Print Edition for The Observer for Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Fr. Dowd gives TED Talk on civility, sustainability New Keough School dean outlines goals
By GRACE TADAJWESKI
Associate News Editor
On Monday and Tuesday evenings on Library Lawn, the Notre Dame Ethics Initiative and the Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good sponsored “Fr. TED Talks: Ideas from the Catholic Social Tradition That We Find Inspiring.” The two-day event was held as part of the 202425 Notre Dame Forum: What Do We Owe Each Other?
To conclude the TED Talkstyle speaker series, University President Fr. Robert Dowd spoke
Coach McGraw speaks to CDems
By ANNELISE DEMERS
Associate News Editor
Serving as Notre Dame’s women basketball coach from 1987 until 2020 and garnering 930 career wins and two NCAA championships, Muffet McGraw has long been a celebrated figure in women’s sports. Recently, however, she has turned her attention to advocating for social justice, women’s rights and democratic engagement, she explained during an event hosted by College Democrats Monday night on public figures in the political spotlight.
McGraw acknowledged she was not always politically active.
“I wasn’t really involved in politics at all until Trump got elected,” she said. “For a lot of people like me, you voted every four years for president, and that was pretty much it, but I realized it’s what happens at the local levels that’s so important.”
During her last years of coaching, McGraw sought to emphasize her focus on political issues to her team.
“I started watching less ESPN and more CNN,” she
By DOMINIC SEMENTILLI News Writer
When now dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs, Mary Gallagher, was invited by Provost John McGreevy to conduct an external review of the Keough School for Asia and Asian Studies, Notre Dame’s values stood out to her.
with her professional focus and desire to contribute meaningfully to global issues.
That initial review would prove to be a jumping-off point for Gallagher’s future career at Notre Dame. In July, Gallagher took over as the dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs. Gallagher succeeded Scott Appleby, after he stepped down in June, following the end of second his five-year term.
Gallagher’s pathway to international relations began at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she
said. “I wanted to help my team understand what was happening in the world beyond sports.”
This focus culminated in 2018 when the Notre Dame women’s basketball team voted to decline a White House invitation after their championship win — although an invitation never came.
“In 2001, it was an incredible experience to visit the White House, but in 2018, the team just didn’t feel right about it. That was big,” McGraw said.
McGraw argued public figures, athletes and artists have a moral responsibility to leverage their influence to create social change. She described the choices of prominent public figures such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé to publicly support liberal political causes as “courageous.” Conversely, McGraw also expressed disappointment in those who avoid political statements for fear of losing fans or endorsements. She referenced Michael Jordan’s well-known quote, “Republicans buy my shoes too,” describing it as outdated in today’s climate.
see MCGRAW PAGE 3 see TALK PAGE 3
“I was immediately struck by Notre Dame’s strategic vision and commitment to themes like democracy, sustainability, and integral human development,” she said. The University’s emphasis on these values, particularly as a Catholic institution, resonated
Senate rejects Knott impeachment, fee increase
By ZACH POHLMAN, LIAM PRICE and GRACE TADAJWESKI Staff Writer, Viewpoint Editor and Associate News Editor
In a tense Wednesday meeting, the student body senate voted on a bill of impeachment regarding Knott Hall senator John Knott and an order to increase the student activity fee from $95 to $140. Both measures failed.
The meeting, held in a classroom on the first floor of the Mendoza College of Business, was stuffed with students. One could be forgiven for thinking all of Knott Hall
attended Wednesday’s meeting in support of their hall senator. Knott stood out: he was dressed for the meeting in a bright neon orange suit to match his constituent dorm’s signature color.
“We’re here to support our senator John Knott,” sophomore Colin Larson said ahead of the meeting. Larson, Knott’s roommate, felt that the hearings were “a big show of power.”
At 5:22 p.m., about 30 additional Knott residents entered the senate floor and joined their earlier counterparts, wearing neon orange beanies and Knott Hall crewnecks,
with their signature Marion Knott portrait in-hand.
“I’m here because there’s been a great injustice on our campus, and the freedom of speech of one John Knott is under threat,” freshman Aidan Pacholec, a Baumer Hall resident, said.
Pacholec entered the meeting with a speaker in hand and a patriotic tie around his neck. While Pacholec greeted Knott with a handshake and wails of “Born in the USA” from his speaker, Pacholec reported he was not a see KNOTT PAGE 4
GRACE TADAJWESKI | The Observer
University President Fr. Robert Dowd spoke on “twin crises” with a shared solution in awareness,, spirituality and positive change.
GRAY NOCJAR | The Observer
Knott Hall senator John Knott asks a question during the debate on the bill of his impeachment. The senate meeting was packed with Knott Hall residents and other students hoping to show their support.
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 editor@ndsmcobserver.com so we can correct our error.
Caroline
Jason Marrs freshman Dillon Hall “Zero.” Catherine
Kirby
Lilly Martin freshman Regina Hall “One.”
Juan Becdach sophomore Dillon Hall “Negative three.”
A tent was set up for Fr. Ted Talks on Library Lawn on Tuesday Oct. 29. The two day festival on “Ideas from the Catholic Social Tradition That We Find Inspiring” featured short keynotes from University President Fr. Robert Dowd and the Notre Dame community. Want your event
Wednesday
Navigating “Cold War 2.0”
1030 Jenkins Nanovic
12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Derek J. Mitchell on the election and China.
Beyond “Eternal Hatred”
Eck Auditorium
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Magda Teter on nature of antisemitism.
Thursday
Matthews Byzantine Lecture
715 Hesburgh Library
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Marcus Plested on theology of history.
Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” DPAC
7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Theater with actors from London Stage.
Friday
Notre Dame Chorale DPAC
8:00 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.
Choral masterpieces from the Renaissance to 20th century.
Día de los Muertos
Information Technology Center 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Celebration with ofrenda and activities.
Saturday
Notre Dame Hockey
Compton Family Ice Arena
6:00 p.m.
Notre Dame takes on Wisconsin.
Notre Dame volleyball
Purcell Pavilion 6:00 p.m.
Notre Dame faces off against Louisville.
Sunday
Film: “Coco” DPAC
1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Animated Disney movie celebrating Día de los Muertos.
on “twin crises” of civility and sustainability and their shared solution in awareness, spirituality, intention and positive change.
The event was hosted by the young alumni and current student program director for the Notre Dame Alumni Association Iliana Contreras. In addition to Dowd’s speech, four speakers spoke each evening, including four current undergraduate students.
On Tuesday, Monica Caponigro, a senior majoring in film, television and theatre, kicked off the evening with an emphasis on the idea of “yes, and.”
She was followed by Alex Sejdinaj ‘15, who is the founder of the South Bend Code School, South Bend Code Works and GiveGrove. Sejdinaj discussed her career discernment process, centering on a conversation she had with her Notre Dame academic adviser.
According to Sejdinaj, her adviser encouraged her to pursue her passions, be patient and be open.
“This all started because my adviser shared what she had,” Sejdinaj said, while reflecting on her current position working in South Bend. “She showed me the power of sharing what we have with others.”
After referencing 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Sejdinaj portrayed the advice her adviser gave her as an example of love’s power and pointed to love as a source for both
challenge and transformation.
“Love is turning outward instead of turning inward,” Sejdinaj said. “It’s asking how can I serve you instead of what can you do for me.”
Also acknowledging the need for love, Meera Bhakta, a junior majoring in science pre-professional studies, connected her experiences creating video interviews with family members and researching women and breast cancer in Ethiopia. Bhakta said the two are aligned in being opportunities to openly receive the stories of others.
“When we bring compassion into our work with others, we are able to recognize them as whole people and not just data points,” Bhakta said.
According to Bhakta, she cannot change others’ experiences, such as arranged marriages or a mastectomy without consent, but she can, “listen with empathy and respond with love.”
Concluding the speaker section of the two-day event, Dowd delivered a roughly 20-minute talk on the crises in civility and sustainability and the underlying cause which connects the two topics.
Dowd began by discussing a dumpsite in Dandora, Nairobi, Kenya, where approximately 200,000 people reside. According to Dowd, over 2,000 tons of garbage are dumped there every day by rich people in Nairobi who care for little the people and land of Dandora.
“Wherever convenience, profit and pleasure reign supreme, they are death dealing,” Dowd said.
In light of this issue, Dowd highlighted three core themes of Catholic social teaching as human responsibilities: life and dignity of the human person, rights and responsibilities and care for God’s creation. Dowd then said humans must be aware of their problems, one of them being incivility in a “diverse and plural society.”
“We’ve drifted into demonizing one another,” Dowd said. “We’ve drifted into labeling one another in ways that prevent us from addressing problems that we all face.”
According to Dowd, these problems are worsened by social media and cable news. Furthering the discussion on the lack of civility, Dowd said advances in technology have driven people to loneliness and isolation in virtual communities rather than “flesh and blood” communities.
“We tend to be so attached to our devices that we’re more connected to them than we are to the people around us,” Dowd said.
Dowd noted these technological advances have also fueled the sustainability crisis, beginning with the Industrial Revolution. These technological tools can be used to “plunder” creation or “protect” it, Dowd said.
“So the question then becomes, how can we develop more wisdom?” Dowd said. “How can we develop the kind of collective maturity that will help us to use our technology in ways that humanize, in ways that make our world more just?”
Acknowledging the context of the University, Dowd called upon students to be more aware of their surroundings, take challenging courses and engage with others. Dowd next urged listeners to take time for reflection and spirituality despite busy“We’re part of a society where consumption sometimes gets the best of us,” Dowd said. “A culture of consumption seems to be consuming us.”schedules.
“We’re part of a society where consumption sometimes gets the best of us,” Dowd said. “A culture of consumption seems to be consuming us.”
While Dowd said it is good to be busy, he also said being busy without taking time to reflect can lead to feeling lost and, using Pope Francis’s words, experiencing a “spiritual identity crisis.”
“We have forgotten who we are in the eyes of God,” Dowd said. “We have forgotten who we are and how much we depend on each other and on the non-human created order around us.”
Dowd next said humans must align their actions with intentions. He recognized the difference between outer freedom and inner freedom to demonstrate the way humans should behave.
Dowd wrote in his presentation, inner freedom is the “extent to which people … make sacrifices for each other, including future generations,” in contrast to outer freedom which outlines rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Self restraint and self
discipline are at the root of inner freedom, Dowd said.
“For Christians, the greatest example, the model, the great model for inner freedom is Jesus who sacrifices for the sake of others, even those who crucified him, and he invites others to join in this inner freedom,” Dowd said.
After emphasizing the need to live aligned with a larger purpose, Dowd moved on to his final action step: to promote change in positive ways. Dowd said change must be promoted within culture and policy, not just within each person.
Dowd then referenced his heroes, Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. While he acknowledged that neither was perfect, both “moved the needle in a more humane and just direction, in a more civil direction.”
Dowd finally acknowledged his hope that Notre Dame as a place for research, teaching and learning makes the world more humane, civil and sustainable.
“Notre Dame is a place where we really believe that spirituality is important, and hopefully everybody here at Notre Dame feels an invitation to get in touch with the spiritual, that deepest part of ourselves that calls us to turn outward in service of others in ways that make the world more civil and sustainable, humane and just,” Dowd said.
Contact Grace Tadajweski at gtadajwe@nd.edu
initially set her sights on studying French. However, an unexpected detour caused the course of her academic career to shift, she explained in an interview with The Observer.
“During my freshman year, I took a class about China that captivated me,” Gallagher said.
This newfound interest led her to shift her focus to Chinese language and politics, setting the stage for a career that would allow her to navigate the challenges of global affairs.
Her academic pursuits brought her to China during a pivotal historical moment — the summer and fall of 1989, shortly after the Tiananmen Square protests.
“That experience shaped my understanding of political dynamics and the importance of human rights issues,” Gallagher said.
Following her time in China, she spent several years in Japan before earning a Ph.D. in Chinese politics from Princeton in 1993. Since then, her career has encompassed a diverse range of roles, including consulting for the World Bank, advising on labor conditions with Apple and working with the State Department.
With her new role as dean, Gallagher has laid out a set of ambitious goals for the Keough School. She said her foremost objective is to enhance
coordination and collaboration among the nine institutes and centers that comprise the school, ensuring that they work hand in hand to amplify their collective impact.
“Each institute has its unique strengths, and by fostering collaboration, we can elevate the profile of both established and newer programs,” Gallagher explained.
In addition to enhancing internal collaboration, Gallagher aims to raise the Keough School’s profile as a premier choice for students pursuing a master’s degree in global affairs.
“We want to be recognized not just nationally, but globally, as a leading institution for the study of global issues,” she said.
This includes expanding the school’s presence in Washington, D.C., where both students and faculty can engage directly with policy work.
Another one of Gallagher’s key priorities is identifying specific regions and areas of focus for the University’s global engagement and partnerships. Currently, the Keough School has a robust global presence, with faculty and programs engaged in Africa, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and Asia. Notable collaborations include work by the Kroc Institute in Colombia and the Philippines and initiatives by the Kellogg Institute in Latin America.
“Aligning our efforts with faculty research and strategic partnerships will be crucial in
ensuring that Notre Dame’s contributions resonate globally,” she said.
Gallagher is also a committed advocate for study-abroad experiences.
“Students should seek opportunities that push them out of their comfort zones,” she said.
Gallagher stressed that Notre Dame, as a Catholic university, has a unique role to play in fostering civil dialogue and addressing political polarization, particularly in the United States.
“We have an opportunity to leverage our reputation as a research institution that welcomes diverse perspectives,” she said.
The Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion’s efforts to bring together individuals from various faiths exemplifies this mission, Gallagher said, stressing her desire to build on these foundations to promote ethical research and dialogue.
Gallagher offered her advice to students considering a future career in global affairs.
“Learning a language other than English is critical,” she insisted, highlighting how language skills enhance direct communication and cultural understanding. Additionally, she underscored the importance of historical context in grounding research, noting that understanding past conflicts is vital for addressing contemporary issues.
Contact Dominic Sementilli at dsementi@nd.edu
McGraw also encouraged gender equity in politics and pointed to the success of women running in political races this election cycle.
“There’s such strong women running, even here in Indiana,” she said, in reference to the increasing number of women entering politics since 2016.
Having retired from coaching, McGraw now teaches a sports leadership class at the Mendoza College of Business. Reflecting on her current position, McGraw shared she was originally hesitant to apply for the role, feeling under-qualified, despite her capabilities.
“My husband practically had to push me to apply,” she said. “But men don’t hesitate — they just go for it with half the qualifications.”
She emphasized the importance of confidence and self-belief, particularly for women who often feel they must meet all criteria before applying for a role.
McGraw also argued that gender bias still exists in the hiring of college sports coaches, noting that only 40% of women’s teams are led by female coaches.
“This is why we need to empower each other,” she said.
She praised the effectiveness of networking among men and urged women to adopt similar strategies.
For students seeking ways to become more politically active, McGraw encouraged getting involved in any way, even by simply wearing a shirt that conveys messages they believe in.
“You can’t sit this one out,” she said. “If someone isn’t doing what you’re doing on the level that you’re doing it, their opinion shouldn’t matter.”
McGraw recalled a moment from 2014 when her team wore shirts with the words “I Can’t Breathe” written on them to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, prompting backlash from some fans and supporters of law enforcement. When asked what motivated her team to wear the shirts, McGraw explained it stemmed from a desire to foster an environment where players felt empowered and educated on social justice issues.
“Sports are a microcosm,” she said, “We role model how different people can work together. We’re all about diversity. We had so many different people — LGBTQ, black, white, and so we’re showing people how to get along and be a team. We are trying to kind of show the rest of society how to do that.”
Contact Annelise Demers at ademers@nd.edu
friend of Knott.
“Well now I am, I shook his hand just minutes ago, but I heard about this on Fizz, and I decided I had to be here because I am a first amendment absolutist,” Pacholec said.
Judicial council president Hunter Brooke brought forth the council’s impeachment case against Knott Hall senator John Knott for alleged misconduct in an email he sent out to Knott Hall residents.
Knott’s email was a recap of his dorm’s hall council meeting sent out to the Knott Hall listserv in his role as Knott Hall secretary, containing a complaint from Knott about the same student activity fee increase debated later in Wednesday’s meeting.
“I haven’t read the Bible much but I’m pretty sure taxation without representation is a cardinal sin,” Knott wrote. “(Student body president) Dawson Kiser and his gimps want your money and we aren’t giving it to them. If someone else wants to selfimmolate on the senate floor next Wednesday let me know.”
In a packet also including the complaint and a copy of the email, the student union ethics commission argued that Knott violated Article XIII, Section 1(b)(1) of the student union constitution.
The ethics commission cited the article’s definitions of “misconduct” in their argument that Knott committed “willful injury to the good name of the student union,” “incompetent or negligent performance,” “hindrance of the student union or any of its legitimate endeavors” and an action “deemed unbecoming of the senate.”
In the questioning stage of the bill, Knott repeatedly asked Brooke why he did not recuse himself from the impeachment process, to which Brooke claimed there was no
“conflict of interest” apparent to him or anyone else on the ethics commission. Other members of the senate were similarly skeptical about Brooke’s impartiality.
“Just the presence of someone with authority and power being at the meeting and heading the meeting makes it so the findings of that position, at least in my view, would not and could not be impartial,” Keenan Hall senator Matthew Amante said. “To me, that would be the same as if John Knott were chairing this meeting.”
Brooke later added he had never considered how his involvement in the case would have been perceived by others.
“I do want to make it abundantly clear to you all that I have no personal vendetta against John,” Brooke said.
In the complaint form, the accuser responded “Maybe” when asked if the behavior merited impeachment. The complaint was evaluated by the ethics commission, which convened Oct. 13 and is composed of randomly selected student union members from each branch.
According to Brooke, the ethics commission voted unanimously in favor of advancing the impeachment proceedings to a vote in the senate.
Carroll Hall senator Alex Mitchell asked if the email sent to Knott residents “was not tongue and cheek.”
“Even if it was tongue and cheek, it was nonetheless inappropriate and unbecoming of a student senator,” Brooke said.
When asked where the ethics commission draws the line between appropriate criticism and slander, Brooke reported two lines were drawn. The first “hard line” was drawn on account of the use of what was determined to be a slur, and the second “soft line” was drawn on account of distributing misleading information on senate
proceedings, whether intentional or unintentional.
Alumni Hall senator James Baird yielded his time in debate to Clay Chauncey, a junior in Knott Hall and Knott’s predecessor as both Knott Hall senator and secretary, who spoke about the nature of the hall government emails sent out to residents.
“There’s a very long standing tradition that these emails be satirical … because we have found that this is the only way to get people to actually read the email,” Chauncey said. “And to be quite frank, John’s words were kinder than some of the comments we got in our hall gov. meeting.”
In the debate, Mitchell expressed frustration with a claim Brooke made during questioning, that the ethics commission decided impeachment for Knott was appropriate over a public apology for the reason that a public apology “would certainly be inappropriate” given “the severity of the act.”
“I find it amusing that [the ethics commission is] able to decide whether a public apology is tongue in cheek, and are unable to decide whether this email is tongue in cheek,” Mitchell said.
A motion to make the vote closed and private for senators failed after a few minutes of debate.
A motion to move out of debate was made at 6:34 p.m., over an hour after the meeting began. At this time, Knott Hall residents and John Knott supporters standing around the room joined in arms.
In the end, only two senators ended up voting to advance the impeachment to a hearing. Following student body vice president Maeve Miller’s statement about the letter failing, the room erupted in applause and cheers from Knott Hall residents as John Knott — who exited for the debate proceedings — walked back into the room.
Knott’s attempt at a celebratory handshake with parliamentarian Thomas Musgrave was rejected.
The second issue of importance in Wednesday meetings was the proposal to increase the student activity fee by $45. The order was coauthored by Brooke, Musgrave and Club Coordination Council president Anna Teerlinck. Kiser and ten others sponsored the bill as well.
Teerlinck noted the Club Coordination Council has a deficit of $1.3 million in monetary requests from clubs, and the bill would put a $200,000 dent into that deficit.
Earlier, Molly Swartz stated the total cost of Notre Dame attendance today is $86,000 compared to the $42,000 cost of attendance for the 2006-2007 year, the time in which the $45 activity fee was originally set.
“When events get more expensive, it favors those who can pay to go,” Musgrave said.
Musgrave said he was swayed to support this bill on account of “equity.” The bill would allocate more funding to dorm signature events and clubs.
Duncan Hall rector Nic Schoppe attended the meeting to argue in favor of the bill. He cited his past experience with residential life, the student activity cost at peer institutions and the current financial situation of Duncan Hall, stating the money provided by the activities fee is important for students who want to attend signature events but cannot.
“My job is to advocate for students and make sure that they’re able to equitably access a lot of things the dorm does,” Schoppe said. “I don’t want to see a Notre Dame that ostracizes students based on financial need from being able to go to these events.”
Applause followed Schoppe’s words.
“In my mind first, I really believe it’s best for Notre Dame students because we’re seeing things like
increase in SUB ticket prices, we’re seeing things like increased club dues and on all these things,” Kiser said. “So basically, this will allow for these things to be cheaper and more accessible to students, without students necessarily paying more for their tuition.”
According to director of financial aid Mary Nucciarone, the University “will continue to meet full demonstrated financial need.” Since any increase in fees would not change the estimated family contribution, financial aid would have likely covered the expense. Kiser said he would not have supported the bill if the additional cost was not going to be covered by financial aid.
Many argued for more transparency about how the extra funds would be allocated. Additionally, several called for the need for a student body referendum to discern students’ opinion on the bill.
“The reason why I am so strong against this bill is because there is actually absolutely no transparency on behalf of us in terms of expressing this to the entire student body,” Knott said.
Miller responded to Knott’s comment with a reminder to the senate of their role in knowing their constituency.
“I know inflation exists, holy cow, but I want to know how much is this going to impact each student?” offcampus senator Ian Schowe said. “Can we go to ‘X’ more events? Can ‘X’ more students be involved in these clubs?”
Despite the best efforts of Kiser and others, the measure was not passed. The order required a twothirds majority to pass, and the result was 20 in favor and 12 against with two abstentions.
Contact Zach Pohlman at zpohlma2@nd.edu, Liam Price at lprice3@nd.edu and Grace Tadajweski at gtadajwe@nd.edu.
Saint Mary’s library receives Dickens collection
By AYNSLEE DELLACCA
Saint Mary’s News Editor
On Sept. 19, the Saint Mary’s Cushwa-Leighton Library received a call from one of the sons of Lenore Hennebry Madden ‘61 who said he had three boxes of donations from his mother to give to the library. According to librarian Jill Hobgood ‘83, they would’ve never guessed what was in those boxes: stacks of first-edition Charles Dickens’ books, as well as letters, drawings and books from Dickens’ own private collection.
“This was a very lovely gift from an alum … And it is not only a wonderful gift, it’s really going to enrich the class life of the English department,” Hobgood said.
She explained the English department uses books from the library’s rare book collection often for their classes, which will be the new home for these novels.
Some of the titles within the donation include “A Christmas Carol,” “Bleakhouse,” “Little Dorrit,”
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” “American Notes” and “Pictures from Italy.” English professor and
director of the writing and tutoring center Jennifer Juskiewicz ‘09 is particularly excited to show students these sources as both books and as a part of publishing history.
“I think something that people don’t always realize about things like first editions is they’re not just, you know, an early printing of the story, but they’re also a representation of the period in which they were made,” Juskiewicz said.
“They’re cultural objects … so there were ads for all sorts of products that they were trying to sell at the time … by being able to engage with these objects, they show what material culture was like and how it was interacting with what we now see as canonical, untouchable texts.”
According to Hobgood, Madden was a librarian herself and had collected these Dickens items over the course of her lifetime.
“The family remembered that she had always wanted them to come here, so they called us. It was unsolicited; the daughter called us and said, ‘Mom had these books, and she always wanted them to go to you. Would you like them?’ They
fit beautifully in our collection,” Hobgood said.
Hobgood said Madden’s daughter, Lenore Madden McCarter ‘88, dropped off additional boxes of rare books or collectible items the next week for the library.
McCarter said her mother had always planned to donate her collection to Saint Mary’s in gratitude and love for her alma mater.
“[Madden] hoped SMC would use the books she loved to teach about Dickens, the Victorian Era and the social disparity he depicted. She made the gift because her heart has always been at Saint Mary’s College. She trusted the library to care for the collection but in the end she knew the books should be used to teach, not sit on a shelf,” McCarter said.
Madden studied English at Saint Mary’s and lived in Holy Cross and Le Mans Halls. She married John Madden ‘59 in 1961 and had five children, three of whom are Notre Dame alumni, and one a Saint Mary’s alumna. She is survived by her children and 17 grandchildren, including four Notre Dame alumni.
“Mom’s appreciation of Charles Dickens stemmed from her love of a well crafted novel, her appreciation of his precise character development and his social commentary,” McCarter said. “Her collection started when our father gifted her a first edition for Christmas one year … Annual trips to the Goodman Theatre to see “A Christmas Carol” and even a visit to The Old Curiosity Shop were her way of making sure we all learned about the characters she loved so much.”
Once cataloged, the entire collection of books and other paraphernalia will be available to students and visitors to view and study by appointment with the library. According to Hobgood, the library tries to have a “living rare book collection that actively supports classes and student work, in addition to being cared for and preserved for future use.”
Hobgood explained the College’s collection of rare books stems from donations from alumnae or sisters from the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, and explained some of these donations have made the collection quite
notable.
“We have one of the best collections of Dante in the country … it was given mostly as a gift by the family of one of the sisters in her honor,” Hobgood said.
Juskiewicz pointed out, however, that the library doesn’t currently have a dedicated space for using the rare book collection, which is on the library’s wish list for funding.
“Saint Mary’s doesn’t currently have a good place to engage with our rare books collection because they built the ARO [Accessibility Resource Office] downstairs. So, it would be lovely to have a place where we could more easily have students and visitors engage with our entire rare book collection, and it would be lovely for it to be in this building,” Juskiewicz said.
Hobgood expressed gratitude and appreciation for the gift on behalf of the library and the College, calling the donation “a lovely legacy to their mother and an appreciation of her knowledge and passion for literature.”
Contact Aynslee Dellacaa at adellacca01@saintmarys.edu
A sophomore’s guide to apartment living
Sophia Anderson Transfer Tales
When I found out I would be moving into an apartment, I assumed I was ready. After all, my hometown friends have lived in apartments for years, and I have lived in a house and with roommates. How hard can maintaining an apartment really be?
It turns out to be pretty hard. There are the obvious challenges, like cleaning a bathroom or sharing common spaces, but there are also things you never would have anticipated, like navigating your buildings’ “valet trash service.” After two months of clearing hurdles, both expected and unexpected, I feel officially qualified to inform you of the ins and outs of having your very own apartment.
The first step, obviously, is to find an apartment in the first place. When considering which complex to choose, I offer this advice: just do what your friends are doing. Location doesn’t really matter: the walk from anywhere off-campus will feel like an eternity when it gets cold. Apartment condition doesn’t really matter either — the college lifestyle is not exactly conducive to keeping a brand new apartment sparkling clean and completely undamaged, but if the apartment is older, you will suffer through stained showers, old heating/cooling and probably a very dingy couch. The reality is that the most important feature of your apartment (or other off-campus housing) will be the people you live with — don’t worry so much about the rest.
If you’re planning to move off-campus, and
Allison Elshoff
Asking for a Friend
debating whether to invest in a car, you should know that you will absolutely use it. People will tell you that you don’t need it — it’s not worth finding parking to drive it to class, and you’ll have to pay for a parking spot in your building. What they don’t tell you is that there are places that a young adult sans meal plan needs to go to get by. If you’re expecting to live off-campus without a car (like me), I hope you either have some very generous car-owning friends or a big DoorDash budget.
A big part of the apartment lifestyle is cleaning. My cleaning advice consists of one main philosophy: it takes a lot more time and a lot fewer products than you think. I didn’t need three different kinds of glass cleaner to wipe down my vanity mirror, but I do need to be home for a couple hours a week to regularly wash my bathmats. What you specifically use is up to personal preference (most of my cleaning stuff will be gifted to my parents unopened at the end of the semester), but know that the process of cleaning anything is going to take about three times as long as you’re expecting. My shower alone is a two-hour project — I am on hard-water-removal TikTok, and if you move into an apartment (and care about cleanliness), you will be too.
Of all the aspects of apartment living, decorating, was the one I was most excited for. Apartments are a lot bigger than dorms (newsflash), so the small art prints and two-pack of string lights I ordered on Amazon for my dorm was not going to cut it. The cute, cluttered look and small decor items don’t really work in a spacious yet sparsely pre-furnished apartment, so expect to order some big wall decor
(everyone loves an ND flag) and possibly forms of seating (bean bags, small chairs, etc.). I quickly got sick of looking at empty gray walls and brown matching furniture, and you will too; order the decor early (but don’t buy anything too nice, unless your postgrad home aesthetic will be college-student-chic).
The final crucial aspect of the off-campus life is cooking: you probably won’t ever do it. I can’t speak for every student, but I can confidently say that I have spent far too long being meal plan dependent to suddenly start cooking for myself. The transition from dorm to apartment comes with a lot of timeconsuming new tasks, like extra walking and cleaning, and it leaves little time for cooking. I planned to meal prep, walk to the grocery store weekly and save a lot of money cooking all my meals for myself. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get sick of microwaved food and the mediocrity of your own cooking, and you will turn to DoorDash. My best advice for this is to save money over the summer and eat on campus when you can. Godspeed.
Apartment living has its ups and downs, but as a sophomore, I am already excited to do it again my senior year. I love the independence and freedom of my apartment, and if you listen to all of my advice (and prepare accordingly), you will too.
Sophia Anderson is a sophomore transfer at Notre Dame studying political science and planning to go to law school. You can contact her at sander38@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
That reflected glow
some of that reflected glow.”
“Oh, you don’t need any reflected, she says. You’re very magnetic.”
I stand there laughing, my mom giving a little smirk to the camera. In her hands are three plump mini pumpkins, orange and white and striped. Afterwards, I stare at the photo for a few beats — taking in her smile, the pumpkin patch. How the sun, positioned perfectly behind her head, created this seemingly celestial glow around her body. Amused by her gleeful delight at the thought of sneaking three Indianagrown pumpkins in her carry on when she went back to California.
I love my mom, and I love the way this photo captured her. The sun really did create this unintentional glow around her that I probably couldn’t recreate if I tried. I automatically added it to my “favorites” album and sent the photo to our family group chat. Over fall break, a couple days after this photo was taken, I read Salley Rooney’s latest novel, “Intermezzo”. Despite critiques branding her merely the “cool girl novelist,” I was engrossed by the book and earmarked several eloquent passages. There is no better feeling than something simple being articulated well.
Take for instance, this conversation between two of the main characters. They are doomed soulmates (obviously), coming from a university lecture the woman just gave. Walking around Dublin at night, they link arms in the cold air while the guy talks about getting to observe her demeanor around students.
“It’s nice to be around you at these things, I get
The guy’s compliment and her response is trivial given the context of the plot. But the image behind the phrase, “that reflected glow,” really stood out to me.
The humor of my mother’s antics is contagious. She’s good at making life feel light — suddenly privy to some secret only she knows. I find myself laughing and wanting to be part of the mischief. Only afterward, when looking at my photo at the pumpkin patch, did I notice how she was glowing. But I definitely felt part of what Rooney would call her “reflected glow” in the moment.
Another person I experience this around often is my older brother. He studied ecology in college and can name almost any plant or animal he sees, immediately giving you a wikipedia-like description if you ask. The last time my brothers and I were all home at the same time, we went on a hike in the Santa Monica mountains. My brother identified the different bird sounds filling the air as we walked, making sure to point out the wrentit, whose distinctive song is reminiscent of a ball bouncing. I laughed as he and I recreated the trill, and I marveled at the effortlessness with which he was able to identify the bird by sound.
Someone as knowledgeable as my brother could easily make those around him feel inferior. But my brother exudes a pure joy when in nature, a joy that only expands when he gets to share it with others. Around him, I find myself suddenly interested in how bees can taste with their feet or why there are
feral donkeys roaming the hills of Riverside, CA.
It is a beautiful thing when the people around us seem to be fully themselves. “In their element”, you could say. And those of us caught in the peripheral get the benefit of their joy, as Rooney would call it, reflecting onto us.
I can think of other times I’ve gotten the privilege of admiring my loved ones in their element. Walking around with my grandma at the school she is a substitute teacher at. Watching my roommate break it down on the dance floor at formal. Going to dinner with my boyfriend and his high school friends.
Getting to see their faces light up as they talk and laugh is an invigorating energy to be around. It makes me want to be around people who have such a zest for life in that moment — a state of flow, happiness or glee, whatever you want to call it. I want to capture these moments, to write it down and embed it in my memory of the person.
The idea is quite simple, no grand theory to dissect. Here’s to the people we love and what makes them glow, and to hoping that just a little rubs off on us.
Allison Elshoff is a junior studying Business Analytics with minors in the Hesburgh Program of Public Service and Impact Consulting. Originally from Valencia, California and currently living in Badin Hall, you can find her unsubscribing from email lists or hammocking by the lakes.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Fr. Ted Talks: uncensored
The Fr. Ted Talks series on Oct. 28 and 29 claims to feature talks “from every corner of the Notre Dame community” to answer the Notre Dame Forum’s question, “What do we owe each other?” However, some voices in the University have been continually denied the opportunity to express their opinion in public settings and are categorically restricted from speaking at this event.
We both submitted Fr. Ted Talk proposals about a pressing issue on the minds of students at Notre Dame and universities across the country: the imperative to divest from the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We emphasized the need to more deeply consider how Catholic Social Teaching applies to the University’s investments. One of us was even preemptively invited by the organizers to submit a talk idea, yet the resulting proposal emphasizing the interconnectedness between climate impacts and conflict and the need to divest from both fossil fuels and war was denied. When asked why, the organizers indicated their preference to avoid “controversial topics.”
Yet what is a university if not a place to speak about “controversial” topics? Do we not owe it to each other to have difficult conversations? Do we not owe it to the 42,000 killed in Gaza including almost 17,000 children to have honest conversations about our institution’s involvement? So, let’s free this year’s Fr. Ted Talks from censorship. Here is what we could have discussed in this week’s forum:
When Desmond Tutu came to Notre Dame in 2003, he powerfully said “We are free today because of you.” A Notre Dame Magazine story featuring the talk noted that despite the fact that much of his audience was still
only children when Apartheid ended in South Africa, the Archbishop was referencing the many students who pressured their universities, including the University of Notre Dame, to divest from Apartheid, contributing to the dissolution of South Africa’s system of racial segregation. Today, we owe each other the same commitment to justice and liberation that Notre Dame students and Archbishop Desmond Tutu shared then.
We face two glaring global ills that once again call for our divestment. One is the crisis of climate change, which threatens to submerge entire communities and cultures and increase hazards to life and livelihood in almost every corner of the world. The other is the crisis of unjust war. This is a particularly urgent priority for divestment because of the substantial roles that the United States government, American weapons manufacturers and American universities have played in supporting the devastation of an entire population in Gaza, which the International Court of Justice has deemed to be a plausible genocide. As the Notre Dame community benefits from a nearly twenty billion dollar endowment, its investments must be aligned with its greater values and mission.
The principles of Catholic Social Teaching include respect for the life and dignity of the human person, a call to family, community, participation, solidarity and care for God’s creation. These principles are central to the theory behind divestment, which intends to divorce ourselves and our resources from harm and instead commit them to whatever is good and fruitful for promoting dignity and sustainability in the world.
As climate activists, we are aware of the
interconnectedness of our global communities. Decisions we make today in our own homes and campuses to support certain policies, industries and even conflicts, have a measurable global impact. Both of the authors have previously attended the UN climate negotiations as faith-based civil society observers. These conferences have been a chance for us to connect with global faith communities and witness the ways that our struggles are intertwined and our justice movements are intersectional. Advocating for peace in Gaza and climate justice in Tuvalu are both rooted in the same commitment to human dignity and care for our common home. In order to do the important work of divestment, we need a commitment to solidarity — including solidarity with those who we may never encounter, yet still hold the same dignity we witness in each other. It also requires a commitment to community and participation, as we cannot accomplish change alone. We must stand together to weather the challenges of power, opposition and the momentum of the status quo. Notre Dame’s divestment from Apartheid came after multiple years of student-led advocacy. Yet, if we owe each other mutual freedom and liberation, as Desmond Tutu pointed out in his visit to Notre Dame, it is more than worth the repeated struggle. In our shared commitment to justice, we must divest from both fossil fuels and weapons manufacturers. We have divested before; we owe it to each other to divest again and again.
Oct. 27
Future predictions: the November elections
Many actions in life can have unknown consequences. When you take a new job or move to a new place, the outcomes of your decisions are not nailed down to a single result. You can anticipate and plan for what might occur, but life has a way of paving its own path. However, when filling out a voting ballot for a presidential election, there are only two real possible outcomes: either the Democratic nominee wins or the Republican nominee does. The structure of the two-party system is conducive to forcing the electorate between two candidates, even when they don’t represent the vast majority of what voters believe. Given the nature of elections, it is possible to make predictions about what will happen after the winner of the 2024 presidential race is announced in November.
The first possible outcome is that Kamala Harris will be elected president. In the first few hours after the announcement, prominent headlines such as “The United States elects first female president” will start to run as history is being made. However, given the result of the 2020 election, I also believe there might be contention for this outcome. The capital insurrection marked a severe low point and breakdown in the American political system. When large groups of people grow so heavily distrusting of a government entity, proper political functioning can no longer be maintained. This is especially true when these groups of people are encouraged
and have their beliefs affirmed by Donald Trump, who, to them, serves as a symbol of truth and reform. I believe in this election, if Harris wins, Trump supporters will return to the steps of the Capitol, citing election fraud once more. I do believe that preparations will be made for this possibility with police put in place to prevent a repeat of the 2020 election, but some altercation seems to be inevitable.
At the moment of writing, it is unknown which way Congress will flip. If Harris is elected and receives a democratically controlled Congress, there will likely be the rapid introduction of bills and reforms as she takes advantage of her temporary political control. However, if it is a split Congress or Republican-controlled Congress, Republicans will likely stonewall any bills Harris attempts to introduce or pass. Harris has claimed that one day, she would use executive orders to implement her plan for an opportunity economy. Harris says she would also focus on reinstating stating abortion rights. However, she would have to have control over both houses of Congress, which is unlikely during her first two years.
The second possible outcome is that Trump will win the presidency. In this case, I believe there will be far less contention of the election results. Since the 2020 election, faith in the democratic system and its authenticity have become more aligned with the Democratic party. Harris will likely concede to Trump, and there will be no insurrection against the government. The transition of power will also likely go much smoother than in the 2020 election,
with Harris and Biden meeting with Trump and Melania to welcome them back to the White House. Trump has made many claims about what he plans on doing once elected to office, beginning with closing the southern border on day one. I also believe that with the announcement of Trump’s victory, there will be a mass exodus of people from and within the United States. It is possible to see people moving to more liberal states where access to services like abortion is more readily available. It is also possible that people will leave the United States entirely, as some people did in the 2016 election.
Trump’s age is another factor to consider. The former president is currently 78, and although his age does not appear to be an issue at the moment, it could become one in the future. It is possible that the American electorate will see the Trump presidency in the same way they saw Biden. As Trump ages and possibly begins to slow down, people may start viewing him as unfit for office.
Ultimately, despite the knowledge that the November election can only result in two outcomes, the results will have wide-scale implications. Therefore, it is crucial that no matter who wins, decorum is maintained, and the democratic process is allowed to continue without contention.
Declan Burke is a surviving biochemistry major at the University of Notre Dame. He is usually trying to figure out how to work the printer. Contact at dburke7@nd.edu. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Linnea Barron and Elsa Barron junior and first-year Ph.D. candidate
Declan Burke
American DOMEland
By HARRY PENNE Scene Writer
“Coraline” is one of those “kids” films that is downright terrifying. Do you remember your first time watching it? I was in the fourth grade and a very good friend of mine invited me and a few others over for a sleepover in October. Wanting to watch something scary, but too frightened and young for a “real” scary movie, we settled on “Coraline,” figuring: “It’s animated and only rated PG, how bad can it be?” Innocently, we began the movie.
None of us saw the ending that night; we turned it off in terror and shock halfway through.
I don’t think I saw the full movie until relatively recently, when I decided to revisit it in high school. “It’s only a kids movie! How scary can it be?” many may ask. To great surprise, it is quite frightening. Now, fifteen years after its initial release, I want to look back on this twisted “family” picture.
“Coraline” premiered in 2009 under Laika Studios (“ParaNorman”), adapted and directed by Henry Selick (director of the 1993 classic “The Nightmare Before Christmas”) and based on horror author Neil Gaiman’s (“Good Omens”) novella of the same name. It tells the story of a young girl, Coraline, who discovers a mysterious little door in her new home that leads to a parallel world where all seems perfect. In this “Other World,” she meets her “Other Mother” and “Other
Father,” who appear kinder and more caring than her real parents, but with one major distinction: her “Other Parents” have buttons for eyes. As Coraline spends more time in this world, she watches it fall apart and reveal its dark, sinister nature. The “Other Mother” reveals her identity to be a witch named the Beldam, attempting to trap, steal and consume Coraline’s soul by sewing buttons over her eyes. Coraline, to rescue her real parents and other trapped souls, must bravely face a series of challenges that put a nightmarish twist on the “wonders” of the “Other World” and outsmart the Beldam. This is a hyper-abridged summary, and I highly recommend you watch the film to get the whole story.
Gaiman wrote the original novella as a bedtime story for his young daughter, who had a little door in her bedroom wall. Personally, I don’t think I would be able to sleep after hearing the story of a little door like one in my own room, behind which lives a witch who wants my soul.
In its early stages of development, the film was going to be a musical with rock group They Might Be Giants signed to compose the soundtrack. But given the dark nature of the film, Selick decided this was not the right tone. The band’s influence made the final cut, however, in the “Other Father Song”, as band member John Linnell provides the Other Father’s singing voice.
What contributes to the terrifying nature of the movie is its deceptive tone (for the audience, like Coraline, is lulled into false security in the “Other World”), haunting score, surreal
imagery, twisted messages, and dark connotations. The jump scares still made me flinch even on my most recent viewing in preparation for this article. I have seen many horror flicks, so it is quite a feat for a jump scare to get me. The stop-motion medium allowed the creatives to go all out in making a dark fantasy world, and the imagery invokes arachnophobia, aichmophobia and entomophobia, to name a few fears upon which it seizes. Very few family movies boldly put children in peril, and the suspense is genuine. This begs the question: is “Coraline” a kids movie? I would argue it is not, and marketing it as such is a misnomer. Unlike the more innocent scares of known children’s horror like “Goosebumps” or other Laika films, “Coraline” dares to venture into darker subject matter and show more intense imagery not commonly seen. It is a horror film hiding behind a PG rating.
Over the past fifteen years, “Coraline” has become a pop culture phenomenon. The film was parodied in “The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXVIII” segment “Coralisa” and was under review for a potential Lego Ideas set. “Coraline” merchandise can be found in abundance at Spirit Halloween. The film has garnered a cult following and cemented itself as a modern Halloween classic.
Lastly, to those of you who finished the film in one sitting in your youth: I salute you. You’re braver than I was.
Contact Harry Penne at hpenne@nd.edu
By LUKE FOLEY Scene Writer
“Who wants to watch ‘The Apprentice’?,” and the crowd goes silent. This movie appeals to virtually nobody. For Donald Trump supporters, it seems far too critical of their beloved leader; for Trump haters, it seems far too sympathetic towards their supreme villain; and for everyone in between, they’re just exhausted by the nonstop coverage of him for the past eight years and have no interest in seeing a movie dramatize his life. However, this Scene correspondent defies rigid categorization and was actually excited to see the film. I hoped it would have some insights about Trump beyond the headlines and superficial discourse. And with “The Apprentice,” what I found was a trenchant and enthralling tale of a mentorship gone completely awry, bolstered by two incredible lead performances.
The film opens in the early 1970s with a fledgling Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) trying to help the Trump Organization overcome a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination. Stan plays this era of Trump’s life with a charming insecurity. He’s ambitious and eager to prove himself to the world, knowing that they view him as a worthless heir to his crummy slumlord father. His grand vision for a revitalization of New York City is repeatedly dismissed as ludicrous, yet he ultimately brings it to life in the following years. The film also frequently emphasizes Trump’s puritanical tendencies, like his teetotalism and discomfort at salacious parties. But he soon meets Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), an infamous attorney who becomes his mentor. Strong gives a riveting performance, depicting Cohn as a soulless vampire purely
animated by evil. His frequent countenance is a blank stare that’s still immensely predatorial, as if he’s unamused by how easily he could eviscerate you. Cohn instills in Trump his vicious, brutal worldview of steamrolling others and doing whatever it takes to win. There’s also a humorous homoerotic undercurrent to their relationship; Cohn frequently admires Trump’s looks, and Trump fawns for Cohn’s approval constantly. Regardless, Cohn proves the effectiveness of his tactics when he helps Trump beat the lawsuit by blackmailing the lead prosecutor. Furthermore, he facilitates Trump’s Commodore Hotel deal that catapults his career as a real estate mogul.
From here, Trump becomes the cruel, domineering, braggadocious tabloid icon that most people recognize him as. Stan handles this corruption adeptly, gradually incorporating more and more Trumpisms into his performance. His tenderness and sincerity from the first half are replaced by belligerence and vanity. Not only has he been corrupted by Cohn’s worldview but also by the political cronyism and unfettered capitalism in America that continuously underpin his ascendancy. His and Cohn’s relationship dynamic reverses as Cohn becomes dependent on Trump due to his own fall in stature. However, Trump has fully mutated into an avaricious, uncaring monster by this point and disregards Cohn. Strong somehow manages to make you sympathize with Cohn after just previously convincing you he was the devil, for he effectively sells the loneliness and pain felt from Trump’s betrayal. Cohn might have been evil incarnate, but you get the impression he genuinely cared about Trump. Conversely, you’re left wondering at the end of the film if
Trump has ever cared about anyone but himself. He is a cipher, fully becoming a persona built on posturing and bravado that suppresses what little is left of his humanity. Most of the film’s dramatic power comes from these two characters’ fascinating relationship and seeing how the apprentice not only usurps the mentor but becomes something horrifyingly unreal. It’s a potent prism to analyze Trump’s life, and the two fantastic lead performances help deliver the thesis.
The film’s direction is also sleek and mature: the costume and set design convincingly evoke the time period, the use of 16mm for the first half and analog for the second half feels very inspired and the tone smoothly oscillates between black comedy and Greek tragedy. The pacing is also very snappy and briskly progresses through a large span of Trump’s life without feeling overly truncated. Director Ali Abbasi’s resolute vision helps steer the film through it’s many layers and developments. It’s evident he wasn’t worried about strictly pleasing partisan cheerleaders and instead had a clear story about Trump’s life he wanted to tell. He paints a portrait of him that is both admirable and despicable; in other words, it’s an immensely human film.
“The Apprentice” takes a nuanced approach to a frequently sensationalized subject, extracting humanity and empathy from the same characters it imbues with acute evil. In doing so, it crafts a rich narrative whose stylish presentation and masterclass performances make for a great film — even one that I believe the most Trump-weary audiences should still consider seeing.
Contact Luke Foley at lfoley2@nd.edu
TRI-CAMPUS SPORTS
Recapping Notre Dame’s fall break showings
By TYLER REIDY Sports Editor
During a beautiful week free of classes on campus, Notre Dame athletics pressed on with its latefall and early-winter seasons. Outside of the football team, which blew past Georgia Tech at 31-13 and dismantled Navy at 5114, here’s a look at how the Irish performed.
Cross country
Two Saturdays ago, Notre Dame competed among a loaded field at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals races. The fourthranked Irish women’s team claimed fifth place in the 6k behind top-15 finishes from senior Siona Chisholm and graduate student Emily Covert. The Notre Dame men took seventh as graduate student Carter Solomon placed 12th in the 8k.
With the regular season now over, the Irish will race at the ACC Championship in Cary, North Carolina, on the morning of Nov. 1.
Men’s and women’s golf
The Irish golf teams finished their fall slates in North Carolina last week, with the men’s squad competing at the Williams Cup from Oct. 20-22. As a team, Notre Dame tied with Louisville for sixth place by shooting 11 over par. Sophomore Jacob Modleski led the charge for the Irish with a three-round score of 214 (-2), good for ninth place individually. Meanwhile, the women’s
ND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
team tied for 13th at the Landfall Tradition, also held in Wilmington from Oct. 25-27. Notre Dame’s three-day score of 894 (+30) matched that of Illinois. Freshman Bridget Wilkie emerged as the top Irish scorer, tying for 13th place with an even-par total score of 216.
Hockey
The Irish played their second and third weekend series of the young season during fall break, splitting both with a Friday win and Saturday loss. Notre Dame opened with a 4-1 defeat of Alaska in the Oct. 18 home opener before taking a 1-0 loss to the Nanooks the next night. This past weekend, the Irish scored another 4-1 victory over Long Island on Friday and dropped a 5-2 result on Saturday.
Sophomore center Cole Knuble, who scored in both Friday night games, has continued his terrific start to the year. With a team-high 10 points, the former Philadelphia Flyers draft selection is already halfway to his freshman-year point total. Junior goaltender Owen Say also won both Friday decisions, improving to 3-0 with an outstanding save percentage of .969 to begin his Irish career.
Currently ranked 19th in the USCHO Poll, Notre Dame will enter Big Ten play against Wisconsin this weekend with a record of 4-2-0.
Men’s soccer
Notre Dame took to the pitch three times, producing a record
of 2-0-1. The Irish played to a 1-1 draw two Saturdays ago against Boston College, earning a share of the points on junior defender Mitch Ferguson’s first goal of the season. Three days later, the Irish played their home and nonconference finale against UIC, arriving at their first clean sheet of the season with a 5-0 victory. Graduate goalkeeper Colin Travasos achieved the shutout on two saves, while sophomore Wyatt Lewis and junior Sebastian Green each recorded a brace in the midfield.
Riding the hot hand of Travasos, Notre Dame found another shutout in a 2-0 win at Cal on Sunday. Travasos made three stops, while Notre Dame’s only two shots on target — which came from senior forward Matthew Roou and sophomore midfielder Nolan Spicer — both went in.
Now at 7-3-5 overall and positioned 10th in the ACC standings with a 3-2-2 overall record, the Irish will wrap up the regular season at Duke on Thursday.
Swimming and diving
Notre Dame challenged three different ranked Big Ten opponents — No. 14 Michigan, No. 15 Wisconsin and No. 6 Indiana — and went 0-3 during the break. At last weekend’s tri-meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Irish fell 279-68 to the Wolverines and 223-118 to the Badgers. Freshmen Carli Cronk and Hollie Widdows swam well for Notre Dame, with Cronk winning the 400 IM in 4:15.53 and Widdows
notching top-six finishes in the 100 free, 50 free and 100 fly. Wednesday’s dual meet in Bloomington finished with a 167-134 Hoosier defeat of the Irish. Cronk stood out again, taking second in the 200 free for the second consecutive race. Another freshman, Emily Kitayama, also thrived with second-place finishes in the 200 IM and 200 breast. Sophomore Lainey Mullins also performed well with a season-best time of 2:02.09 in the 200 fly, good for third place. She also swam to second in the 500 free.
In November, the Irish will host Louisville at 6 p.m. on Nov. 8 before traveling to the Ohio State Fall Invite during the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Women’s soccer
Playing a string of high-profile matches, Notre Dame went 1-1-1 with the regular season winding down. On the heels of a 5-2 thrashing of No. 25 Cal on Oct. 17, the Irish turned around and dominated No. 6 Stanford at home two Sundays ago. In the 3-0 victory, freshman forward Ellie Hodsden scored her fourth goal in two games to secure ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors, while junior defender Leah Klenke notched a penaltykick goal and shared the ACC Defensive Player of the Week award.
On Thursday, the Irish traveled to No. 1 Duke and became the first team to hang multiple goals on the Blue Devils this season. The thrilling 3-3 draw saw
freshman forward Izzy Engle tally a brace in less than two minutes’ time and Duke hang on to the tied score despite playing a woman down throughout the second half. This past Sunday, Notre Dame returned home and fell to No. 19 Virginia Tech by a 2-0 count.
At 10-2-4 overall and positioned sixth in the ACC standings, Notre Dame can clinch an ACC Tournament bid with a win against Pittsburgh in Thursday’s regular-season finale.
Volleyball
The Irish played four games during the past two weekends and could not find a win, falling below .500 at 9-10 overall. A week and a half ago, they took a pair of sweep losses to NC State and Wake Forest at home. Freshman outside hitter Morgan Gaerte’s continued emergence, amounting to 28 totals on the weekend, served as a bright spot.
This past weekend, Notre Dame faced a tough road trip to No. 12 SMU and No. 1 Pittsburgh. The Irish fell by 3-0 and 3-1 scores, respectively, showing signs of life by taking a set in the venue of the nation’s top-ranked team. Freshman middle blocker Anna Bjork enjoyed a big day at the net, recording eight blocks. With a 2-8 record in ACC play, the Irish will look to snap a sixgame skid with an away-home series against Louisville on Wednesday and Saturday.
Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu
Irish drop road games to Miami, Florida State
By CLAIRE WATSON Sports Writer
After a tremendous 2023-2024 season going 28-7 overall and 13-5 in conference play, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team is preparing for another successful year.
After winning the ACC Tournament but falling in the Sweet 16 against Oregon State, the Irish finished the year at No. 11. Despite this ranking, this year, the Irish are going to enter being ranked No. 6 in the preseason AP Poll. Notre Dame also welcomes back quite a few players that not only contributed to the team last year but will prove going forward to be high-level contributors to the team this year.
Starting with the powerhouse sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo, who became an AP AllAmerican, the ACC Defensive Player and the ACC Rookie of the Year as a freshman. Hidalgo also set two Notre Dame records in the 2023-2024 season as she averaged 22.6 points per game as a freshman, 4.6 steals and finished the season with a total of 790 points.
Alongside her, former AllAmerican winner graduate student guard Olivia Miles will be returning for the Irish after being out last season due to an ACL tear. Miles also previously was the 2022-2023 ACC Player of the Year Runner-Up as she averaged 6.9 assists per game, 7.3 rebounds and averaged 14.3 points per game in her sophomore season.
Junior KK Bransford also returns for the Irish this year in the backcourt. In her two-year Irish career, she has a total of 494 points, 178 field goals, 118 assists, an average of 3.4 rebounds per game and 68 steals.
Senior guard Sonia Citron joins the Irish back on the floor this year. Citron averaged 17.3 points per game in the 2023-24 season and played 35.8 minutes per game, which tied her for fourth in school history. Citron was named AllACC Second Team and made First Team All-ACC Tournament during the 2023-24 season. Overall, in the past three years the senior has a total of 1324 points, 467 field goals, 156 steals and 49 blocks.
Notre Dame also welcomes back graduate student and forward
Maddy Westbeld, who returns for her fifth year for the Irish. Over the past four years, Westbeld has an impressive total of 1,550 points, averaging 12.9 points per game.
The Irish also welcome two transferring graduate students in forward Liza Karlen and forward Liatu King. Karlen is transferring from Marquette and King is transferring within the ACC from Pittsburgh.
Karlen was a nationally ranked prospect as she headed to Marquette. This past season, she averaged 17.7 points per game, 7.9 rebounds and scored 565 points throughout her senior year, which is the eighth-most points scored in Marquette’s history. The graduate student also made 240 field goals, which was the third-most field goals scored in the program’s history.
Karlen also holds notable awards, nominees and accomplishments from her time at Marquette including 2024-25 ACC
Newcomer Watch List, 2023-24
All-Big East First Team, AP Player of the Week, three-time winner of Big East Player of the Week, twotime winner of USBWA Player of the Week, 2023-2024 Preseason Honorable Mention All-Big East, nine-time winner of the Big East Weekly Honor Roll and 2022-23 Big East All-Academic Team.
King, in her four years at Pittsburgh, also put up amazing numbers and added some honors and awards for herself. King is coming into Notre Dame with high statistics as she finished her last season in the Steel City averaging 18.7 points per game, 10.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks. The graduate student also was a two-time All-Academic Team selection, was the ACC’s Most Improved Player in the 202324 season and made the All-ACC First Team a year ago.
The Irish also welcome in one freshman this year, forward Kate Koval. Koval, the No. 5 overall
recruit in her class according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz rankings, begins her Notre Dame career on the 2024-25 ACC Newcomer Watch List.
Overall, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team has a lot to look forward to with the powerhouse returners and the newcomers who arrive bringing equal amounts of talent. Between now and Christmas, the Irish will face a monstrous non-conference schedule featuring a Nov. 23 visit to No. 3 USC, battles with almost-ranked Utah and TCU in the Cayman Islands (Nov. 29-30) and home dates with No. 4 Texas (Dec. 5) and No. 2 UConn (Dec. 12).
Before all of that, Notre Dame will take on Davenport in a 7 p.m. exhibition on Wednesday before hosting Mercyhurst in the official season opener at 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
and
to make your
Opportunity comes to those willing to go the distance and make things happen. Your numbers are 6, 14, 23, 27, 32, 39, 41. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Put your energy where it counts. Letting anger get the better of you will deter you from reaching your goals. Personal gain, selfimprovement, and expanding your awareness, interests, and knowledge will lead to an interesting alternative and promote new directions and better money management. Romance is favored.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Take the initiative. Use the skills and attributes you enjoy to help pay the bills or bring you peace of mind. Whether you are trying to take care of your mental, physical, or financial well-being, taking a step in a direction that excites you is in your best interest.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Refuse to buy into someone else’s dream. Engage in conversations to expand your interests; you’ll discover what makes you happy. Don’t be fooled into anointing others when the only one you need to please is you. Focus on what makes you smile and boosts your confidence.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Rethink your current situation and connection with those you spend the most time with, and you’ll decipher what to do next. Putting time and energy into something that makes you feel alive and encourages you to earn more simultaneously will be a game-changer. Stop making excuses.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Look for opportunities and participate in events that introduce you to something or someone you find engaging and entertaining. Expanding possibilities and creating options will encourage you to rethink your plans and distance yourself from those trying to make choices for you. You can’t buy love.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A straightforward approach will speed up the transformation you require to find peace. Be ready to let go of anything and anyone standing in your way. Honesty will enlighten and encourage you to change what’s confusing or stifling your progress. Live, learn, and do what’s best for you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Follow your heart. Your emotions will lead to changes that will help you get your life together physically, financially, and emotionally. Don’t waste time second-guessing yourself. Actions speak louder than words. Take the path that soothes your soul and offers greater opportunities to be yourself.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A change will spark your imagination and encourage you to venture down a path that ignites your mind and enables you to follow what makes you feel passionate about life, love, and achieving happiness. Reach out, absorb, discover, and integrate your findings into your routine.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Make updates that get you up to speed. A new look, walking away from people and situations bringing you down or causing you grief, and redefining or putting a new twist on your attributes and skills to fit what’s trending in the workforce. It’s time to get moving.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): It’s all about money, integrity, and taking care of business. Refuse to let emotions interfere or cost you. Size up situations and eliminate what stands between you and what you want. Look and play the part and strengthen your position. Skills mixed with common sense will suffice.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A pick-me-up will help you get back on track, but only spend what you can afford, or euphoria will be short-lived. Focus on selfimprovement and honing the skills you enjoy using most. The idea is to reduce worry and frustration, not add to it with debt.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Look for a sign that points you in a direction that’s good for you and promotes what you do best. Avoid being tempted by someone suggesting indulgent pastimes or joint ventures that put you in unnecessary debt. Discipline and acting on insight, not impulse, will pay off.
Birthday Baby: You are curious, intense, and resourceful. You are energetic and proactive.
TRI-CAMPUS SPORTS
Belles, Saints continue play during fall break
By CLAIRE WATSON Sports Writer
Over the break, between the two schools, the Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross athletic teams competed in 12 games.
To start, the Saint Mary’s Belles had three teams compete over the break including cross country, soccer and volleyball.
Cross country
Saint Mary’s cross country competed in the Augustana Interregional Invitational over the break, placing 31st. In the 600m women’s gold race, sophomore Jordan Siminski led the Belles, finishing with a season-best time of 24:35.3. Freshman Allie Glendening finished closely behind with a time of 24:39.9. Senior Susanna Bernovich and sophomore Savannah Paulson finished with times of 24:44.4 and 24:46.4.
Sophomores Anna Scannell and Cecilia Conrad finished with times of 25:16.9 and 25:24.7. Rounding out the gold race, junior Isabelle Auch and freshman Hannah Walsh finished with times of 25:27.3 and 25:29.2.
Sophomores Ellie York and Josie DeWine finished with times of 28:59.3 and 30:50.5 for the Belles in the 600m women’s blue race.
Soccer
The Belles soccer team played a total of four games over fall break, tying one game and losing the other three.
The first game that the Belles played was against the Alma Scots. This game was also senior night for the Belles as they honored seniors goalkeeper Riley Lindsey, midfielder Grace Barresi, midfielder Mary Kaczynski, forward Katie
Harrington and forward Izzi Linus.
With strong defense from both teams, neither team was able to put a goal up on the board despite going back and forth constantly, making the final score 0-0. Saint Mary’s dominated defensively, totaling more shots (16-3) than the Scots and more shots on goal (5-1).
Saint Marys fell 2-0 in the second game against the Albion College Britons. Both teams battled hard back and forth throughout the first half, but the Brits managed to put up their first goal of the night at the 20:39 time mark. The second half looked similar as the two teams battled back and forth. With that, the Brits were able to put up a second goal near the end of the game at the 85:44 time mark to finish the game up 2-0.
The Belles outshot Albion (13-5) and had more shots on goal (7-5) overall.
The third game, a makeup game from Oct. 12 against the Adrian Bulldogs, also did not look in favor of the Belles as they took a 1-0 loss. In the first half, Adrian was able to get its first and only goal of the game at the 39-minute time mark to make the score 1-0. Both teams’ offenses were strong, but Adrian pulled through having more shots (8-6) and more shots on goal (5-2).
The Belles traveled back home for the fourth game against Trine but took the 3-0 loss against the Thunder. As both teams battled back and forth in the first half, the Thunder managed to score first at the 12:51 time mark. Trine managed their second goal of the game in the second half at the 47:49 time mark and added their third and final point of the game at the 69:26 time mark.
Volleyball
The Belles volleyball team competed in one game over fall break against the Adrian College Bulldogs and took a 3-1 loss. Adrian took an early lead during the first set as they took a 25-12 win over Saint Mary’s. The Belles took the second set over the Bulldogs 25-20 to tie. Sophomore middle and right side hitter Caroline Carens totaled eight kills, and freshman setter Giuliana Graczyk totaled 14 assists.
The two teams continued to battle back and forth for the lead in the third set. Ultimately, using short runs to its advantage, Adrian was able to pull through and finish the match with a 2518 win. Carens added five more kills and Graczyk contributed eight more assists. While the Bulldogs came out on top with a 25-19 win in the fourth set over the Belles thanks to a 11-2 run, the Belles fought back throughout the set.
Carens tallied a season high of 17 kills, senior outside hitter Cali Allen had eight kills and freshman outside and middle hitter Kalli Lewkowski added seven of her own. Graczyk led in assists totaling a season high of 32. Junior defensive specialist and libero Karli Fegan added 24 digs, Graczyk totaled 16 digs, junior outside and middle hitter Delaney Martin put up 13 digs and sophomore setter Abby Reese contributed 11.
Meanwhile, the Saints had three sports compete over the break including women’s soccer, men’s soccer and women’s basketball.
Women’s soccer
The Saints women’s soccer team competed in two games over the break, finishing tied 1-1
in both games.
The first team that the Saints women’s soccer team faced off against was the Saint Xavier Cougars on Oct. 19. Holy Cross took the early lead, scoring their first goal at the 29:47 time mark thanks to sophomore forward Arianna Barreras and an assist from freshman forward Emma Vono. The Cougars made a comeback in the second half with a goal of their own. The Cougars outshot the Saints (195) and totaled more shots on goal (5-3).
The final game that the Saints played over the break was against the Judson Eagles and ended in a tie. Holy Cross scored in the first half at the 7:01 time mark thanks to junior midfielder Neyda Macias and an assist from freshman defender Avery Peters. The Eagles made a comeback during the second half by putting up a goal of their own at the end of the game at the 88:01 time mark. The Saints outshot the Eagles (11-8) and had more shots on goal (6-5).
Men’s soccer
The men’s soccer team competed in three games throughout the break for the Saints, tying two games and winning one.
The first game that the Saints competed in was against the Saint Xavier Cougars, finishing with a 0-0 tie as both teams held a strong defense. The Saints outshot the Cougars (15-12) and had more shots on goal (12-1).
Game two continued to show how hard the Saints were willing to fight as they tied the second game 1-1 against the Judson Eagles. The Eagles struck first right out of the gate as they scored at the 2:20 time mark. The Saints were quick to respond
with a goal at the 6:49 time mark thanks to senior forward Juan Perez, making the final score 1-1.
In the final game of the break, the Saints took the close, 2-1 loss against the Trinity Christian Trolls. Holy Cross came out strong in the first half as it put up the first goal of the game thanks to senior forward Juan Perez and an assist from freshman fullback Nathan Sanchez. Trinity Christian responded by putting up a goal of their own at the 33:27 time mark to tie up the score.
The two teams’ defenses battled back and forth to keep the ball out of the net but the Trolls managed to put up a second goal to win the game at the 85:32 time mark.
Women’s basketball
Coming off of a 16-14 overall season in 2023-2024, the Holy Cross women’s basketball team made its 2024-2025 season debut over the break against the Taylor University Trojans and took an 80-72 loss.
Overall, for the starters, senior guard Jordyn Smith ended the night with 11 points, senior guard Kayliana Hammel totaled 18, senior forward Grace Adams put up 22 points, freshman forward Allie Caldwell put up 12 points for the Saints with her first collegiate start and sophomore guard Lilly Toppen added three points.
For the reserves, freshman forward Kaiden Hanley made her first collegiate appearance as she scored four points for the Saints in the season opener. Junior guard Audrey Tallent also contributed, adding on two points of her own.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
Irish to host Louisville two times in four days
By CLAIRE WATSON Sports Writer
Notre Dame volleyball has lost against the Louisville Cardinals in the last five matches played against them with the most recent one being a 3-0 loss early in the 2023 ACC season.
In the first set of the 202324 match, the Cardinals started out fast as they went on a 9-0 run against the Irish. Current senior outside hitter Sydney Palazzolo managed to stop the Cardinals run with a kill to give the Irish their first point of the night. Thensenior middle blocker Charity McDowell contributed, adding a block of her own to help the Irish gain their second point making the score 9-2. The Cardinals then added six more points for themselves to
make the score 15-4, but the Irish responded going on a 4-0 run to make the score 158. As the two teams continued to battle back and forth, the Cardinals who were ranked No. 5 at that point in the season took the 25-18 win. The Irish did not let that shake them going into the second set, and they pushed back going back and forth with Louisville. The two teams battled for the lead as they were tied seven different times and the lead changed two times throughout the second set. When the score was tied at 7-7, Notre Dame took a big lead after going on a 9-6 run over the Cardinals to make the score 16-13. The Cardinals managed to make a comeback to make the score 18-17, but a kill from then-graduate
setter Nicole Drewnick tied up the score at 18-18. With that, the Cardinals managed a 7-0 run against the Irish to make the final score 25-18, with the overall score now 2-0 over Notre Dame. The second set was the strongest set throughout the night for the Irish, as they collectively put up a total of nine kills. Louisville came out strong in the third set, starting with a 7-2 run against the Irish. Palazzolo shined on the court as she added a kill and two service aces to help the Irish close the score to a three-point difference at 8-5. The Cardinals then put up another 7-2 run to make the score 15-7 over the Irish midway through the third set, but Notre Dame battled back and added four points of their own to keep the score gap a
four-point difference. Closing out the match, the Cardinals took the final of the night 2516 to make the overall score 3-0 over the Irish.
Current junior outside hitter Lucy Trump led the Irish on the court during that game with a total of seven kills, Palazzolo followed adding six kills for herself and McDowell added a team best of five blocks for the Irish. Current senior setter Phyona Schrader and Trump worked together throughout the matches, both having a total of four blocks during last year’s game against the Cardinals.
Now heading into the first 2024 matchup, the Irish volleyball team which 9-10 on the season so far is preparing to travel and face off with the Louisville Cardinals in two
matches. The first match is going to take place on Oct. 30 starting at 7 p.m. in Louisville, and then the teams will travel back to South Bend to play their second match on Nov. 2 starting at 3 p.m. in Purcell Pavilion.
In the 2024-25 season, the Cardinals are coming off of a 3-1 win against Southern Methodist and are currently 17-3 on the season so far heading into the matches against Notre Dame. On offense, Anna DeBeer leads on the court for the Cardinals as she has a total of 273 points on the season so far. Defensively, Elena Scott leads for the Cardinals having a total of 334 digs on the season to date.
Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
FOOTBALL FEATURE
Regret-free Riley Leonard leads resurgent Irish
By TYLER REIDY Sports Editor
All season long, Notre Dame football has followed the lead of Riley Leonard’s play. When the senior quarterback was at his most composed, navigating an inexperienced offensive line and an opposing crowd north of 100,000 in Week One, the Irish outclassed Texas A&M. With Leonard at his most dominant with a trio of first-half rushing touchdowns in Week Three, Notre Dame hung 66 points on Purdue.
It’s not atypical for a signal-caller to serve as a window into his team’s situation. Starting quarterbacks, after all, are the most visible players in football. They wield the pigskin, appear before the media and generate fan reaction more than any other teammate.
Having Leonard in lockstep, however, didn’t always appear in the cards for Notre Dame. From the time he transferred to South Bend from Duke last December, lingering injuries painted Leonard as a giant question mark. As the Irish pressed on with spring practices, the Blue-Gold Game and summer sessions, his uncertain status seemingly left a disconnect between Leonard and the program he would come to represent.
And although he started the season on full-go, just two weeks in Leonard fell prisoner to his own mental disruption. Questions of “what if” circled the quarterback’s mind. What if something goes wrong? What if this happens? Two interceptions in a home loss to Northern Illinois brought Leonard and the 1-1 Irish face-to-face with those fears.
With their postseason dreams on life support, what Leonard and company did with that outcome has completely changed this season’s outlook. Using the helpless feeling of loss as fuel, Notre Dame has since won six straight games with improving play each week. Much of that comes from Leonard, who no longer entertains the cataclysmic what-ifs. Instead, he embraces adversity with the simple consideration of “even if.”
“Even if everything falls down and we hit rock bottom, my Lord and savior is always gonna be there for me, and nothing’s gonna change with that,” Leonard described after Saturday’s 51-14 Irish defeat of Navy.
Leonard attributes his shift in mindset to a number of sources. There’s the
everyday voice of head coach Marcus Freeman, whose sixletter word has catalyzed an Irish return to the AP Poll’s top 10.
“Coach Freeman talks about it all the time — that’s one of his biggest things,”
Leonard said. “Reload! Reload! Reload! If something bad happens, reload. If something good happens, reload. No matter what happens on the last play, you can’t let it affect the next.”
“That’s our M.O. now. We live by that.”
And then there’s the advice of those who came before Leonard. Former Notre Dame quarterbacks ranging from Brady Quinn and Ian Book to Tyler Buchner and Sam Hartman have offered him guidance on his position. Their message?
“Just don’t take it for granted and don’t have any regrets,” Leonard summarized.
Leaving no room for regret has put Notre Dame on another level for the better part of a month and a half now.
Since the Northern Illinois loss, the Irish have essentially played a College Football Playoff game every week, avoiding a second misstep likely the only way to remain in the championship chase. For Leonard, that means putting it all out there. Fully trusting pass-catchers to make plays. Sacrificing the body for additional yardage. Playing to win the football game at all costs.
“I think regret only comes from missed opportunities, not failed opportunities,” Leonard said. “If you want to throw and you don’t throw it and let it rip, you’re gonna regret that. But if you throw it and something bad happens, it is what it is. At least you gave it a shot.”
On Saturday, Leonard yet again looked as good as he had all season, accounting for 261 total yards and three touchdowns with zero turnovers. Despite a week full of complicated prep work, Leonard found a way to shed any lingering doubts about facing the crafty
Midshipmen.
“These guys run everything you could imagine. Half the time they’re dropping eight, but they’ve got 10, 15 different ways to do it,” Leonard said. “Shoutout to their defense, because we were paranoid all week. We didn’t have school this week so we had extra time to get to the film room, but we still came into this game like, ‘What the heck is going on back there?’ I certainly did.”
For as marvelous as a 37-point smackdown of a top-25 team may have looked, Notre Dame still isn’t a finished product. The Irish have not led after the first quarter in consecutive games all season. Their passing attack has room to grow in terms of consistency. Graduate linebacker
Jack Kiser said it best after the Navy game: Notre Dame must continue to put in the work to be better and reach its potential every day.
“It’s hard to run a college offense these days … I think having that little bit of fear
[that] there’s always more in the tank really helps us out and helps me out,” Leonard described. “It’s been a work in progress obviously, but I think we’re getting better every week.”
Heading into bye week number two, the Irish can count on their quarterback taking on the everyday quest for greatness. Whether it’s in his openness to the wise words of predecessors or his appreciation for the chance to share the field with Navy’s “heroes,” as he described them, Leonard aims to maximize the opportunities before him. If the past six games are any indication, Notre Dame collectively will do the same.
“It’s a huge honor to put on this Blue and Gold, and every day I wake up, I really live by that,” Leonard said. “Whether things go great or things go bad, I’m waking up every day and I’m not taking it for granted.”
Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu
RICHARD TAYLOR | The Observer
Senior quarterback Riley Leonard walks on the field during Notre Dame’s 28-3 defeat of Miami (Ohio) at Notre Dame Stadium on Sept. 21, 2024. The Duke transfer has accounted for 1,899 total yards along with 19 total touchdowns through eight games for the 7-1 Irish this season.
FOOTBALL WRAP
Irish torpedo Navy’s miracle season with rout
By JOHN BAILEY Associate Sports Editor
The Notre Dame-Navy rivalry acts as a binding thread in the rich tapestry of college football history. The longest uninterrupted intersectional series in college football, Notre Dame and Navy possess a rare mutual respect not possessed by participants of The Game, Iron Bowl or Red River Rivalry.
“It’s such a huge honor to be able to play alongside guys [on Navy] I call heroes,” senior quarterback Riley Leonard said in a press conference following the game. “They’re a lot braver than me. Honoring them by playing a football game means a lot to me.”
Before a crowd of 76,112 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Saturday, the Irish looked to win their seventh straight against the Midshipmen on the road. Though the Meadowlands Sports Complex hosted seven previous Notre DameNavy contests, the energy and expectations surrounding this match felt different. The undefeated, No. 24 Midshipmen walked into MetLife ranked in the AP Poll for just the sixth time this millennium and the first time since 2019. Playing with house money, secondyear Navy head coach Brian Newberry and his squad emerged as a nationally beloved, plucky underdog vying for a miracle College Football Playoff berth as the Group of Five representative.
Despite a convincing 3113 victory over Georgia Tech last week, Notre Dame remained stagnant in the AP Poll, doubts lingering in voters’ minds from its upset loss to Northern Illinois in Week Two. Unlike Navy, the Irish entered the game under intense scrutiny, their College Football Playoff hopes hanging in the balance. They left as undisputed victors, dominating all three phases, and earning the right to enjoy a New York feast fit for champions: chicken parm, lasagna and cannoli from Carmine’s, a staple of Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Though dominant, the Naval Academy entered the game untested against top competition. Currently eighth in Bill Connelly’s SP+ efficiency rankings, Notre Dame was just the third
opponent Navy faced ranked in the top 100, the others being Memphis (59th) and East Carolina (95th). Needless to say, the Irish presented the Midshipmen with their toughest test thus far. Finally forced to play from behind against superior athletes, Navy crumbled under the bright New York lights.
“Sometimes you want something so bad you play outside yourself, and I think we did that today,” Newberry said.
Uncharacteristic unforced errors plagued the Midshipmen throughout the game. They entered the contest without losing a fumble but coughed up the football five times, including two muffed punts. Three turnovers in the first half doomed Navy to a near-insurmountable 31-7 deficit at halftime.
“When you look at almost every single turnover or fumble, it was something we did,” Navy quarterback Blake Horvath said. “They almost didn’t touch the ball. That is the most frustrating piece from our point. We wanted it really bad and we bit ourselves.”
Freshman cornerback Leonard Moore recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter after Horvath lofted a wobbling prayer to the end zone on fourth-and-7. Notre Dame turned defense into offense, scoring 28 points off six takeaways, including junior linebacker Jaylen Sneed recovering Horvath’s fumble in the end zone. Graduate receiver Kris Mitchell’s 6-yard touchdown reception came three plays after Navy’s first turnover while sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love and freshman tailback Kedren Young found paydirt on 2-yard and 4-yard rushes, respectively.
“[Scoring off turnovers] was a point of emphasis. This team is No. 2 in the country in turnover margin,” head coach Marcus Freeman said. “To be plus-six in turnovers is a straight reflection of complementary football.”
“[Turnovers are] always the key to the game,” graduate linebacker Jack Kiser said. “The defense has to wreak havoc on the ball and get the ball and create opportunities for our offense.”
Navy’s signature tripleoption offense initially confused the Irish defense, with Horvath breaking loose on
outside runs for a 47-yard touchdown and 60-yard gain during the first half. First-year offensive coordinator Drew Cronic added a new wrinkle to the team’s traditional offense with more snaps out of the shotgun, relying on Horvath’s arm talent to keep defenses from stacking the tackle box against the run. Twice Horvath threw his receiver open along the right sideline for 20-plus-yard completions against sophomore cornerback Christian Gray.
“Any time you play a triple-option team like Navy who runs it so well, it’s going to be a difficult task,” Kiser said.
“When you add in the dynamic player [Horvath] is and his abilities, it makes it really tough. Everybody has to do their job, everybody has to be where they need to be to stop someone like that. He hurt us early, so we had to calm down and kind of make sure we were doing everything right.”
With no classes this week while on fall break, the Irish defense spent more time in the film room studying Navy than any other opponent this season. Their preparation paid dividends, helping the linebackers recognize and react to tricky pre-snap motion and unique formations.
Outside of Horvath’s two explosive runs, the Irish held him to 22 yards on 12 carries. Notre Dame’s stout defense front took away the fullback dive, limiting Alex Tecza and Daba Fofana to 2.6 yards per carry. Strong performances from Moore and sophomore safety Adon Shuler eliminated the Navy passing threat that decimated opposing defenses in previous weeks. Horvath averaged 12.3 yards per attempt coming into the game but was held in check to 6.8 yards per attempt against Notre Dame. Moore blanketed snipe Eli
Heidenreich all game, rendering him a complete nonfactor. Heidenreich recorded at least one 20-plus-yard reception in all six games and with 12 total, ranked seventh in the country. He only managed to corral two of his four targets for 10 yards receiving on Saturday.
Kiser and Sneed carried the day for the defense. The linebacker pair led the team with nine tackles each and saw through Cronic’s smoke and mirrors to make big plays on third down and in the red zone. For the first time all year, Navy didn’t score in the red zone. The Midshipmen previously scored 22 touchdowns on 23 trips to the red zone but only managed to find the end zone once on three redzone appearances against the Irish.
“[Navy does] some really difficult things in the red zone, but our offense was able to score in the red zone,” Freeman said.
“And we stopped them, which was crucial one of those times in the red zone. So, it’s a point of emphasis. You’ve got to have a great plan, but it’s also a mindset when you get down that we’ve got to score touchdowns on offense, and we’ve got to force them to try a field-goal attempt on defense.”
Though Notre Dame could have won the game on the backs of its defense, the offense’s red-zone efficiency turned the game into a blowout. The Irish moved the ball at will, leaning on the ground game to the tune of 204 yards on 7.3 yards per attempt through the first three quarters. Notre Dame has now scored at least 30 points in four straight games.
“[The offense has] been a work in progress obviously,” Leonard said. “But I think we’re getting better every week.”
Leonard continues to progress as a passer each week as he develops greater chemistry with his receivers. He demonstrated strong command of offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s offense by making smart decisions on RPOs and escaping the blitz to deliver precise strikes on third and fourth down. These clutch conversions kept the Navy offense off the field and prevented the Midshipmen from narrowing their deficit. Leonard attributes his improved confidence and decision making to conversations with several former Notre Dame quarterbacks, including Brady Quinn, Sam Hartman and Ian Book.
“Every single one of them has brought me down to earth,” Leonard said. “I was a little overwhelmed at first, but all of them tell me to enjoy the opportunity and play with no regrets.”
The Irish have faced and overcome adversity all season long. They escaped hostile College Station with a Week One win, learned from their upset loss to Northern Illinois and bounced back against Louisville after early fumbles. With the first College Football Playoff rankings set to release on Nov. 5, the 7-1 Irish look poised to claim a coveted spot in the top 12. Though they look to be playing their best, most complete football of the season, Coach Freeman knows Notre Dame has yet to play to its full potential.
“When I meet with [the players] again, I’m going to tell [them] about the improvements that we need to make,” Freeman said. “It’s the reality of people that aren’t satisfied. We want more. We want the best, but we’re going to enjoy today.”
