Print Edition for The Observer for Friday, Jan. 23, 2023

University uncovers Columbus murals

The Main Building artwork will be unveiled Jan. 30 to Feb. 3 for instructional purposes

By ANGELA MATHEW manager of Talent and inclusion

This past week from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3, the c olumbus murals on the second floor of the u niversity’s m ain b uilding were uncovered for instructional purposes. The 12 paintings depict c olumbus’ arrival in the “ n ew world,” his interactions with i ndigenous people in the c aribbean and images of s panish royals like Queen i sabella. They were covered with tapestries in 2020 post an announcement by Fr. Jenkins in Jan. 2019. The first calls for the removal of the murals occurred in the 1970s, when

the first few i ndigenous students enrolled at n otre d ame and spoke about the mural’s racist and stereotypical depiction of i ndigenous people. The protests were ignited again in the 1990s near the 500th anniversary of c olumbus’ arrival in n orth a merica. m ost recently, 300 n otre d ame students and faculty signed a petition in 2017 requesting the murals to be covered.

The c olumbus murals were painted by i talian artist l uigi g regori between 1881 and 1884. n otre d ame’s founder, r ev. e dward s orin, brought vatican artist g regori to

Club works with local businesses Saint Mary’s hosts PostDobbs speaker series

By KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT news writer

on wednesday, the saint mary’s college post-dobbs p rogram series hosted their first event called “dialogue, not debate: w hy it matters to Talk a bout a bortion on campus.” The talk featured associate professor and chair of the philosophy department, megan Zwart, who

discussed “having dialogue in ways that are productive, not polarizing.”

The series is put on by the academic p rogram committee of the post-dobbs working group, a committee of faculty members from a variety of disciplines. daniel horan, chair of the academic p rogram committee, said the purpose of this series is “to offer students, staff and faculty

the opportunity to learn about a range of issues related to the us supreme court decision last summer to overturn the roe v. wade decision.”

Julianne wallace, vice president for mission at saint mary’s, said that “dr. Zwart has been active on our campus, promoting dialogue specifically around difficult

see smc PAGE 3

Holy Cross community celebrates spirit week

By KELSEY QUINT news writer

n otre d ame students are teaming up with local s outh b end businesses — solving problems, gaining experience and just having some fun. The i rish c onsulting c lub ( icc ) is kicking off its fourth active semester on campus and members anticipate it to be a successful one.

Founded in the fall of 2021, the icc is a student group centered around giving students an early look into consulting through real-world experience. c lub president and senior international economics and s panish major, b ridget p aulmann explained the two elements of the i rish c onsulting c lub.

“There are basically two

see consulTing PAGE 5

By LIAM KELLY news writer

a fter a competitive week of activities, the women of the second floor of p ulte hall emerged victorious in the holy hall Tournament at holy c ross c ollege on wednesday night.

The holy hall tournament began last wednesday with a watching event for both the

men’s and women’s basketball teams. e ach hall received points for attending events as well as extra points for winning competitions, with the hall with the most points at the end of the week coming home with the coveted holy hall Tournament trophy.

The tournament began in the fall of 2020 during the covid -19 pandemic as an attempt to bring the community

together, resident assistant ( ra) Jack w illiams of the first floor of p ulte hall said.

“ we wanted to get people involved because there wasn’t much to do on campus during covid,” w illiams said.

a lthough holy hall tournament had its inception during the pandemic, it has now

see holy cross PAGE 3

Courtesy of Bridget Paulmann

Irish Consulting Club project members visit CrossFit South Bend brainstorming ways to help the company improve their business.

Courtesy of Matt Cashore/Notre Dame Archives

The University covered the murals of Columbus arriving to America after students and faculty raised concerns over the portrayal of Indigeneous people; however, they will be uncovered for a short time.

see murals PAGE 5

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Holy Cross

Page 1 grown into a tradition that brings both individual dorms and the community at large together.

“b efore the tournament, there wasn’t much of a hall identity. People really didn’t get together and do things together at hall events,” Williams noted. “The whole tournament, it got a lot of people out of their rooms and it just built friendships within the hall and within the holy c ross community.”

student body president d ion Payne-m iller also praised the tournament for its effect on the community. he described how the tournament aims to “get people who are in the dorms to come out and interact with each other.”

“it has allowed for a greater integration of community and a close knit relationship between the dorms,”

Payne-m iller said.

a fter the basketball games last week, the festivities continued with a spirit day where students wore their halls’ designated color, a bake-off and a talent show before concluding with trivia night on Wednesday night.

a lthough the men in the first floor of Pulte hall pulled forward with an 80 point lead after winning the talent show, the women in the second floor of Pulte made a comeback in Trivia night to bring the hardware home.

Pulte hall second floor ra

c armie c ataldo said she celebrated the comeback victory.

“Pulte 2 did an amazing job,” c ataldo said. “We are the first women’s hall to win, so our trophy is proudly on display in our hall!”

The Pulte women’s win did not go undisputed, however, with the men of Pulte claiming that not all of their team

members had been counted at the final event. a fter discussion, the hall directors decided not to recount the points.

d espite the controversy, Williams congratulated the women on “showing up and showing out,” while c ataldo thanked the men for “putting up a tough fight.”

Williams did add, though, that he plans on purchasing his own trophy for what he believes was a victory for the first floor of Pulte.

reflecting on the eventful week, Payne-m iller praised residence Life at holy c ross for “doing a great job” and noted that he hopes that events like this continue in the future.

“it’s been a great success,” he said.

Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu

topics and complex issues.”

Zwart is the director of the dialogue Project, a program dedicated to encouraging communication across difficult subjects. Through this program, Zwart gained experience in promoting productive dialogue in tough topics.

Zwart says she also has experience facilitating topics about abortion due to her teaching. she has taught a medical ethics class for 15 years that has a unit dedicated to abortion. d ue to this experience, horan said Zwart is “the perfect person to help give the campus community some resources for how to approach listening, learning about and discussing topics like abortion on campus.”

Zwart’s conversation centered around three points she wanted the audience to consider: why is this a hard issue to talk about, why is it that it

matters that we talk about it and what are some strategies we can use to have productive conversations?

First, she brought up that abortion is hard to talk about due to religious, political, moral and other differences. Zwart said that despite these differences, we don’t have to abandon our beliefs to have productive conversations and build a community.

next, she asked the audience to ponder why it matters that we have these conversations. Zwart proposed to benefit ourselves as individuals, “we should always be testing our view and checking clarity and consistency.” i n short, she is asking people to learn from others in order to “create a community where people feel welcome.”

Zwart lastly touched on important things to keep in mind when trying to have productive conversations, such as trust, sharing experiences and intending on gaining knowledge. she used these strategies to emphasize talking versus debating.

“i n debate there is a winner,” Zwart said.

she also encouraged what she referred to as curious questions. These questions are “routed in wanting to understand someone’s difference from you.”

she emphasized that to ask these questions that are rooted in curiosity is to genuinely learn someone’s viewpoint, not defensive of your own.

“i f we shout down at others, we miss opportunities,” Zwart said.

The event wrapped up with a question and answer segment that centered around themes of places to have conversations, how to desolate bad conversations and the complexities of abortion rights.

The academic Program committee’s next event is march 2, horan says features “a team of sociologists who will present on their research on the local history of abortion in the greater south bend area.”

Following that, horan advertises the final event of the semester, a panel featuring President Katie conboy and other faculty members “addressing how the post-dobbs context affects the saint mary’s college community from a variety of perspectives.”

additionally, several events on the same subject are being put on by the student Program committee. This committee is similar to the academic Program committee, except it is made up of students from various disciplines. Wallace said that this committee worked with Zwart in the fall to learn ways to have these difficult conversations.

Contact Katelyn Waldschmidt at kwaldschmidt01@saintmarys.edu

Paid a dverT isemen T

Author speaks on career

By MOIRA QUINN news Writer

o n Wednesday night, s aint m ary’s alumna a driana Trigiani spoke at a virtual Q& a hosted by b elles’ b ook n ook regarding the time she spent as a student and her life working as a bestselling author. s tarted by a group of e nglish majors, the club offers monthly meetings for students to come together and discuss their current favorite books with one another.

Jaden d aher, a senior at s aint m ary’s who has been interning for Trigiani the last two years talked about the revival of b elles’ b ook n ook, as it once only catered towards e nglish majors.

“a lot of people think it’s a book club, but it’s not,” she said. “We wanted it to be inclusive for all majorws and people who love e nglish, even if they’re not an e nglish major.”

a s an e nglish major herself, d aher discussed the excitement she has surrounding Trigiani coming to speak to a group of students.

“ i t’s really nice to have such a close link to someone who has succeeded in this major from s aint m ary’s,” she said. “ i t’s really inspiring and we’re all very excited to have her come talk.”

d uring the meeting, Trigiani thoughtfully spoke to the group about a multitude of questions she received. o ne of the questions was about the importance of reading and improving on your writing skills, even if you do not consider yourself a writer.

“ e verything that you do and everything that you choose is you writing your story for good or for ill,” she said. “Look at the books on your shelf, look at the books you like to read, keep a notebook of what you’re reading, and soon a style will e merge.”

Trigiani also commented on her connections to s aint m ary’s and n otre d ame, even after she graduated.

“ i ’m still in touch with all my friends from s aint m ary’s and n otre d ame because we had a joint theater

department.” she said. “When i was at s aint m ary’s, they saw i had talent and they let me write and direct on the main stage of the n otre d ame and s aint m ary’s theaters.”

Trigiani went on to talk about her viewpoint on the world of publishing today.

“You have to always be looking down the road at what you think people are going to want,” she said. “You have to go with the river, you can’t fight the river, and one of the main reasons i think that i have survived and that i ’m still at it, and that i have projects and developments being made into movies that i ’m going to direct is because i am very flexible.”

While Trigiani’s Q& a was the first club event of the spring semester, b elles’ b ook n ook has many other exciting things to offer.

“ s o far we’ve done read-ins or read-outs depending on the weather, where people get together and talk about what book they’re reading or just come to read for homework,” d aher said. “We did a poetry slam with mocktails that were based on literary character, and i think we will do another read-in or read-out this semester, too.”

Contact Moira Quinn at mquinn02@saintmarys.edu

ND students scammed by phishing emails

By CAROLINE COLLINS and MATTHEW BRODER news Writers

Last week, students received an email from the o ffice of i nformation Technology ( oi T), with the subject line “ nd s tudents Lost $1000s to this s cam.”

The email described how, “students have lost thousands of dollars to scammers impersonating faculty members with enticing job offers.”

a ccording to Lenette votava, head of internal marketing and communications for oi T, the scams were primarily fraudulent student job openings.

“The majority of scams reported to the i nformation s ecurity team are student job scams offering fraudulent research assistant positions,” she said over email. “These scams are ultimately designed to steal students’ personal information.”

Phishing scams come in a variety of different forms, such as fraudulent job offers and fake invoices. They can also come through a variety of different media like email, text messages, phone calls and social media.

What they all share in common is that they “try to deceive the recipient into taking an action, such as revealing personal information,” votava said.

These messages typically include a phone number or email address that recipients are directed to for the full job description, rather than directing them to an

official application through the University.

s ome other indicators of phishing messages are that they may ask for personal information or passwords, are sent from an unusual address instead of an @nd.edu address and create a sense of urgency.

votava said that if students respond to a phishing message, they will likely be asked to purchase supplies for the job or perform money transfers.

“The sender will either promise to reimburse or more commonly, request personal bank account information in order to deposit a mobile check into the victim’s account,” votava said. “These checks are fraudulent and will eventually be revoked by the bank, leaving a deficit in the victim’s account if that money was used to purchase items or transfer money for the job.”

s ophomore s ophia Fowler said her c anvas account was hacked in n ovember. h er personal phone number was part of a larger data leak and she received messages requesting money. s he said the scammers threatened to lock her out of her account and report her for cheating if she did not send the money.

Fowler said she filed a report with nd P d and reported the incident to oi T. oi T froze her account associated with her school email for 24 hours. a fter freezing her account, they recommended she change her passwords and set up o kta authentication for c anvas through

push notifications rather than text messages.

“Push notifications directly from a service’s proprietary app are generally more secure than text messages, especially for verification purposes,” Jeremy m oynihan, the d irector of c ampus Technology and i nnovation in s tudent Government, said. “You can be even more confident that the message came directly from o kta.”

votava explained that students can protect themselves from scams by understanding the warning signs of unsafe messages. s tudents should also familiarize themselves with approved channels for student employment on campus by referring to the J ob board.

s he said that faculty members and staff have been instructed not to communicate about student employment through email.

votava said the i nformation s ecurity team is working to filter out spam and phishing emails to prevent them from reaching students’ inboxes, but that it is important for students to be on the lookout for these messages.

“Job scams will continue to pose a threat to the higher education community,” votava said. “ c yber criminals evolve their strategies, making these phishing scams increasingly difficult to detect.”

Contact Caroline Collins at ccolli23@nd.edu and Matthew Broder at mbroder@nd.edu

Paid a dverT isemen T

campus in 1874 as director of the Art d epartment. d uring his tenure, Gregori also painted decorative works in the c hurch of the s acred h eart, now the b asilica, like the c oronation of the v irgin and other works in the m ain

b uilding like the allegorical painting on the interior of the dome that depicts “a female personification of r eligion surrounded by Philosophy, h istory, s cience, Fame, m usic, and Poetry,” according to an exhibition catalog written by s ophia m eyers, who graduated from the University with an m .A. in Art h istory in 2010.

c olumbus’ founding of the n ew World is now thought of as an event that “destroyed the already established civilizations of [Indigenous people in] two continents,’” m eyers writes. The catalog also acknowledges, however, that during the late 19th century when the murals were painted, novels like Washington Irving’s “The Life and voyages of c hristopher c olumbus”

(1828) portrayed c olumbus as a heroic figure who “symbolized divine destiny and maverick Independence,”

m eyers said in the catalog.

s ince c olumbus was a c atholic from s pain, the n otre d ame community in the late 1800s viewed him as an important c atholic figure in Protestant-dominated U. s . history. Kathleen s prows c ummings, professor of American s tudies, who took two of her classes to visit the murals this week expands on this idea.

s prows c ummings, who teaches the courses “ n otre d ame in America” and “c atholics in America,” says that in the 1880s many Americans believed c atholics couldn’t be good

Americans because they were recent immigrants, and they supported the Pope.

“[ c olumbus] was presented as a figure who was a devout c atholic and who helped civilize the continent … It tells us an awful lot about what Father s orin and c atholics in general wanted to say about themselves in the 1880s,” s prows c ummings said.

s prows c ummings said that while the murals are inaccurate and culturally insensitive, they provide an opportunity to understand the past and move the conversation forward.

“They portray a narrative that seems benign … this encounter between c olumbus and Indigenous peoples as a c atholic story of conversion,” she said. “It … gives no hints of the genocide and cultural appropriation. I definitely think they should be covered, but I think there should be opportunities to talk about what it means and how we can understand … the limitations of our past.”

Ashlee b ird, m oreau post doctoral fellow in the department of American s tudies is a n ative American game designer who studies the representation of Indigenous people. s he is Western Abenaki and originally hails from the c hamplain valley of vermont.

b ird says that the murals should not just be covered up, but taken down completely.

“With c olumbus as a figure, there’s this holding on to this narrative of discovery and glory that are … almost entirely fictional at this point. We know c olumbus never set foot here, [in n orth America]. We also know that he kidnapped and sold young Indigenous girls into sex slavery,” she said. There’s accounts of him having his soldiers feed babies to

their dogs. h e openly stated that the Indigenous people would make good slaves because they were friendly and accommodating.”

b ird said that uncovering the murals has the detrimental effect of perpetuating negative and stereotypical images of Indigenous people.

“These histories of representation that have been violent and historically inaccurate either trap Indigenous peoples in places of history and violence or tokenize them. For teaching purposes, there are plenty of images of those murals that professors could show their students, there really isn’t any point other than to glorify them by seeing them in person,” b ird said.

b ird related the c olumbus murals to her work with Indigenous representation in contemporary video games. “ s ome games actually implicitly teach players to behave violently towards n ative American people in digital spaces, regardless of if the game is telling them that they’re the bad guy or not. I don’t think something like the murals is that dissimilar honestly. We shouldn’t keep perpetuating these images of Indigenous people as subjugated or you worshiping a man who committed heinous acts against them,” b ird said.

b en h eller, associate professor of s panish, has taught classes where students have read c olumbus’ diary along with other works from the period. As part of these classes, he would take students to see the murals in person.

“I think … it’s different from seeing something on a screen or on a page,” he said. “You’re in a large hallway with high ceilings, and you see the size of these murals, and that’s part of the …impact of these negative images. s eeing them in that context … and knowing that

the admissions office for many years was right across the hall from the c olumbus murals, you get a sense of the way in which the murals were embedded in the identity of the University and how that identity was conveyed to prospective students.”

h eller talked about the need to contextualize and understand c olumbus’ project by reading his writings and the writings of critics like b artolome de las c asas, a priest who documented many massacres against Indigenous peoples of Latin America.

“The journal that he completed, based on his first voyage to the n ew World, is absolutely fascinating, because there he records his first interactions with … Indigenous people of Latin America, in the b ahamas and in the c aribbean more generally. h e very casually says that he took a number of c aribbean peoples back to s pain so that they can learn s panish. What we’re seeing there is kidnapping and forcible movement of peoples and the beginnings of the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples that quickly developed into a system of slavery in the early 1500s,” h eller said.

In past classes before the murals were covered, h eller would discuss with his students what should be done with these relics. s ome students talked about removing the murals and transferring them to a museum space, a move that would be technologically challenging considering the murals have been painted directly on the wall. o thers thought about installing plaques next to the murals to help contextualize the history. Those students suggested descriptions should be written in e nglish, s panish and some n ative American languages. s ome students also thought

about commissioning new artwork for other parts of the m ain b uilding, which would tell the other side of the story from n ative American perspective, preferably, from n ative American artists.

b ird said that the reigning narratives about c olumbus as a c atholic explorer stand in the way of the work that needs to be done between the c atholic c hurch and Indigenous peoples, particularly at n otre d ame, an institution that is on the land of Indigenous peoples.

s prows c ummings also talked about how the University can acknowledge the legacy of Indigenous people, specifically the Pokagon b and of the Potawatomi, and have a wider understanding of c atholic role models.

The Potawatomi originally lived on the land on which the University is built and had been practicing c atholicism since around 1830, 12 years before Fr. s orin arrived from France in 1842.

“This land on which we teach and learn has been occupied by native peoples for hundreds of years, and we don’t do such a great job acknowledging that,” s prows c ummings said.

s he talked about Georgetown University’s memory project that recorded how in 1838, the m aryland Jesuits and Georgetown University sold more than 272 enslaved people from four Jesuit-owned tobacco plantations in southern m aryland to plantation-owners in southern Louisiana.

“I think n otre d ame should take a real lead among c atholic universities in grappling with this issue … akin to what Georgetown did starting in 2016,” s prows c ummings said.

Contact Angela Mathew at amathew3@nd.edu

segments to the club. The first is projects, which is huge and also pretty unique for our consulting club because what we do is we work with local businesses in the s outh b end community to solve business problems they might have,” Paulmann said. “We’ve worked with The Pigeon and the h en Pottery studio, c rossFit s outh b end, just a lot of local businesses to solve competitive problems.”

Paulmann also said that club projects can touch on a wide variety of issues, including “profit maximization, marketing, or financial modeling — we’ve done a whole lot of things for them.”

While these real-world

projects are a highlight of the Irish c onsulting c lub, Paulmann said that the second component, education, can also be extremely helpful for students looking into careers in consulting.

“It’s about preparing students for recruiting and learning more about consulting in general,” Paulmann said. “ s o in the fall, it looks like a pretty high-level overview, where students learn about working in consulting and what a consulting project looks like. And in the spring, it’s more about the specifics of recruiting and casing itself.

While I cc is structured between projects and education, Paulmann along with vice president and senior, Kevan o ’ b rien, agree that there is a third element to the club: community.

“The third thing that we really tried to do is foster a sense of community within the club and build kind of a social element to the club where everyone gets to know each other and kind of work together on the recruiting process,” o ’ b rien said.

This intra-club community building takes the form of different mentoring programs, resume reviews, practice interviews or, according to o ’ b rien, “bouncing ideas off each other and just learning from each other’s experience.”

As for this semester’s upcoming projects, Paulmann and o ’ b rien assured The o bserver that although they are still in the works of finalizing the list, members can expect about three projects that cover a wide range of industries.

b oth Paulmann and o ’ b rien concluded by reflecting on why they decided to join the I cc and what has been the most rewarding aspect of their experience.

“There’s a lot of like projects that people do in classes or other clubs, where you’re all working together in a team to do something, but it’s not necessarily like a real-world application,” o ’ b rien said. “ b ut here, we’re actually working with people in the s outh b end community and providing recommendations that they are actually implementing in their businesses. s o, you get to see a real-world impact of our work, which I think is really cool.”

Paulmann echoes this appreciation and then adds a comment about her overall

feeling of gratitude for the community and friendships she’s made through the club.

“I was drawn to consulting because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, longer-term. And consulting lets you explore a lot of different opportunities in a variety of different industries, all performing a bunch of different functions,” Paulmann said. “ b ut I stayed very passionate about this and I’ve been involved with it because I care a lot about the social aspect. I’ve met so many great people throughout this process and I’m so thankful. I just want to be able to provide that same opportunity, that channel, for underclassmen.”

Contact Kelsey Quint at kquint@nd.edu

Putting the wonder back in winter

“There’s no snakes. There’s no alligators. There’s no hurricanes.” I repeat this strange string of sentences to myself daily, typically while trudging through the snow to get to class during winter. I say it every time I question my choice of college, since I could’ve gone somewhere warmer than the m idwest. Typically I conjure up images of the GIA n T snakes you see in documentaries from places like Australia, or my friends’ snapchats about having to do math homework in hurricane protection shelters since they couldn’t leave their campuses in time for the incoming inclement weather.

I’m not unused to the winter weather m ichiana brings, since I’m a born and raised m ichigander. Lake effect snow and wind chills were terms I understood in kindergarten, as they decided whether I got to go outside for recess during the winter. I’ll never forget the time in middle school when my public district had to cancel classes for a week, because the diesel fueled school buses’ antifreeze didn’t withstand the -40 degree weather we sustained for two straight days, and the diesel became a jelly-like substance inside of the fuel lines in every single one of them. I was ecstatic, to say the least, and took an entire day to build a ten foot tall snowman instead of doing homework.

b ut now? n ow I complain about having to put on a coat to walk fifty feet to the dining hall. I cringe at walking outside for more than two minutes to get to class. s omewhere between kindergarten me who loved being queen of the ice castle and watching weather patterns on the weather channel, middle school me who built giant snowmen, and now, the wonder of winter faded. n ow I look outside and see the hassle. I don’t see the beauty. I think snowball fights are a waste of time. b uilding a snowman is fun in theory, but don’t ask me to get my gloves soaked making one. m aybe it’s just part of growing up. m aybe it was realizing that someday, I’m going to be going out and snow blowing my driveway like the strong, independent young woman I am. o r maybe it’s because wool is tragically expensive so I can’t knit warm winter scarves often anymore. r egardless of what caused this lack of wonder, it saddens me. I used to love the winter, and all that it brings. h opefully I’ll be able to relearn that joy, and take the time to spin in the middle of the fluffy flakes coming down. We’re in the part of the season that’s the prettiest, before the gray stuff February always brings.

m aybe that’s something we all need though. In the busyness of the new semester, maybe we do need to take the time to bundle up, step outside, and flop on our backs to make a snow angel. As students, we’re really good about taking advantage of our breaks by sleeping every moment we can, or being “bored” and scrolling social media. b ut when was the last time you stepped outside to build a snow fort? I can’t remember the last time I did, and I doubt there are many of you that can either. s o, as much as I am challenging myself to remember the wonder of winter this season, I challenge you too. Take a moment. Look at the snow. Think of at least one complimentary thought about the snow, beyond the general “it’s really white” or “it’s pretty”. And just maybe, we’ll be able to relearn the wonder of winter together slowly.

You can contact Liz at eschutter01@saintmarys.edu.

The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

holocaust education in the United states is a disaster.

Last Friday marked International holocaust remembrance day. It’s the global commemoration of the six million Jews and innumerable roma, LGbTQ+ and disabled communities who were massacred by the nazi regime. As part of my contribution to holocaust remembrance, I participated in the #Weremember campaign, a joint effort between World Jewish congress and Unesco. The initiative invites people and organizations across the world to remind us about the holocaust and its implications today by posting a photo on social media with a sign stating “We remember.” The effort was a huge success, leading to countless posts, video messages and physical displays throughout the world. The Jewish club took part in the campaign, ensuring that notre dame had its place in holocaust remembrance.

According to the United nations resolution that established International holocaust remembrance day, the overall purpose of holocaust remembrance is twofold. First, reflecting on the holocaust and learning about it helps to preserve the memory of the tragedy’s victims and survivors. Participating in campaigns like #Weremember, listening to the testimony of survivors helps ensure that the holocaust isn’t lost to history. second, the act of remembrance helps inspire action towards preventing future atrocities. Understanding that prejudice, even when tolerated at a small level, can develop into group-targeted violence helps mitigate the possibility of horrible events like the holocaust in the future. It’s the embodiment of the mantra “never Again.”

The goals of holocaust remembrance aren’t meant to be relegated to one day out of the year. International holocaust remembrance day is certainly meaningful and noteworthy by emphasizing annually the importance of jointly reflecting on the holocaust. but its true strength lies in the lessons and efforts that stem from the yearly commemoration. We cannot truly honor the victims and survivors without acknowledging the effects of the holocaust today and the justice that its horrors call us to.

The root of holocaust remembrance is education. Without understanding the holocaust, the factors that led to it, and its legacy, there’s no way remembrance can truly take place. however, the state of holocaust education in the United states is dismal. According to a soon-tobe-published survey conducted by American Jewish committee (AJc ), basic facts about the holocaust are unknown to significant portions of the population. how many Jews were killed in the holocaust? only 53% of Americans know that it’s six million. how did hitler come to power? Thirty-nine percent of American adults can tell you it was democratic, which points to a larger concern that Americans aren’t aware of how dangerous forces can manipulate our own democracy. out of the basic questions on the holocaust asked to respondents, only 26% answered all four correctly.

American Jewish committee’s survey confirms the troubling results found in a groundbreaking survey conducted in 2020. The conference on Jewish material claims Against Germany, in the first-ever fifty-state survey on holocaust knowledge, found a strikingly low

number of young Americans know simple facts about the holocaust. seventy-eight percent have “definitely heard” about the holocaust. sixty-three percent of U.s. millennials and Gen Z didn’t know six million Jews were killed. When asked to name a concentration camp, death camp or ghetto (of which there are 40,000), 48% couldn’t name one.

The claims conference ranked their findings by state, of which Wisconsin had the highest score of 42% on holocaust knowledge. That means that even in the state with the most knowledgeable young Americans, 58% still didn’t know basic facts about one of the world’s most significant historical events. only seven states cracked 30%. our own state of Indiana has a remarkably low 27% and is tied for the 20th highest score in the nation.

While the lack of adequate holocaust knowledge is indicative of a larger failed education system, it also leads to fears about the dangers of that ignorance. Without that knowledge, we miss important insight on preventing future genocides and acts of hatred. It also leaves Americans susceptible to antisemitism. Inadequate holocaust knowledge means that Americans may unwillingly engage in behavior they’re unaware perpetuates hatred towards Jews. The holocaust was the culmination of tolerating antisemitism. Any further toleration of it invites further harm against the Jewish people, which is especially troubling as antisemitism has risen over recent years.

one factor contributing to this problem is that there isn’t comprehensive holocaust education across the country. out of the 50 states, only 21 require holocaust education in secondary school. even in states that do require it, it may be inadequately covered or students may not properly understand the significance of the event. If you’re a resident of a state that doesn’t require holocaust education in school, I implore you to reach out to your state representatives and advocate for that mandate. If you do live in a state that requires it, tell your elected officials the holocaust must be treated with the proper respect, not merely as a historical event. It has lasting effects on our world today. We should always be cognizant that an act like the holocaust can happen again.

As members of a post-holocaust world, especially one where there are less survivors every day, we must contend with the ramifications of one of humanity’s darkest moments. We cannot allow antisemites and other bigots to deny the facts of the holocaust. We shouldn’t let the memories of victims and survivors be forgotten. We must heed our ethical duty to act against injustice in pursuit of a world that is free from its horrors. That is true holocaust remembrance, and it begins with education. Anything less is moral failure.

Blake Ziegler is a senior at Notre Dame studying political science, philosophy and constitutional studies. He enjoys writing about Judaism, the good life, pressing political issues and more. Outside of The Observer, Blake serves as president of the Jewish Club and a teaching assistant for God and the Good Life. He can be reached at @NewsWithZig on Twitter or bziegler@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

here’s how to fix it.

Liz Schutter news Writer

Blake Ziegler news with Zig

communion of saints I disagree with

fully engaged with certain parts of campus life choosing my circles of social justice warrior c atholics to surround myself with.

There is only one torture device that should be used in the 10th circle of hell: middle seats on airplanes. The cramped quarters, jiggling the person next to you to take a leak and you descend into the next circle of hell when you come back to both of the armrests taken.

I was flying back from c onnecticut a couple months ago when I found myself in between a woman bopping out to her tunes and an older man wearing a University of o klahoma hat.

Wanting a controversial flight, I asked the man to my right what his thoughts were on the Texas vs. o klahoma game (a 49-0 shellacking), accidentally engaging in a conversation much grander than expected.

From football, we quickly ascended to learning everything about each others lives. h e is retired n avy officer, who enlisted and served as part of the 41 submarines for freedom during v ietnam and dedicated his life to serving our country.

John is a b aptist and an instinctual connector of people. h e’s retired, but his big role now is to set up the reunions for his submarine crew every two years. h e glowed when discussing his grandkids, one of whom is following in his steps to serve, and the big family reunions he holds (there are taco trucks)! h e’s someone authentically devoted to his faith in a transformative way.

We were on a three-hour plane ride and there was barely a moment of silence — cracking jokes, discussing world events and talking about how much we hate Alabama football.

When we got to talking about the midterms, he reminded me a lot of my family. A complicated hodgepodge of beliefs — a fierce believer in the dangers of climate change, but alarmist about critical race theory. h e was cautious about cov I d , but believed that abortion was a murder that should be charged with capital punishment.

d uring the 2020 presidential election, I left my family group chat.

m y Uncle Jim, a red-neck, fishing fanatic, righter than right, bass pro shop collector and proud Texan had blown up the group chat about one of the recent election developments. I was an outlier as most of my family had decided to cast their vote for d onald Trump.

o ne of my favorite messages from Uncle Jim before I left was, “believe it or not d ane, I’m trying to prevent you from becoming a radical crusader that everyone runs from.”

In my application to n otre d ame, I stated that “I want to be pushed by an environment where my beliefs are constantly challenged.” I haven’t always done that in the most authentic and full way.

In many ways, I’ve fallen into being the radical crusader that my uncle talked about, most people don’t run from me (I hope), but over my first two years of college I haven’t always

c oming from a mostly right-leaning family, I enjoy the hustle and bustle of dissent and disagreement. h owever, at some points, it becomes tiring having to fight for every inch of your existence which is why I have somewhat retreated into my own little mouseholes.

In the fall semester, I set out on an odyssey to have 20 discussions with people I disagree with for no other reason than to talk with them, hear their stories and join in our collective humanity. n o agenda, listening and friendship.

I talked with priests, professors, r epublicans, “Kneeler” c atholics and everyone from everywhere. I went to events by s tudents for c hild o riented Policy ( sco P) — the anti-LG b TQ+ club on-campus events, to Latin mass, to talks by priests about what political life as c atholics should look like.

In the many meals and laps around the lake, I found people more complex than the images they project of themselves. o n social media, in written work, and even in the classroom.

It made me think about my family or complicated beliefs like John’s — my uncle b ill in c incinnati usually votes nationally for r epublicans, but locally votes mostly for d emocrats. Uncle Jim hasn’t voted d emocrat in a half century but agrees with my uncle b ill that abortion should be legal till a certain point. People are not certain or simple in any box we try to put them into. With work on mental health care and racial justice, I have found myself working with conservative c atholics and m ormons who disagree with me on 95% of the things I believe but are willing to work with me on one or two issues.

In his book “Trust”, Pete b uttigieg harkens back to our founding stating, “we live in a country whose most radical founding premise was that people could be trusted to govern themselves” — that we weren’t going to have some monarch dictate life, but that each person would have a stone in setting the course of our collective fate.

h owever, he warns that if we don’t talk to one another those systems break down, that radical premise no longer works.

Anand Giridharadas recently released book “The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for h earts, m inds, and d emocracy”, he discusses how the culture of write-off by progressives is deadly. It’s not an argument for watered-down centrism, but for an understanding of the complex nature of humanity, a permission structure for people to practice the art of persuasion.

There should be tension and anger in democracy. It’s tensions around we have $100 left and then decide whether we give it to Amy’s aging parents or c arl’s young kids. There can and should be frustration there because it’s questions of life and death.

h owever, anger and frustration can’t mount to a culture of write-offs that certain folks are irredeemable and impossible to work with. It

also doesn’t mean we can’t be frustrated with or even call people’s political beliefs inhumane, harmful, or cruel. b ecause fundamentally that tension and anger is part of the democratic process.

John is a good person, John has racist beliefs that are foundationally harmful, John most likely won’t change a ton. h owever, I would argue, nothing gets better without talking with folks like John, without believing in the goodness that he possesses, that change might happen, and that he can be worked with on certain things.

s ome will argue there is most likely a flaw in my methodology, many of the saints that I disagree with: John, my Uncle Jim, the dozens of people I have talked with on campus or any of that 10% who is as entrenched in their beliefs as I am in mine will not change their opinions no matter what I do.

e ven if they’re right on that front, lumping any segment of the 80% in the middle, who is not so calcified, into an irredeemable pot of enemies is a losing battle. A purified tidal wave of 10% is not going to overcome the 80% cast out. h opefully, I have turned at least somewhat into a radical that people walk with, not run from. I’m back in my family group chat and continuing to have conversations with people like John and the many traditional c atholics on campus that think I’m crazy.

b eing a white man obviously provides some positionality that makes this easier, especially for communities where engaging in such dialogue is not at all positive for them at any moment in time that’s ok too. You’re not required to save democracy, again. h owever, for those for whom positionality provides cover, I believe those conversations are part of our democratic duty.

If at any point you decide this radical premise is too hard, that talking with folks we disagree with is too intense, and its a cross not worth bearing we can always return to a monarchy or authoritarian, where that responsibility no longer ours, the stones of our fate belong to someone else and that burden is lifted from our shoulders.

Until that point, the number 2 bus, the middle seats on airplanes and communing with other saints we disagree with gives me hope. h ope in the form of a system built on persuasion where hearts and minds can be won.

Dane Sherman is a junior at Notre Dame studying American Studies, peace studies, philosophy and gender studies. Dane enjoys good company, good books, good food and talking about faith in public life. Outside of The Observer, Dane can be found exploring Erasmus books with friends, researching philosophy, with folks from Prism, reading NYTs op-eds from David Brooks/ Ezra Klein/Michelle Goldberg or at the Purple Porch getting some food. Dane ALWAYS wants to chat and can be reached at @danesherm on twitter or lsherma2@ nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Dane Sherman saints among us

10 ways to calm down—as told by my nine-year-old self

In 2009, I wrote a 10-step list on ways to calm down during times of stress. I wanted to revisit each of the steps, reflecting on each one’s value and relevance as a college student.

1. Take 3 deep breaths. obviously, deep breathing has positive effects on the body, lowering one’s heart rate and thus alleviating anxiety. however, breath has also served as a crucial theme of many activities I’ve participated in throughout my life, from cross country in middle school to fast-talking in debate during high school to singing choral anthems at notre dame. In all these activities, proper breathing represents the need to focus, to lose myself in the clomping of shoes on black pavement or the highlighted excerpts on my computer screen or the notes in my music binder. by taking time to breathe, I move into an ethereal state, unbounded by worries.

2. count to 10 backward. counting backwards draws me into the past. It compels me to remember where I’ve come from, all the people I’ve met, all the experiences I’ve had. The past is full of examples of stresses and failures. but is also full of examples of how I’ve avoided letting failures define my being, or even how I’ve improved myself in response to stressful moments.

3. close your eyes and think of a great day. While I’ve had a relatively stressfree year, I’ve occasionally felt weighed down by the thoughts of the thesis I have to work on and the officer meeting I need to prepare for and the employment applications I need to complete reminding me that this is the last semester at a place where I’ve been welcomed and appreciated before moving on to the unknown. on days when I feel entrapped in whirlpools of thoughts like these, it helps to remember that there are days to look forward to, whether they be opportunities to hang out with friends or the knowledge that at one point, I will look back on the work I’ve completed this year and smile.

4. hum a favorite song or tune. music has always served as a meditative outlet through which I can block out external stresses. At notre dame, participating in the Liturgical choir has exposed me to a plethora of soothing motets and chants that I can put on while I work on assignments. This not only buries my anxieties beneath the elation of polyphony, but it also gives me an opportunity to center my spirituality in whatever task I am completing.

5. Think of a funny thing. I need to laugh every day, at least a little. I need to hear my friends’ bizarre stories. I need to occasionally revisit YouTube videos I’ve already seen because I know they’ll make me laugh. I need to remember that every day needs a moment of shameless silliness, of unbridled joy.

6. close your eyes for 1 minute. sometimes I like to take time to remember that I am myself, regardless of whatever anyone or anything around me might say.

7. read a book, poem, or skit. Although I’ve dealt with the occasional “Arts and sweaters”-style of teasing, I’ve loved being an english major. Literature can take me from the mundane to the fantastical, or it can even turn the mundane into the fantastical. Through immersing myself in the characters of the books I read, I might even see my reflection in the pages, revealing new truths.

8. draw a picture of your favorite toy. I still stim from time to time, needing a small “toy” or object to wave around, toss up and down, or curl in my palm. A small sphere or a keychain becomes the focal point of my emotions, as if my moving it enables the object to absorb any feelings of negativity, allowing me to reach a state of peace.

9. do a little dance (not at school!). While I may not dance at school, I believe there’s empowerment to be found in allowing yourself to move to an internal rhythm, directing your personal art, when people are often encouraged to keep their inner songs to themselves.

10. eat a snack. snacks give me energy, but meals give me spiritual sustenance. I cherish the chances to sit with friends over pancakes at south dining hall or with family over chips and salsa at our favorite hometown Tex-mex restaurant. In a ratatouille-esque fashion, I ponder each distinct taste while I learn more about those around me through easy, un-pressured conversation. overall, I approve of my 9-year-old self’s list. Importantly, while I used to view these steps as purely reactive measures, things to do once I became stress, now I view them as proactive elements of a healthy, peaceful life. I hope my visit to the past has inspired you to reflect on how you can use your passions and interests to combat stress in your daily life.

Jack Griffiths is a senior at Notre Dame majoring in English with a supplementary major in global affairs. His areas of interest include neurodivergence, migration and the intersections between faith and public policy. When he’s not writing, you can find him singing with the Liturgical Choir, walking around the lakes or playing Super Smash Bros with folks in his dorm. He can be reached at jgriff22@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

2023 is for progress, not perfection

n ew Year’s resolutions, if focused on healthy self-improvement can be a great way to hold yourself accountable to your own personal goals. And although self-improvement looks different for each individual, resolutions can become harmful when you essentially weaponize the n ew Year against yourself. We’ve all heard the phrase, “new year, new me.” b ut we should use it as encouragement, not ammunition.

For some, it’s weight loss. For others, it’s eating healthier. It might be improving relationships within your family or your friend group. m aybe you wanted to read one book a week or learn a new recipe. To buy a new car or land your first job. n ew Year’s resolutions look different for everyone.

The purpose of this editorial is not to diminish your goals or accomplishments. r ather, our aim is to emphasize how your resolutions can be successful without holding yourself to unhealthy standards that can harm you in the long run.

c reating a long-term goal to eat more nutritious food? h ealthy. h aving a cheat day, then punishing yourself by barely eating the next? Unhealthy. o r having a cheat day, then thinking it ruined your goal? Also unhealthy.

If you didn’t meet your expectations for this month, it doesn’t mean you failed, or that it’s not a goal worth achieving. Instead of forcing yourself to follow strict lifestyle rules, take a moment to reflect on the first month of 2023.

r emember that any progress, even if it’s not the amount that you wanted to see, is worth celebrating. d idn’t get a job in January but got an interview?

s ubmitted more applications?

Anything can be viewed as positive growth toward your overall goal. Wanted to work out more, but only got to the gym once? c elebrate getting there and plan to go twice in February. Wanted to read a book a week, but only

got through two during the month? You’re still making an effort. At the other end of the spectrum, say you didn’t read any books. s ay you didn’t make much progress on the job front. That doesn’t mean your year is already a failure; you still have eleven more months!

We’re only a month into 2023, and a lot can change. Keep working on your process. You don’t have to wait for the next set of n ew Year’s resolutions to come around to try again. February is the perfect time to re-evaluate the standards you set for yourself. Were they realistic? If not, you can still reset and create new goals. And if you feel they’re realistic, that’s great! Work to keep achieving them — just don’t punish yourself for not being on pace or diminish what you’ve already accomplished.

This editorial isn’t so much a progress check as it is a reminder that a n ew Year’s resolution is only as good as you make it. And if you make it about unrealistic goals, physical or otherwise, you will set yourself up for inevitable disappointment. d epending on your mindset, this disappointment can easily turn into selfhatred as you make your own feelings of self-worth contingent on a goal only you are holding to yourself.

The purpose of a resolution is to feel happy with the steps you are making to improve your life. b ut you are more than your resolutions, and it’s impressive to even get up in the morning, regardless of what else you do. n ew Year’s resolutions are a bonus to make yourself feel only more successful; they’re not meant to add extra stress to your day. Keep your resolutions and benchmarks healthy and realistic for yourself, and the rest will come. Trust in that process.

h appy February! c elebrate what you’ve achieved, and look forward to a 2023 that can still be great.

Jack Griffiths neurodivergence

IT’S ALL ABOUT MA: BEHIND THE ‘RUSH!’

By ANNA FALK scene Writer

Winning eurovision, playing multiple sold-out shows around the world and being nominated for a Grammy Award would be a dream for any group of people in their early 20s — but for Italian rock band maneskin, it’s a reality.

damiano david (lead vocals), Thomas raggi (guitar), ethan Torchio (drums) and victoria de Angelis (bass) rose to fame in the American mainstream with their p opular cover of Frankie valli & the Four seasons’ “beggin’,” but much of their discography remains unknown to the general public. “rush!,” released on Jan. 20, is their fourth studio album. While it’s good, it’s not their best work.

To create their debut international album, the quartet worked with talented producer and songwriter max martin (“... baby one more Time,” “shake It off,” “blank space” and “blinding Lights” among others). The LP is mostly sung in english (likely to reach a more global audience) but features a few Italian songs to represent the foundation of their music career. While the band has always dabbled in english, their earlier albums are Italian-heavy, so this is quite a change from their typical style.

regardless, they deliver on their promises of being an energetic, fierce and unstoppable force of rock-and-roll.

tin protest song that has remained a fan-favorite since its debut at 2022 coachella. Italian songs “mark chapman,” “La Fine” and “Il dono della vita” round out the new, and the album ends with the oldest singles “mammamia,” “supermodel” and “The Loneliest.” overall, the album is good. With the attention that their eurovision win brought them, the world waited to see how they would progress in their music. They were no longer buskers on the streets of rome — they were young people representing rock in a mainstream that no longer accepts it. For the expectations that weighed upon their shoulders, they delivered with devilish grins.

however, when the spotlight shines too brightly, they misstep. The three singles featured at the end of the album have their merits, but they fit in oddly — it’s almost like they were an afterthought. The other two singles — “Gossip (feat. Tom morello)” and “La Fine” — flow well in the tracklist, which begs the question about the placement and inclusion of the others. “rush!” did not need the success of its earliest singles to flourish, and they only seem to bring the quality down. To many critics, however, the addition of the singles is not their primary focus. What they think is the most

NSR’S ‘HAMLET/5’ PREMIERES THIS WEEKEND IN WASHINGTON HALL

By PETER BREEN scene Writer

The not-so-royal (nsr) shakespeare co.’s “hamlet/5” comes to fruition in Washington hall’s Lab Theatre this first weekend of February on Thursday, Friday and saturday at 7 p.m.notre dame’s student-run shakespeare troupe is known for its semiannual bard productions, traditionally performed at semester’s end with a sizable cast and crew. This weekend’s show, however, will feature just five actors.

“[‘hamlet/5’] is one of our side, experimental productions nsr likes to do besides the main shows,” christina randazzo —or hamlet, Princess of denmark — told The observer.The production was deeply inspired by Actors From The London stage (AFTLs), a traveling group of professional actors who put on five-actor shakespeare productions at notre dame a couple times a year, randazzo added.

randazzo and ballard Powell, who plays claudius, Laertes and the Ghost, have been cultivating the play’s vision since the summer of 2022 — cutting down the script, pinpointing three additional thespians and then dividing out the various roles in the play evenly.Jenna rame plays Gertrude and ophelia, noah sim takes on the roles of horatio and rosencrantz among others and dominic Keene, who plays seven different dramatis personae by the end of the production, rounds out the cast list. All five nsr veterans are the show’s co-directors as well.

Above all else, “hamlet/5” is a character-driven, relationship-driven tragedy in which collaboration is the name of the game. The quintet employed simplicity in set design, props and costumes, a necessity in such a small production, to expedite their story-telling talents. The play’s timeless themes — darkness, beauty, corruption and trust — are perhaps best investigated through the eyes of the mourning Princess — not Prince — of denmark.

“We wanted to show how universal hamlet is by [casting] a young female hamlet and focusing on relationships,” randazzo said. “hamlet and ophelia’s relationship is just as hauntingly beautiful with two women as it is otherwise [for example].”

rame, who plays both hamlet’s potential love interest and hamlet’s mother, added that she was able to develop heavy insight about the play’s rotten relationships by entering into the mind of multiple characters at once.

“having to bounce back and forth between different characters all the time gives you more focus and more clarity as to what each of those characters represents to you and what each character is motivated by,” rame said.

Keene, spending much of the performance with a bent back in his role as the old, foolish but possibly wise Polonius, cherished the opportunity to work with a smaller group of nsr actors than normal.

“We had to be a little more scrappy with this production,” Keene said. “Throughout the whole scope of the show, we’ve learned so much about directing and

songs — on “rush!” and otherwise — utilize this approach to music-making, but why can’t they create music that’s just fun? Why can’t they simply enjoy themselves while singing about the thrills of living?

no matter what people say about the new album, however, the quartet will continue to rise in stardom for the foreseeable future. since their eurovision win, they’ve achieved unimaginable wonders. With all of their accomplishments, the world can only have hope for the future of their sound and image.

Contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu

“Rush!”

Artist: Maneskin

Label: Sony

Favorite tracks: “Own My Mind,” “Baby Said,” “Il Dono Della Vita”

If you like: Rock music, Italians, chunky bass lines

learning how to work well together, how to address each other’s ideas.”

sim, the director of nsr’s Fall 2022 production, “The Winter’s Tale,” drew attention to the show’s use of light and sound design. he believes that tech is in fact way more involved than the acting side of the company.

“As actors, the tech just happens,” sim said. “We don’t really have anything with it — it’s like magic. having such talented people to actually do the physical task of making sure the tech happens, it’s very helpful.”

Powell, whose standout portrayal as the Ghost, claudius and Laertes triggers hamlet’s madness from every direction, is indispensable to this weekend’s performance for a reason behind the scenes as well. during winter break in Pittsburgh, the actors hunkered down for a week to block out all of the play’s movements in Powell’s basement.

“We had a week of rehearsals at my place,” Powell said. “We literally, during winter break, drove everyone to my house. If we did not have that week, we’d be screwed.”

Tickets for the three performances of “hamlet/5” on Feb. 2-4 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Washington hall Lab Theatre are available to purchase at the LaFortune box office for $5, or at the door for $7 while supplies last. Auditions for “much Ado About nothing,” nsr’s main show this semester, begin in the Lab Theatre on sunday, Feb. 5.

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu

No. 20 Notre Dame, No. 17 Michigan State meet in major series

By TYLER REIDY sports Writer

much has changed since notre dame hockey hosted m ichigan state back in late o ctober. r anked 12th at the time, the Irish had hoped to solidify themselves among the nation’s top 15; they now sit on the edge of the Top 20, according to Uscho rankings. The spartans opened the season as an unproven bunch on the heels of a rocky season; they now have eyes on an nc AA tournament berth.

This weekend, a huge notre dame-m ichigan state series looms in e ast Lansing. The Irish (13-12-3, 8-8-2) and spartans (13-13-2, 7-9-2) will each have an opportunity to alter their postseason prospects significantly on a number of levels.

What’s at stake

Thanks to the last two weekends, notre dame has returned to contention after a largely unimpressive november and d ecember.

The Irish earned a key split at Penn state and followed it up with a home sweep of Wisconsin. notre dame currently occupies the big Ten’s 4th place spot with 26 points, one behind both Penn state and ohio state.

Though the bearers of second place rank well above the Irish nationally, the Irish can reasonably hope to pass both in the conference standings. With the nittany Lions visiting the buckeyes this weekend, both teams cannot go 2-0. Also, even though osU has two games in hand on notre dame, the Irish host them next weekend and have been playing much better at home.

The spartans have engineered an epic turnaround after last season’s struggles, but there are still questions regarding their competitiveness

against the big dogs. since early d ecember, the big Ten’s top three teams have outscored m ichigan state 4014. however, msU will play each of its next three series against bottom four conference teams, including two at home. With a swift jump from 5th place to 4th or higher, the spartans would position themselves to host in the big Ten’s opening playoff round.

Why is that important?

m ichigan state is 9-4-1 at munn Ice Arena this season and 4-9-1 elsewhere. In the national picture, all major rankings outlets place nd and msU somewhere between 14th and 20th. The country’s top 16 teams receive an nc AA tournament berth, so series such as this one are intensely magnified.

Takeaways from o ctober notre dame secured four of the six possible points against m ichigan state o ct. 28 to o ct.

29. In Friday’s 5-0 victory, the Irish looked as comfortable as they have against any opponent all season. notre dame jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and rode senior goaltender r yan bischel’s shutout the rest of the way. When the spartans lose, they often lose badly, so another fast start could make a difference for notre dame.

s aturday’s game proved that m ichigan state, if not pressured quickly, can be a very difficult out. The spartans picked up the opening goal and battled the Irish to a 1-1 tie and shootout win.

Graduate student goalkeeper d ylan st. c yr starred in earning the extra point, denying 39 of 40 shots faced. Though he started the campaign at a magnificent pace (.934 save percentage through 15 games), the Quinnipiac University transfer has slumped as of late. h is save percentage has flipped to .886

since early d ecember, and he was yanked early twice in January. Time is running out for st. c yr to get hot again, and there is no better time to do it than against notre dame, his other former team.

Promise on the power-play

For most of the season, notre dame’s power-play has struggled to generate momentum. however, the Irish struck gold on the man-advantage last weekend. After posting two power-play goals at Penn state, notre dame burned Wisconsin for five in 12 attempts.

The recent success has helped the Irish set the tone early in games. They have scored four first period power-play goals in the last three games, including two in Friday’s 5-3 win. d ifferent personnel have gotten the job done as well. e ight separate players have accounted for notre dame’s last eight power-play goals dating back to Jan.13. The Irish will look to keep thriving against a m ichigan state penalty kill unit which has surrendered 11 goals in the last nine games.

Team notes

notre dame’s most potent weapon continues to reside between the pipes. Goaltender r yan bischel has played to a .949 save percentage over his last four games, catapulting himself into a hobey b aker Award nomination. he leads the nation in saves (879 by a wide margin), and his .928 save percentage paces the big Ten.

In front of him, a few especially reliable offensive weapons have emerged from the woodwork. Junior forward r yder rolston and graduate student forward c hayse Primeau have each registered five points over the last two weekends. With 20 and 18

sMc

con TIn Ued From PAGe 15

under four minutes into the third quarter from Townsend, threatened to blow the game wide open. The bucket extended s aint mary’s lead to 36-27. They extended their largest advantage of the night to 12 points on a s chutz three-point play. o n the night, Kalamazoo shot just 10% (1-10) from three-point

points, respectively, they sit in the top three of notre dame’s points list alongside senior forward Trevor Janicke. s enior defenseman nick Leivermann (16 points) also made an instant impact upon return from injury, collecting three assists against Wisconsin.

Though m ichigan state has one hobey nominee ( d ylan st. c yr) to notre dame’s three, the spartans’ top forward line cannot be overlooked.

Freshmen Karsen d orwart, daniel russell, and senior Jagger Joshua are among msU’s top four point scorers. e ven in sparty’s 6-3 loss to m innesota on s aturday, the three combined for five points. Joshua has been especially dangerous, leading the team with 11 goals, five power-play goals, and two hat tricks. Fifth year defenseman c ole Krygier has also displayed a high capacity for offense. h is nine goals are

the most scored by an msU defenseman since 2012-13 (Torey Krug).

notre dame and m ichigan state will drop the puck at 7 p.m. e T on Friday and 4 p.m. e T on s aturday. Friday’s game will be available on big Ten network Plus, while s aturday’s contest will be aired on big Ten network, and both will be on the notre dame r adio network.

The Irish hold an all-time record of 57-66-16 against msU, with a 23-37-5 mark in e ast Lansing. b oth teams will play two additional regular season series following this weekend. n otre d ame will host o hio s tate, take a week off, then visit m ichigan. The s partans host the Wolverines before hitting the road for Wisconsin and concluding the season on a bye week.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

range, and they struggled to maintain extended stretches of cohesive offensive basketball. While a 12-point lead looked to have the b elles in good position, they again went freezing cold on the offensive side of the court. They didn’t score in the final three minutes and seven seconds of the quarter, allowing the hornets to creep within three at 43-40. The b elles’ scoring

drought continued into the fourth quarter, and the 12-point advantage officially evaporated. With 8:42 to play, the h ornets connected on a jumper to surge back into the lead, 44-43. With 5:25 to go, Kalamazoo drilled their lone three-pointer to go up four points, 51-47. h owever, the h ornets tacked on just one free throw the rest of the way.

r zepka tied the game on a layup and pushed the b elles ahead 54-51, draining her sole triple of the evening. s aint m ary’s closed strong, hitting nine of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter to seal the win, boxing the h ornets out of any comeback attempt. They prevailed, 61-52, keeping hopes of a winning conference record alive.

MEGHAN LANGE | The Observer

After sweeping Wisconsin in dominant fashion, the Irish look to build on their win streak in the upcoming series against Michigan State.

Happy Birthday: Your mind will be racing this year, but if you don’t prepare and organize properly, you will miss your mark. Look at the possibilities and bring together what’s most compatible. Make your energy work for you. Refuse to let situations spin out of control emotionally or cloud your vision. Spring forward. Your numbers are 7, 18, 20, 26, 37, 42, 48.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Think big, but don’t overspend. Be open to ideas, but not at the expense of giving up on your dreams. Take pride in what you do and you will stimulate profit and growth. Distance yourself from emotional interference that clouds your vision.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Talk with someone you enjoy working with and a concrete plan will develop. A reunion or gathering will drum up feelings you once had for someone. Reach out and see where it leads. It’s time to either embrace or let go of the past.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do your thing, even out the playing field and make disciplined decisions that make a difference to your reputation and position. Refuse to let anyone take credit for something you do or say. Protect yourself and your assets from anyone pressuring you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Share information, feelings and plans with someone special. Build your future with a goal in mind. Overreacting won’t solve problems. Look for common ground and connect with people who can help make your dreams come true. Handle a romantic gesture with care.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Align yourself with the most reliable sources. Don’t be shy; speak up, and your contributions will open doors that lead to new beginnings. Don’t walk away from change; embrace what’s available and make it your own. A partnership will require compromise.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Consider what you want and how best to make it happen. Plan a fun-filled day that will ignite your imagination. Create an exciting way to get things done in record time so you can move on to more desirable pastimes.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Shake off any negativity dragging you down. Set the record straight and map out your goals. Procrastination is the enemy, so gear up and show everyone what you can bring to the table. By setting new trends, your popularity will grow.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You’ll gain power if you are observant. Take note of how others treat you, and eliminate situations holding you back. Improve your image and how you present yourself to the world. Romance is favored, and a commitment looks promising.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t ignore trouble. Size up situations and protect yourself from anyone coming on too strong. If something doesn’t sit right with you, take a pass and do your own thing. Avoid trips, meetings and situations that can put you in a compromising position.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Pressing matters will escalate if you don’t take charge. Refuse to let anyone put demands on you. By asking questions, you’ll learn how to move forward. An idea or concept you have has profitable potential. Apply your skills and follow your instincts.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Low-key works wonders in a tight situation. Don’t poke the bear if you want others to listen. Offer something intelligent, concrete and forwardthinking. Take precautions and ward off injury or illness. A realistic attitude will lead to benefits.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Initiate activities with friends. Share your feelings and intentions, and a positive suggestion will follow. A trial run is a safe bet that leaves wiggle room for adjustments. Clear favors or debts owed before you proceed. Choose love over discord.

Birthday Baby: You are cautious, adaptable and insightful. You are thoughtful and sincere.

McCarthy: WNBA free agency

Sammie McCarthy sports Writer

W nb A free agency for the 2023 season officially opened Feb. 1. s everal notable players have announced contracts with new teams for the upcoming season, including c andace Parker, c ourtney v andersloot and b reanna s tewart, among others.

o ne of the best players in the W nb A, s tewart signed this week with the n ew York Liberty. s he is leaving the s eattle s torm after six seasons with the franchise.

s tewart won two W nb A championships in 2018 and 2020 with the s torm, and was named W nb A Finals mv P in both appearances. s he was named W nb A mv P in 2018 as well. s tewart is a four-time W nb A All- s tar, and led the league in scoring last season.

s he will be joining s abrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones in n ew York to give the Liberty three 2022 All-W nb A awardees. The Liberty lost in the first round of the playoffs last season, but the addition of s tewart to the roster turns them into a championship contender.

Four-time W nb A All- s tar c ourtney v andersloot will join the Liberty as well. vandersloot has played for c hicago s ky since she was drafted in 2011, winning a championship with them in 2021.

The Las vegas Aces will be the team to beat this season. They are reigning champions and have continued to strengthen their roster by adding 2022 AllW nb A First Team awardee c andace Parker.

Parker is a two-time W nb A champion and has earned numerous accolades over her 14 seasons in the

Irish look to continue strong start at Illini

league, including two mv P awards, a Finals mv P award and seven All-W nb A First Team h onors. s he played for the Los Angeles s parks for the first 12 years of her career, winning a championship in 2016. s he then played for the c hicago s ky for two years, winning another title in 2021.

Parker’s move comes at the end of her two-year contract with the s ky. n ow an unrestricted free agent, Parker signed a one year contract with the Aces, who won their first championship in franchise history last year with a victory over the c onnecticut s un.

With the addition of Parker to the roster, the Aces are looking for backto-back championships.

The Aces lineup already includes three 2022 W nb A All s tars in Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson. Additionally, Aces guard c helsea Gray was awarded W nb A Finals mv P. Parker will be the fourth 2022 W nb A All- s tar on the Aces’ roster this season, and all five starters are favorites to earn All- s tar honors this season. Additionally, 2020 First Team All- d efensive player Alysha c lark signed with the Aces this week, further deepening their roster.

At this point in the preseason, it seems the Aces will dominate the league this year. The Liberty are shaping up to be strong competitors as well as they add new stars to their roster. h owever, the landscape will continue to shift over the next several weeks as other free agents sign new contracts.

By ADAM AKAN sports Writer

n otre d ame women’s tennis has been spectacular this season, posting an overall 5-1 record and a perfect 4-0 mark at home at e ck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish have an average margin of victory of 4.6, with 7-0 victories over m ichigan s tate and Xavier, a 6-1 win vs. b utler and a 5-2 win vs. UI c

This past weekend, the Irish traveled down to Athens, Georgia for Women’s ITA Kickoff Weekend in an invitational hosted by the University of Georgia. The third-seeded Irish took on n o. 13 ranked U sc , the two seed, in their first match last Friday. The

Irish bested the Trojans in a tight battle, 4-3.

The Irish would then advance to the final against the host squad and n o. 6 team in the nation, the Georgia b ulldogs. d espite strong performances in the doubles competition, the Irish would fail to register the same success in singles competition. The b ulldogs took a decisive four points from the Irish and won the tournament, denying n otre d ame the opportunity to advance to ITA Indoor n ationals.

The Irish will travel to c hampaign, Illinois this s unday for a match against the Fighting Illini. The Illini come into this game having also split their games at the ITA Kickoff

Weekend, losing to nc s tate 4-0 but defeating Furman 4-0. Their overall record is 2-1, with an additional win at Kentucky.

The game for the Irish is the first in a long line of b ig Ten games before conference play opens up Feb. 24 against Georgia Tech. After the Illini, the Irish will battle n orthwestern, Penn s tate and Wisconsin at e ck Tennis Pavilion.

h ead coach Alison s ilverio and her highflying Irish are sure to be tuned up and eager to rebound from their heartbreaking defeat in Athens. The game will be played at 11 a.m. this s unday.

Contact Adam Akan at aakan@nd.edu

KATE NAESSENS | The Observer

Yashna Yellayi, above, has a 3-1 overall record. The Irish women’s tennis team boasts a 5-1 record and, after a win and a loss to USC and Georgia, respectively, look to make it 6-1 in a victory against Illinois.

Coolican: Imagining a midseason tournament for baseball

Liam Coolican Associate sports editor

Imagine yourself in any mid-size minor league baseball town: m ontgomery, Toledo, Frisco or s outh

b end. n ow imagine the scene if an m L b team like the Yankees, r ed s ox or d odgers rolled into town for a playoff game. This could be a reality if m L b ever adopts a mid-season tournament similar to the e nglish FA c up.

The hugely popular tournament matches up teams from the giants of the Premier League all the way down to the ninth division. e ach year, some of e ngland’s biggest clubs travel to small stadiums throughout the country, to face off against teams whose players make less in a year than the Premier League’s stars do in a week. e ven though a

top-flight team always wins — the last time a team from a lower division won the c up was 1980 – there have been some memorable upsets over the years.

r ecently, there has been talk of implementing a similar mid-season tournament in n orth American sports, most notably in the nb A. According to The Athletic’s s hams c harnia, the format would involve cup games throughout n ovember with eight teams advancing to a single-elimination final.

It certainly is an intriguing idea. As a fan of the basement-dwelling d etroit Pistons, I’ll readily admit that I haven’t watched a full game in weeks. It would give fans something to cheer for amidst an otherwise lost season. Yet I can’t help but feel as if it’s an empty trophy. The FA c up is special because it matches up teams that would never otherwise

thing about n otre d ame’s victory against Louisville is it offered a blueprint for the Irish to follow the rest of the way. The Irish avoided sloppy mistakes or having their weaknesses exploited. They hung tight on rebounds, losing the margin by just three, notched 16 assists and finished plus-nine on turnovers and plus12 on points off them.

d oing that against the abysmal c ardinals is one thing.

r epeating it against a m arch

m adness hopeful in Wake Forest would be quite another. While the d emon d eacons are a bit buried in the A cc standings — their 6-6 record in conference play is tied for eighth — they are on the edge of the bubble and a strong last month of the season could propel them into the tournament. s o far, n otre d ame’s only conference wins have come against the two teams below them in the A cc standings — Louisville and Georgia Tech. b eating the d emon d eacons would be a whole different echelon of victory.

It is not that the Irish are not capable of hanging with good teams. They have proven that with competitive games against top-six A cc teams in nc s tate and m iami. A game half as clean as the one they played s aturday might have been enough to win those games. While fixing these mistakes will not change this season’s fate, getting things back in the right direction is always a good thing.

o f course, Wake Forest will not be eager to provide the Irish

play each other.

h owever, there is one sport that would be a perfect fit for a midseason tournament: m ajor League b aseball.

m inor league baseball has been in trouble recently, and m L b teams have faced declining attendance for years. n o one change can fix these problems that are plaguing the game. b ut a midseason tournament could go a long way toward rejuvenating interest in the sport especially among younger fans who are increasingly turning to basketball and football.

While there are many different formats the league could experiment with, the ideal scenario would likely include teams at each of the five levels of affiliated baseball, from s ingle-A to the m L b . With roughly 30 teams at each level, it could feature seven best-of-three

with a much-needed confidence boost. The d emon d eacons actually could be an ideal matchup for the Irish, who have struggled on defense all season. Wake Forest does the same, allowing 73 points per game, third-most in the conference. Like n otre

d ame, Wake relies heavily on the three, shooting at nearly an identical clip and volume as the Irish while also defending them at a similarly poor rate. b etter still, if the Irish can continue to protect the rock as they have done all season, they can mitigate one of Wake Forest’s biggest strengths — their ability to force turnovers.

The similarities do not stop there. The d eacs also have four players in double figures scoring, with guard Tyree Appleby leading the way. The Florida transfer is a duel threat, ranking second in the A cc in points per game and first in assists.

d amari m onsanto leads the conference in threes per game.

Andrew c arr and c ameron

h ildreth are just outside the top ten in rebounding in the A cc

The one obvious advantage Wake has is depth. n ine players average at least 10 minutes per game for them, compared to seven for the Irish (who might be at six if ven-Allen Lubin cannot go).

e ither way, the Irish and

d emon d eacons meet for the first time this season s aturday at Purcell Pavilion. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. The game is available on local regional sports network and the n otre d ame r adio n etwork.

rounds.

m uch like the FA c up, there is something remarkably appealing – for most fans – about the Yankees potentially being eliminated by a d ouble-A squad. As we’ve seen in the playoffs, anything can happen in a bestof-three series. While the m L b teams would more than likely dominate the competition, there would also be some intriguing storylines.

h ow many m inor League batters Jacob deGrom could strike out? h ow far Aaron Judge could hit a ball against a s ingle-A pitcher?

This would certainly attract fans far and wide to minor league baseball stadiums, as well as give players a much-needed change of pace from an otherwise grueling season. The 162-game season can become a slog in July and August. h aving meaningful games in the middle of the season would be beneficial

for fans and players alike. It would also give teams a chance to evaluate their top prospects against m ajor League talent.

There are certain kinks to work out. Unlike e nglish soccer, minor league baseball teams are affiliated with an m L b team. As a result, teams could manipulate matchups easily by moving top prospects up or down strategically before big games.

Another is providing an appropriate incentive structure for teams and players who are only looking to win a World s eries Trophy. b ut these problems aren’t insurmountable. The benefits of this format could be huge for the sport.

Contact Liam Coolican at lcoolica@nd.edu

The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

MICHAEL LI | The Observer Irish graduate guard Trey Wertz steps up to the line to prepare for a foul shot. Wertz shot 100% from the foul line and netted 15 of the Irish’s valiant 71 points, but it was not enough to top FSU.

As odd as it may sound, considering the frigid temperatures and giant masses of snow around the n otre d ame campus, the 2023 m ajor League b aseball ( m L b ) season is quickly approaching, with opening day set to occur in less than two months. With pitchers and catchers slated to report as early as Feb. 13, it’s time to look ahead to the upcoming season and the expectations for each club. o ver the next few weeks, I’ll dive into previews for all 30 teams, division by division, helping get fans ready for the 154th season of professional baseball. Up this week, the n ational League West.

Division Overview

o ver the past decade, the n L West has been dominated by the Los Angeles d odgers, who have won nine of the past 10 division titles, with the s an Francisco Giants being the only other team to capture a division crown in 2021. Last season followed a similar path, with the d odgers winning the division, followed by the s an d iego Padres, the Giants, the Arizona d iamondbacks and the c olorado r ockies, respectively. h owever, it was the Padres who received the last laugh after securing a wild card birth and eliminating the d odgers three games to one in the n L d ivision series before being vanquished

Vaughn: Previewing the National League West

by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Arizona Diamondbacks

(2022: 74-88, .457)

The Arizona d iamondbacks look to bounce back after their third-consecutive losing season. m anager Torey

Lovullo returns for his seventh season, hoping to guide the d -backs to their first postseason birth since 2017. Though finishing near the bottom of the n L, the team looks to be much-improved, thanks in large part due to great outfield depth, particularly with young players like Jake m c c arthy, Alek Thomas and c orbin c arroll (the n o. 2 prospect in all of baseball) entering the season age 25 or younger. o n the infield, Arizona returns with gold-glove first baseman c hristian Walker, as well as switch-hitting infielder Ketel m arte.

The pitching staff looks to be anchored by young aces in Zac Gallen and m errill Kelly, both of whom showed great improvement under the tutelage of pitching coach b rent s trom, who came over from the h uston Astros following the 2021 campaign. In terms of transactions, the d iamondbacks didn’t make many moves. h owever, they did complete a blockbuster trade, dealing a rising star in utilityman d aulton varsho for catcher Gabriel m oreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. In m oreno, a highly-touted prospect, Arizona should have their everyday backstop while Gurriel provides the lineup with a high on-base percentage. Though it will be difficult for the d iamondbacks to reach o ctober this season, expect much improvement and many strides towards a bright future.

Colorado Rockies

(2022: 68-94, .420)

The c olorado r ockies carry their rebuilt into 2023, hoping to move past their 94-loss season in 2022. Though c olorado stayed pat in the offseason with minimal trades and free agent signings, they hope to receive a major boost with the addition of four time All s tar and 2016 n L mv P Kris b ryant. Inked to a seven year, $182 million deal prior to the 2022 season, b ryant appeared in just 42 games last a season, by far his lowest over a full, nonc ovid season.

Aside from b ryant, the club does have some bright spots in the lineup, with 2022 All s tar c .J. c ron and Gold Glove winner b rendan r odgers patrolling the right side of the infield. In fact, that infield looks to improve even more with top prospects e zequiel Tovar ( ss , n o. 25 prospect in all of baseball) and m ichael Toglia (1 b / o F, #6 1 b prospect in baseball) slated to be key contributors. For the team to be competitive, though, they will also need bounce-back seasons from former top prospect r yan m c m ahon, as well as aging outfielder c harlie b lackmon. o n the pitching side (which never has been a strong suit for a team playing half its games a mile above sea level), the r ockies will need to lean on their workhorses in Kyle Freeland, German m arquez and Antonio s enzatela, all of whom are entering their late-20’s primes. o ut of the pen, closer d aniel b ard looks to shut down opposing offenses as he did in 2022, anchoring down a bullpen full of unknown and unproven arms. It will be a large climb for the r ockies, with 2023 appearing to be another season out of contention.

Los Angeles Dodgers

(2022: 111-51, .685)

The Los Angeles d odgers were once again a very successful team in the regular season in 2022, winning 111 games en route to their ninth division title in the past ten years. h owever, despite entering o ctober with the best record in baseball, the d odgers title aspirations were short-lived, ending with a three games to one loss to the Padres in the n L d ivision s eries.

This offseason, the d odgers have experienced more than their fair share of transactions, witnessing the departure of n L s ilver s lugger Trea Turner, longtime third baseman Justin Turner, outfielder c ody b ellinger and closer c raig Kimbrel, the latter three of which were coming off down seasons, particularly by their own standards. The d odgers refused to stand idle, though, signing flamethrower n oah s yndergaard and slugger J. d m artinez, both of whom look to return to their all-star form.

d espite these changes, the current lineup remains loaded with talent, led by 2022 all-stars m ookie b etts (who took home both a Gold Glove and a s ilver s lugger)

and Freddie Freeman and complimented with young position players Gavin Lux and Will s mith. o n the other side of the ball, the d odgers boast many quality arms from lefties c layton Kershaw and Julio Urias to righties Tony Gonsolin and d ustin m ay, though losing Walker b uehler to Tommy John surgery for the season is a major blow, even for a roster this deep. o h, and by the way, the d odgers have one of the top farm systems in baseball with seven prospects in the top 80, all of which are slated to reach the majors some time this season. s o yes, despite the disappointment last o ctober, the d odgers remain a force to be reckoned with.

San Diego Padres (2022: 89-73, .549)

After making a run to the n L c hampionship s eries in 2022, the Padres look to take the next step forward in 2023. The offseason saw many roster changes via free agency with former s ilver s luggers Josh b ell and b randon d rury and starting pitchers s ean m anaea and m ike c levinger among the notable exits.

h owever, general manage A.J. Preller backed his reputation as an aggressive executive, signing all-star shortstop Xander b ogaerts away from the b oston r ed s ox while bringing in veteran sluggers n elson c ruz and m att c arpenter as well. They will join one of the most star-studded lineups in baseball, joining up with 2022 all stars Juan s oto, m anny m achado and Jake c ronenworth, not to mention potential mv P candidate Fernando Tatis Jr., who returns from his P ed suspension the second half of April.

This roster is solid defensively as well, featuring five gold-glove finalists, including center fielder Trent Grisham, who won the award for his position. o n the pitching side, s an d iego’s staff is headed by ace Joe m usgrove, with many quality starters like Yu d arvish, b lake s nell, alongside former Top 100 prospect b rent h oneywell Jr. The bullpen is anchored by flamethrowers r obert s uarez and Josh h ader, with young arms r ay Kerr and m ichel b aez slated for increased roles. After coming within three wins of the World s eries, the Padres look to play deep into o ctober once again.

San Francisco Giants (2022: 81-81, .500)

d espite vastly outperforming expectations with a 107-win division title in 2021, the s an Francisco Giants came back down to earth in 2022, finishing at .500, good for third in the division. After an offseason characterized most by what could have been in the failed signings of Aaron Judge and c arlos c orrea, as well as the loss of their allstar lefty c arlos r odon, the Giants look to stay competitive as they continue their transition from their dynasty of the early 2010’s to making their next o ctober run. The outfield, bolstered by the signings of m ichael c onforto and m itch h aniger to go along with Joc Pederson and m ike Yastrzemski, looks to be the strength of the lineup, with the infield featuring a combination of aging veterans and unproven young players. The ceiling of this team will be determined by the ability to pitch, with s an Francisco hurlers combining for a 3.85 era in 2022. With the return of ace Logan Webb and the addition of s ean m anaea (as well as n o. 18 prospect in L h P Kyle h arrison expected to reach the bigs this season), the rotation looks to be one of the stronger ones in the league. The r odgers brothers should bring stability to the bullpen, allowing the team to win some close games. Although not full of the star power typically seen for the Giants, this team has the potential to be competitive this season, with a chance to sneak into o ctober with a wild card birth.

Closing Thoughts and Other News

The n L West looks to be a compelling division featuring two World s eries contenders in the d odgers and Padres. m eanwhile, the d iamondbacks feature many young players and look to take the next step in their rebuild, while the Giants hope to remain competitive. As for the r ockies, 2023 looks to be a season of potential development, and not much more.

Look out for next week’s edition, as I continue these previews with the n L c entral.

Contact Joey Vaughan at jvaugha2@nd.edu. The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Joey Vaughan sports Writer

WBB

con T inued from page 16

f rom there, an avalanche of i rish baskets sent the e agles away for good. i n just over three minutes, s onia c itron and sophomore guard o livia m iles teamed up to tally 14 unanswered points. b efore they knew it, the e agles trailed 69-50 and faced an i rish team in full control of the game.

Though junior forward m addy Westbeld fouled out after a 4-for-4 effort from the field, n otre d ame had plenty of room to work with it.

b oston c ollege went down quietly, wrapping up a 72-59 i rish road victory. With the win, n otre d ame secured its first season sweep of the e agles since the 2018-19

campaign.

s onia c itron and o livia

m iles, who anchored n otre

d ame’s three major runs, accounted for 45 of the 72

i rish points. c itron’s 23 fell one short of a season-high, as did m iles’ 22.

b eyond her scoring output, m iles played her typical brand of remarkably dynamic basketball. s he grabbed 8 rebounds and issued 10 assists, earning her 7th double-double of the season and her first of 2023.

i n Lauren e bo’s absence, KK b ransford delivered a strong performance on the inside, collecting 10 points and 8 rebounds.

n otre d ame committed an alarming 22 turnovers but evened them out with a field goal percentage of 50.7 and a +14 rebounding margin.

The e agles enjoyed success

from the charity stripe (14for-17), but endured a difficult night everywhere else. They shot just 35.6 percent from the floor, including a 17.6 three-point mark.

s ophomore forward-center m aria g akdeng racked up 16 points, while T’Yana Todd battled through an inefficient night to score 13. a ndrea d aley also scored in double-figures with 10 and added 8 rebounds.

Up next

With the top spot in the acc on the line, n otre d ame will play its biggest game of the season to date on s unday.

n o. 16 d uke (19-3, 9-2) will visit p urcell p avilion in the only regular season meeting between the two schools this year. The i rish and b lue d evils are currently tied atop the acc standings with

under a month remaining.

d uke’s schedule has stiffened recently, yielding losses to n o. 11 n orth c arolina and n o. 23 f lorida s tate.

d efense has carried the b lue d evils to the top of the standings this season. a s of Thursday night, d uke ranked in the nation’s top 20 in blocks per game (5.0) and opponents’ field goal percentage (35.0). The

b lue d evils also own one of a merica’s top scoring defenses, allowing just over 50 points per game. Kara Lawson’s team has surrendered more than 58 points just three times, accounting for their only three losses.

o ffensively, d uke puts forth a balanced attack and wields one of the deepest benches in the acc s enior guard c eleste Taylor (11.9) and senior guard-forward

e lizabeth b alogun (10.3) are the only scorers averaging double-figures. h owever, eight players behind them are healthy and have played at least 200 minutes.

The b lue d evils defeated p ittsburgh 53-44 at home Thursday night, leaning on their defense again. n either team exceeded 38 percent from the field or 58 percent from the free throw line. Taylor and sophomore guard s hayeann d ay-Wilson each put forth 13 points to lead d uke to victory at c ameron i ndoor s tadium.

s unday’s acc showdown will tip-off at 1:00 p.m. e T and will be available on r egional s ports n etworks and the n otre d ame r adio n etwork.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

SMC BASKETBALL

Belles pull away late, knock off Hornets in a 61-52 victory

Observer Sports Staff

The s aint mary’s b elles used a late 12-1 spurt to pull away from the still-winless Kalamazoo hornets, improving to 4-8 in miaa play with a 61-52 victory. s ophomore forward Julia s chutz led the way with a 20-point, eightrebound effort. s enior guard maddie r zepka chipped in 11 points, and sophomore guard Jasmyne Townsend notched

13 off the bench. it was a slow offensive start for both teams, with the b elles not getting anything through the hoop until nearly three minutes expired on the game clock. Townsend hit a jumper with 4:50 left in the quarter to give s aint mary’s a 8-7 lead. however, a drought lasting three minutes and 29 seconds ensued, and the b elles surrendered seven straight points. They trailed at the quarter

break, 16-12. s aint mary’s again struggled to warm up their shooting in the second quarter. The hornets scored the first four of the period. b etween the end of the first and the beginning of the second quarter, the b elles went another 3:11 without scoring a bucket. Thankfully, strong defense kept them in the contest, as Kalamazoo opened a lead of just eight points, at 20-12. Junior

forward a thena s amson led the defensive party with three blocks. s chutz and s amson combined for 13 defensive rebounds. o ff the bench, junior forward a nne g oralczyk added seven defensive rebounds and a pair of steals.

The b elles didn’t exactly catch fire offensively, but their impressive defense turned it up a notch. They held the hornets scoreless for four minutes and 56 seconds of

game time. The stretch allowed s aint mary’s to claw their way back into the game, slowly executing a 10-0 run that pushed them into the lead. s chutz drilled the b elles’ first and only triple of the half to earn a 25-22 advantage, a lead that the visitors maintained the locker room, going up 27-24 at the break. a nother triple, this one just

RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer

In a massive 70-47 defeat of the Seminoles on Jan. 26, Citron netted a whopping 19 points to lead the Irish in scoring. Citron had another impressive performance against Boston College on Feb. 2, during which she shot 50% from three-point range and again had the highest points with 23. The Irish are now prepareing to challenge No. 16 Duke on Feb. 5.

Citron, Miles team up to push Notre Dame past BC

By TYLER REIDY sports Writer Citron, m iles team up

to push Notre Dame past BC

With n o. 16 d uke on the horizon, the prospects of a visit to middling b oston c ollege wouldn’t typically raise many eyebrows. h owever, for the ninth-ranked n otre d ame women’s basketball team, Thursday night’s matchup in b eantown was a bit close for comfort. After pummeling the e agles 85-48 on n ew Year’s d ay, the Irish churned out a 72-59 victory at c onte Forum to open February. With the win, n iele Ivey’s squad advanced to 18-3 overall and 9-2 in A cc play. The game opened similarly to the January 1 contest, as b oston c ollege struggled to find offensive consistency. The e agles started on a 2-for-9 stretch from the floor, falling behind 11-2 in the first four minutes. A

few n otre d ame turnovers shrunk the deficit to five, but the Irish took a 19-10 lead to the end of the first quarter.

e ven with graduate center Lauren e bo out for a second straight game, n otre d ame’s interior play starred in the game’s first ten minutes. The Irish executed three blocks, scored 12 points in the paint, and limited the e agles to a 4-for-17 mark from the field.

n otre d ame’s offense went scoreless through the first 4:39 of the second, pulling bc back into the game.

b oston c ollege opened the frame on an 8-0 run, cutting the Irish advantage down to one point with four minutes until halftime.

The e agles were soaring, but sophomore guard s onia c itron grounded them quickly. s he scored seven points in just over a minute, widening the Irish lead back to eight. b oston c ollege fired right back

with the help of its guards. s ophomore Andrea d aley and freshman T’yana Todd buried three-pointers, trimming n otre d ame’s halftime lead to 32-30. The game had an entirely different feel in comparison to the first meeting, when nd led bc 49-16 through 20 minutes.

Freshman guard KK b ransford’s work in the paint helped the Irish to a 38-30 lead, as the freshman guard scored the second half’s first four points. o nce again, b oston c ollege did not back away. Taina m air hit three jumpshots midway through quarter three, and her third evened the score at 43. That was the last time the e agles sniffed the lead. n otre d ame darted out to a 10-0 run in the ensuing three minutes, entering the final quarter ahead 53-45. b oston c ollege opened the fourth by cutting the deficit back down to 55-50.

see Wbb PAGE 15

Irish look for more late-season life against Demon Deacons

By ANDREW McGUINNESS

Associate sports editor

There can be something freeing in sports about letting go of expectations. A season that began with fairly high hopes for the Irish men’s basketball reached the point of no return a while ago. Probably even sooner than when legendary head coach m ike b rey announced 2022-23 will be his final season on Jan. 19. The failure of the season and of most of the last six years was weighing down the entire program.

A reckoning is coming for the Irish not too far down the line. In some ways, what happens the rest of the way for this team does not really matter. b ut maybe that is exactly what the Irish need to return to the looseness that defined the best years of the b rey era. It certainly looked that way on s aturday. n otre d ame won in regulation for the first time in conference play, creating the smallest

inkling of momentum heading into s aturday’s clash with Wake Forest. Although that inkling is more like a supernova compared to the tsunami of disappointment that came before it.

Granted, n otre d ame’s convincing 76-62 win on s aturday came against Louisville, perhaps the only more hapless team in the A cc . The loss dropped the c ardinals to 2-19 on the year and 0-10 in conference play. And it was not even as close as the score indicated. The Irish led by as many as 30 and led by double digits for the final 28 minutes. It was a rare glimpse where the Irish were everything they promised to be at the start of the season.

The play of underclassmen, especially standout freshmen guard J.J. s tarling and forward ven-Allen Lubin, is obviously the most important thing worth monitoring the rest of the way. Purely through that lens,

s aturday was a mixed bag. Lubin missed the game due to a foot injury suffered Friday in practice, per the s outh b end Tribune’s Tom n oie. The injury is serious enough to keep Lubin out of s aturday’s contest as well, as also reported by n oie.

h owever, s tarling looked every bit the part of a m c d onald’s All-American, especially in the first 20 minutes. s tarling went 8-9 from the field in the first half, punctuated with a textbook steal and slam to close the frame. s tarling finished with a game-high 22 points and was second on the Irish with six rebounds. Graduate student forward n ate Laszewski, whose playing time was limited in n otre d ame’s prior game due to foul trouble, put up 17 points on 3-4 shooting from beyond the arc with five boards to boot.

Perhaps the most exciting

RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer

Irish sophomore guard Olivia Miles creates space during the Jan. 27 game against FSU. Miles’s recent performance at BC also impressed.