Joaquin “Hindi Humuhupta” Camara def.

Liam “Nuge” Nugent Joaquin “Hindi Humuhupta” Camara, a senior from Keenan, took on Liam “Nuge” Nugent, a sophomore from Dunne, in the 148-pound weight division. Camara’s expertise shone

13

through the entire match, and he put on an aggressive performance. His combination of strong hits and quick dodges made him an impossible target. Nugent relied heavily on stamina, continuing to fight against a highly-skilled opponent. Nugent fought through Camara’s fast hits and held his own in the ring. Nugent finished the match strong, but Camara ultimately won with a unanimous decision.

154 lbs.

Tim “Dirty T” Mikulski def. Michael “Dirty Mike” Doherty Tim “Dirty T” Mikulski, a sophomore in Duncan, went on the offensive early, landing several punches to Doherty’s head and body. Michael “Dirty Mike” Doherty, a junior in Alumni Hall, was able to land a few hits of his own, but Mikulski’s barrage of hits to Doherty’s head and to either side of his face in the second round. The match ended in the second round after Doherty signaled that he was in pain. He appeared to be experiencing an issue in his chest or his arm. Michael “Dirty Mike” Mikulski won the fight due to referee stoppage.

see BOUTS PAGE 14

14

Sports

The observer | friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

Bouts Continued from page 12

Sean “The Louisville Slugger” Graham def.

Henry “The Dancing Queen” Davis Both boxers came out strong in the first round, with Graham, a senior from Keough, taking a slight offensive advantage. Davis, a Duncan junior, however, lived up to his nickname, using quick footwork to dodge some of Graham’s slower punches.

Each fighter was able to land several punches to the other’s face and chest during the second round, though Graham continued his aggressive offensive strategy, causing Davis to land fewer punches, despite his many attempts. Though both were visibly winded in the third round, they continued to throw several punches to each other’s faces, getting their arms tangled multiple times. Davis made a strong effort to respond to Graham’s aggressive offense, but Graham was able to win by unanimous decision.

Nick “At Nite” Jeffrey def.

Joao Virzi Neither fighter hesitated to throw the first punch as the referee signaled the start of the match, with each attempting to several hits to the other’s face and chest. Both opted for a variety of hitting styles in the first and second rounds, throwing punches to the face, chest, side of the head, and lower body, and both were able to dodge some of the punches thrown their way. The rapidfire punches continued into the third round, though both appeared more winded. Virzi, a freshman from Morrisse, continued to throw a variety of punches to Jeffrey’s face and body, while Jeffrey, a junior from Alumni, began focusing his efforts more on Virzi’s head. In a close battle Nick “At Nite” Jeffrey was awarded a split decision victory.

Michael “The K.O.” Feijoo def. Drew “Man Bear” Cushing Feijoo, a junior living in Morrissey, was strong on offense, maintained a high level of energy and delivered powerful, well-placed hits. Cushing, a sophomore living in Alumni, had a good defensive first round and maintained his energy throughout the fight.

Feijoo’s well placed hits were countless in the second round as the Morrissey junior slowly began to dominate the fight.

Feijoo moved with swift agility, making use of the entire ring. His experienced strategy ultimately shone through as he proceeded to win in a unanimous decision.

Ben “Gumbo” Bernhard def. George “Azucar” Azcarate Sophomore Fisher resident

Ben “Gumbo” Bernhard faced off-campus graduate student George “Azucar” Azcarate in the 154-pound weight division preliminary round. Bernhard and Azcarate were evenly matched, making for an engaging fight. Both boxers were strong on offense, continuously and relentlessly throwing hits and maintaining their power throughout the fight. Azcarate started strong but slowly lost his momentum, while Bernhard continued to elevate his level of play as the match went on, playing with both accuracy and focus. Bernhard’s stamina brought him through the end of the match, coming out victorious in a split decision.

Julian “Do You Have A Warrant” Minondo def.

Michael “The Process” Shannon Michael “The Process” Shannon, a freshman from Keenan faced off-campus senior, Julian “Do You Have A Warrant” Minondo, in the 154-pound weight division.

Minondo stepped into the ring with confidence and executed the match with prowess and finesse. Shannon utilized his long reach and delivered a high caliber performance. Shannon matched many of Minondo’s hits in the first round. Minondo, however, had an electric performance through the entirety of the fight. Minondo’s strong offensive from the opening bell ultimately led him to a unanimous decision victory.

162 lbs.

Johnny Mettler

Link

def.

Kyle

Link, a sophomore from O’Neill, dominated the first round, beginning the match with an aggressive series of hits to Mettler’s head. This caused Mettler, a freshman from Alumni, to spend the first few minutes shielding his face from Link’s rapid-fire hits. Link continued his barrage of hits to Mettler’s head in the second round, though Mettler came out a bit stronger and managed to land some hits to Link’s body while ducking to avoid Link’s eye-level punches. Link continued his quick, repeated hits into the third round, eventually winning the match by unanimous decision.

Steven “Beefcake” Ramos def. Daniel “Mata Leao” Guerra Ramos, a Zahm senior, came out swinging and making contact with junior Guerra from Morrissey. Both Ramos and Guerra were hesitant at the beginning of the first round until some hooks were thrown.

Ramos actively moved around the ring while Guerra took a more defensive stance. Entering the second round, Guerra was able to throw some jabs but Ramos retaliated and pushed him against the ropes. Both fighters visibly tired toward the end of the fight, staggering in

the ring. Ramos continued to press Guerra against the ropes on multiple occasions. The final round started with Ramos delivering combos to the face and both eventually got locked in each other’s grip. Ramos won by unanimous decision.

Jack “Tomato Can” Feger def. Tom Bauer From the first round, Bauer, a sophomore from Fisher, came out with a bounce in his step. Feger, a Keough sophomore, met Bauer’s energy as he delivered a hook to the face and some powerful jabs to end the round. Entering the second round, Bauer kept ducking in an effort to dodge Feger’s hits, but Feger’s reach gave him the advantage. Bauer was able to throw in a few combinations, but Feger’s hooks were dangerous. During the final round, Feger was still calm and collected, pushing Bauer into the corner. With fatigue setting in, both Feger and Bauer started getting tangled in each other’s punches until the match was called. Feger won by unanimous decision.

Pat “Pickle Rick” Rafferty def. Trey “Red Baron” Greer Sophomore Rafferty from Duncan and junior Greer from Knott came out fast and throwing in quick combinations. Greer threw fast hooks and pushed Rafferty around the ring. Both Greer and Rafferty were more offenseoriented during the first round with little defense. During the second round, Greer delivered some jabs to the head, before they both got fatigued. The final round included Greer and Rafferty getting a bit sloppy, but Rafferty was able to shield himself and deliver more hits.

Rafferty had more energy to accurately land punches at the end, and he won by unanimous decision.

Tim Lesienring def. Jack “License to” Kill Senior Jack “License to” Kill from St. Edward’s came out fighting against sophomore Tim Leisenring from Morrissey. Although Kill was shorter, he attempted to get under Leisenring and deliver quick blows to the abdomen.

Leisenring had a reach advantage and kept Kill at arms length most of the time while directing him around the ring.

The second round involved both Kill and Leisenring being more cautious and defensive, but Leisenring took control again as he delivered combinations to Kill. The final round gave Kill an opportunity to throw in some jabs and hooks, but Leisenring’s height and reach allowed him to block a majority of them.

Leisenring won by unanimous decision.

Parker “Zika” Revers def.

Patrick Johnson Sophomore

Parker

“Zika”

Revers came out during the first round swinging and trying to hook Patrick Johnson, a freshman from Stanford.

Johnson was not as successful and had to lunge to deliver some jabs. As both eased into the round, Revers was able to sneak in a powerful hit the face and he continued to knock Johnson around. The second round was similar to the first round, as Revers used his reach to keep Johnson at arm’s length. At the same time Revers snuck in some more solid jabs. Johnson was mostly in a defensive stance, but he was able to get a rhythm and throw in some hooks. During the final round, Revers looked more stable while Johnson continued to lunge in efforts to deliver jabs. Both Revers and Johnson got tangled at the end due to fatigue, but Revers came out on top winning by unanimous decision.

Matthew “Likes To” Scherer def.

Dominic “April 18th” Angelotti The first round between Scherer, a senior from O’Neill Hall, and Angelotti, a senior from Carroll Hall, was a close contest, with Scherer appearing lighter footed and more aggressive. In the second, Scherer showed better stamina and was able to capitalise by connecting on more punches than his opponent. In the last frame, it became clear that fatigue had really kicked in for both fighters, with both only connecting on small volume of punches. Ultimately, Scherer’s work in the first two rounds was enough to get him a split decision victory over Angelotti.

Joey “Mrong” Quinones def. Noah “Libre” Furneri Keough senior Quinones came out early with quick and heavy punches against Sorin freshman Furneri. In the first

two rounds, Quinones was able to command the pace of the match and landed significantly more punches, but in the third Furneri was able to connect on a flurry of punches that caught Quinones off guard. This last round proved to be an actionfilled one, but Quinones’ domination in the first two rounds and ability to respond in the last round ensured his unanimous victory.

Jack “the Polish Hammer” Posluszny def. Luke Fraser The first round between Fraser, a freshman resident of Dunne, and Posluszny, sophomore from St. Edward’s, was a tight one, with both fighters taking measured approaches to the match. Posluszny was able to connect on a big hit early in the second round, a round in which the taller sophomore employed a relaxed fighting method that helped him save energy. By the third round, both fighters were visibly exhausted, resulting in a back-and-forth battle with few significant hits, but in the end, Posluszny was able to squeeze out the split decision victory over Fraser.

Tim “Boy Kid Wonder” Lawler def. Barry “Big Hoss” Lee Off-campus freshman Lawler came out of the gate with plenty of enthusiasm and energy in the first round against Lee, a freshman from Dillon. Lawler was able to land the majority of the punches in the opening round, while showcasing his agility by dodging a series of Lee’s punches. Lawler came into the second round in a controlled demeanour, which significantly slowed the pace of the match, but he still managed to command the round.

By the last round, the stamina of both fighters began noticeably waning with Lee unable to capitalise on his opponents

Paid Advertisement

Sports fatigue. Lawler, ultimately, took the fight in a unanimous decision.

Ian “Sparky” Waller def.

Peter Eckard Fisher sophomore Waller and O’Neill sophomore Eckard began the match with a close opening round in which neither fighter was able to take an early lead. The second round progressed similarly to the first until Waller landed a big hit on Eckard that brought him to the floor. Eckard was able to continue to fight after the fall and stood his ground for the rest of the round. Eckard did manage to come into the last round more aggressively, but was unable to land too many significant hits. After three rounds Waller earned the unanimous victory over Eckard.

165 lbs.

Patrick “Silky” Sullivan def.

William “Thor” Olafsson Sullivan, an off-campus sophomore, came out swinging and dominated the first two rounds, putting Olafsson, a freshman from Keenan, who struggled to gain a foothold in the match. In the third, Olafsson managed to get back in the fight, putting Olafsson on the back foot for most of the round. But it was too little, too late, and Sullivan won by unanimous decision.

Patrick English def. Nick “Rosee” Courtney Both fighters spent the preliminary period of the fight trying to find an opening. From the outset, both Zahm freshman Patrick English and his opponent — Fisher senior Nick Courtney — came out swinging.

Both were able to land solid hits on each other in the first round, with English escaping the round with a slight edge. English came out particularly aggressive at the start of the second round, landing more blows than he took. At the end of the round, he managed to escape from Courtney after he’d been pushed against the ropes, connecting on multiple punches in the process.

The third round contained very few lulls in the action, as English and Courtney each sought an advantage. English continued to hold the upper hand as he had all match, and won the bout by a unanimous decision.

Kenneth “The KGB” Bryson def. Jack Woodhull At the start of an incredibly hard-fought match, both Carroll sophomore Kenneth Bryson and Sorin sophomore Jack Woodhull came out swinging. The first round went very back and forth. Both fighters managed to land several solid hits, but neither was able to come away with anything resembling a clear advantage. The second round went much the same way, with many successful punches and few lulls in the action. Whenever either Bryson

ndsmcobserver.com | friday, february 16, 2018 | The Observer

the round ended. Salazar had to contend with some particularly aggressive attacks from Johnston at the beginning of the third round. Eventually, Salazar was able to connect with some more strong blows, and ended up winning by unanimous decision.

or Woodhull would seem to gain momentum, the other would connect on a series of successful strikes. Throughout the third round, both fighters seemed hit by fatigue, but the match very much continued its previous back-and-forth quality. After deliberation, Bryson was declared the split-decision winner.

178 lbs.

Nicholas “Bonsai Bob” Yano def. John Swift

Ishaan Goel def. Josef “JP” Hageman

This freshman-on-freshman bout between Keough’s Yano and St. Edward’s Swift began with an energy-filled Yano blitzing Swift with a flurry of blows. The script was mostly the same early on in the second round, but Swift came back with solid shots midway through the round, until Yano landed an uppercut to end the round. The final round resulted in a more balanced contest, with Yano connecting on a few more critical hits early in the round. Yano’s early round attacks eventually led to him coming through with the unanimous victory over Swift.

Goel, a sophomore from Dunne, dominated the first round, unleashing a flurry of hard hits to start the match.

Hageman, a senior from Keough, put up more of a fight in the second round, defending better than in the first but, Goel still got plenty of big hits on him. The third round started slow and ended slow with both competitors clearly exhausted by the end. But Goel’s long arms were just too much to overcome for Hageman, and he won by unanimous decision.

170 lbs.

Joseph “Z” Trzaska def.

Davis “The Dynasty” Lee Trzaska, a St. Edward’s junior had a strong start to the match, landing some punishing hits on Lee, a senior from Keough.

Davis’ mouthguard fell out in the first and twice in the second round, as Trzaksa delivered big hit after big hit, especially towards the end of the second round. Third round started off electric with both competitors delivering several big hits, but by the final bell the decision was clear, as Trzaska won by unanimous decision .

Patrick Iannelli def. Ryan “Rubby” Pierson Iannelli, a freshman from O’Neill, managed to land a big hit to the head on Pierson, a junior from Siegfried, which stunned him for much of the first round. Iannelli kept up the punishment with big hits in the second round, requiring Pierson to recover several times. While Pierson finally managed to return some hits in the final round, the final decision was clear, as Iannelli won by unanimous decision.

David “Doc” Salazar def. Steven “Schweaty Steve” Johnston During the first round, sophomore O’Neill resident David Salazar was able to successfully trap his opponent — Dillon freshman Steven Johnston — by the ropes multiple times, landing numerous blows in the process. While Johnston found himself eventually able to escape, this set a pattern for the rest of the match. Round 2 progressed in a similar fashion. Johnston was forced to the ropes multiple times again, this time with his back against the side of the ring as

Matthew “Beef” Dodig def.

Dominic Noel The match unfortunately had to end early after Noel, a sophomore from O’Neill dislocated his shoulder during the contest, and Dodig, a senior from Stanford, advanced through the referee stoppage.

Mark “He Need Some Milk” Chaikovsky def.

Matt “Money Baby” Cyrs Chaikovsky, a senior from Keenan, started off well, landing strong hits on Cyrs in the first round. The second round started with both fighters exchanging big hits. Towards the end of the round, Chaikovsky had Cyrs on the ropes. In the third round, the sophomore from St. Edwards started off the round with a huge hit to Chaikovsky that suddenly shifted the momentum. Cyrs took control of the round and trapped Chaikovsky on the ropes, desperately trying to recover. But in the end, the judges awarded Chaikovsky a split decision.

Chris “tmas” Lembo def.

“Dirty Dan” Martin Chris Lembo landed the match’s first hits, and had a clear advantage from the start. The Siegfried sophomore made effective attacks throughout the first round.

Early on, he was largely able to block and parry the strikes made by his opponent, offcampus graduate student Dan Martin. Martin came out swinging in the second round, trapping Lembo in the corner and by the ropes at multiple times in the fight.

Nevertheless, Lembo continued to land solid hits as well, still appearing to hold an advantage as the penultimate round came to a close. Neither fighter let up in the third round, but it became increasingly difficult for Martin to avoid and respond to Lembo’s

attacks. Ultimately, Lembo was able to secure the victory through unanimous decision.

Grant “G-Dawg” Barthelmes def. Shane “Right on Time” Ryan Neither fighter was able to come away with an overwhelming advantage after the first round, as neither Dunne freshman Grant Barthelmes or Knott senior Shane Ryan could manage to strike his opponent consistently. Barthelmes appeared to pull away as the second round progressed, as Ryan struggled to find a reliable answer to his fast-paced attacks.

Ryan did not relent in the third round, opening the period with a series of particularly aggressive blows. Barthelmes responded with strikes of his own, resulting in a relatively even third round by the time the bell rang. At the end, it was announced that Barthelmes was the split-decision victor.

Charlie “Tigger” Puntillo def.

Bo “Stonewall” Heatherman Shortly after the first round began, freshman Knott resident Bo Heatherman let off a series of aggressive jabs, forcing O’Neill junior Charlie Puntillo into a corner early. Puntillo fought his way out, and much of the rest of the round passed with the fighters standing apart from one another, seeking to find an opportune moment to strike. In the second round, the action unfolded in a similar way. Both fighters kept their distance for much of the time, but this time Puntillo landed some strong blows on Heatherman as the round came to a close.

The third round was a relatively even contest. Both Heatherman and Puntillo made some solid contact, and the fighters were more offense-minded than they had been for the rest of the bout. While neither boxer had a glaring advantage at the end, Puntillo was declared the splitdecision victor.

186 lbs.

James “The Implication” Fraser def. “Pope” Francis Schickel Schickel, a sophomore from Knott, went straight for Fraser to start the match, but the off-campus senior held him off for most of the first round.

Fraser started off the second round with a hot start, and Schickel went down in the second round towards the end, prompting the referee to start a 10-count. Schickel made it on to the third round, but Fraser dominated the third round, prompting the ref to stop the fight early and give the decision to Fraser.

Eric “Cheese Sandwich” Requet def. Thomas “Hogville USA” Wine Requet, a sophomore from Sorin, started off hot, but Wine absorbed the onslaught and countered, delivering big hits

15

and dodging his opponent’s in the first round. Requet finished the first round strong however, keeping the freshman from O’Neill on the ropes. The second round started off well defensively for Wine, but Requet had him tied on the ropes for much of the round. Wine took a tumble in the third round but, got right back up without referee interference. But Wine was visibly exhausted by all of Eric’s big hits, and in the end the winner was clear, as Requet won by unanimous decision.

Bryce Tournat def. Brian “String Veen” Veenstra From the beginning of the fight, Keough freshman Bryce Tournat seemed to have the upper hand over fellow Keough resident and senior Brian Veenstra. Tournat connected on several strikes from the opening bell, and Veenstra had to fight hard to block and respond to his attacks. At the beginning of the second round, Veenstra was forced into a corner, with Tournat landing strong blows in the process. While most of the rest of the second round was spent with the two fighters standing apart from each other, Tournat often got the better of the brief exchanges they had.

Veenstra stayed aggressive in the third round, but Tournat was still able to connect on more of his punches than his opponent. Tournat was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

Daniel “Baby Alpaca” Duran def. Matthew “Big Red” Sloan Both fighters came out swinging in the first round, each connecting on some solid blows throughout the round.

Senior Keenan resident Daniel Duran initially appeared to have a slight advantage over his opponent, O’Neill freshman Matthew Sloan, but he pulled ahead more significantly in the round’s waning moments. Sloan found himself very much on the defensive at the beginning of the second round, but he managed to even out the contest with several strong strikes of his own as the round continued. As the third round opened, the outcome of the contest was still in doubt.

In spite of fatigue, Duran and Sloan continued to show the sort of aggressiveness that had characterized the whole match, but Duran eventually secured a palpable advantage.

At the fight’s conclusion, Duran was declared the split decision victor.

Contact Daniel O’Boyle at doboyle1@nd.edu, Abby Piper at apiper2@nd.edu, Adrianna Fazio at afazio1@nd.edu, Meagan Bens at mbens@nd.edu, Micaela Powers at mpowers4@nd.edu, Carlos De Loera at cdeloera@nd.edu, Charlie Ortega Guifarro at cortegag@nd.edu and Peter Baltes at pbaltes@nd.edu.

16

The observer | friday, february 16, 2018 | ndsmcobserver.com

nd Women’s Basketball | ND 83, Virginia 69

Men’s basketball

Irish still vying for NCAA spot

By MAREK MAZUREK Assistant Managing Editor

Since the start of ACC play, Notre Dame has been in a dogfight tr y ing to scratch its way into the NCA A tournament.

Many commentators and pundits have counted the Irish out at multiple points in the past month, but Mike Brey’s squad has managed to tread water and avoid mathematical elimination from March Madness.

Over the last week, the Irish picked up two straight w ins over Boston College and Florida State, before collapsing against North Carolina on the road.

Now sitting at 5-8 in the ACC, Notre Dame has to find a way to get to 9-9 and hope it has an ACC tournament run in it. A 9-9 ACC slate w ith two ACC tournament w ins might be just enough to conv ince the selection committee of Notre Dame’s value. Any thing

less would be a hard sell.

And w ith a matchup against No. 1 Virginia at the end of the conference regular season, that makes ever y game a must-w in for the Irish (15-11, 5-8 ACC).

The next test for the Irish: a rematch w ith Boston College.

Less than two weeks ago, the Irish bested the Eagles (16-10, 6-7 ACC) at Purcell Pav ilion 96-85, behind a 22-point first half by sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs.

Senior for ward Martinas Geben, senior guard Matt Farrell and junior guard Rex Pf lueger all chipped in double-digit contributions as the Irish scored their highest point total in ACC play.

But Notre Dame’s offensive outburst against the Eagles masked some defensive deficiencies. Notre Dame allowed Boston College to score 85 points see M BBALL PAGE 10

Ogunbowale, Shepard hit 1,500-point milestone

By ALEX BENDER Sports Writer

On Thursday night in Charlottesv ille, Virginia, No. 5 Notre Dame continued its impressive play as of late, defeating the Cavaliers by a score of 83-69. After opening up the game on a 20-2 run, the Irish (24-2, 12-1 ACC) were able to control the game the rest of the way to earn their ninthstraight v ictor y.

In the early going, Notre Dame made its presence know n on the inside as Muffet McGraw’s squad attacked the basket and hit four of its first five shots. By the end of the first quarter, the Irish led 2711, and they only extended that lead in the second quarter. Leading the way early on in the second was junior for ward Jessica Shepard, who scored the team’s first eight points in the period, part of her 15 on the night. Notre Dame led 3716 just midway through the see W BBALL PAGE 11

bengal bouts

SARAH OLSON | The Observer

Irish junior guard Arike Ogunbowale dribbles up the court during Notre Dame’s 94-62 home win over North Carolina on Feb. 1.

nd Women’s lacrosse

88th annual Bengal Bouts Notre Dame looks begin with preliminaries for first win

By DANIEL O’BOYLE, ABBY PIPER, ADRIANNA FAZIO, MICAELA POWERS, CARLOS DE LOERA, MEAGAN BENS, PETER BALTES and CHARLIE ORTEGA GUIFARRO

Observer Sports Staff

Sports Writers

141 lbs.

Thomas “The Dank Engine” Walsh def. Justin “Hardly Know Her” Isner Walsh, a Keenan Hall sophomore, landed the first punches of the opening round to Isner’s head, but it did not take long for Isner, a Morrissey sophomore, to take charge of the fight, forcing Walsh into a corner and dominating most of the first round. Walsh worked his way back into the fight in a more evenly-matched second round, frequently broken up by the referee.

Despite appearing to have the advantage entering the third round, Isner started the round with great aggression, see BOUTS PAGE 12

KATELYN VALLEY | The Observer

Justin “Hardly Know Her” Isner, left, faces Thomas “The Dank Engine” Walsh during during the first round of Bengal Bouts.

After a 13-11 defeat to Boston College last weekend, No. 16 Notre Dame will hope to earn its first wins of the 2018 season with a two-game trip to Florida this weekend, playing two games within 24 hours.

The Irish (0-1, 0-1 ACC) will play Jacksonville on Friday before a quick turnaround and a game against Stetson on Saturday.

The Dolphins (1-0) are relative newcomers to the sport, with their program beginning in 2010, but have already made a considerable impact.

Since moving to the Atlantic Sun conference in 2013, Jacksonville has compiled a 33-1 regular-season conference record, winning their first 31 regular-season games in the conference before a defeat to Coastal Carolina last year. The Dolphins have also won the Atlantic Sun tournament in four of its five years of existence, including last season, and have won

the regular season title every year since 2013. However, despite the frequent NCAA tournament appearances that Jacksonville’s domination of their conference has provided, the Dolphins have yet to win a game at the NCAA tournament, losing 13-10 to USC last year after falling into an early 8-1 hole.

The Dolphins have attempted to take that next step in recent years by scheduling a slate of major-conference opponents in out-of-conference games, including a meeting with the Irish in 2016, in which Notre Dame recorded its largest home victory since 2011, winning 18-5 behind an 11-0 run. This year, after a victory over an also-young Michigan program, the Dolphins will follow their encounter with the Irish by facing No. 3 Florida and Ohio State in an effort to test themselves before conference season.

The Dolphins have lost a see W LAX PAGE 10