Admitted students visit campus
Students and families toured Notre Dame and engaged in a host of events during “The Rally” weekend
By LIAM KELLY Notre Dame News EditorOn Sunday and Monday, Notre Dame hosted the first of its admitted student weekends, which was rebranded this year to “The Rally.”
Roughly 2,100 people comprised of both students and families made their way to campus for the weekend as they considered whether to accept their offer of admission, according to associate director or undergraduate admissions, Gabe Brown.
The weekend saw a packed schedule of events, including a “University welcome” in the Compton Family Ice Arena on Saturday evening
Panel discusses Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s influence
By ANNELISE DEMERS Associate News EditorStudents packed into the Carey Auditorium to hear about two women in the music industry, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. The panel named “Who Run the World?” was hosted by the Gender Relations Center in honor of women’s history month.
The panel consisted of Daniel Graff, professor of the practice in the department of history, Kristen Collett-Schmitt, associate dean for innovation and inclusion at Mendoza College of Business, Anna Wald, director of graduate studies for the gender studies program and assistant director of student leadership at Multicultural Student Programs and Services.
Senior Maddi Felts, a fellow for gender equity and intersectionality, and sophomore Emi Kartsonas, the program assistant for the gender equity and intersectionality, moderated the panel.
The discussion kicked off with an exploration of the summer 2023, hailed as a season of “feminine extravagance.” Delving into the historical and cultural underpinnings, the panel examined
what propelled Beyoncé and Swift to prominence during this time period.
“I have more of an economic explanation for summer 2023, more than maybe a cultural phenomenon, but I would argue that part of this was definitely postCOVID kind of release from the seclusion and the isolation many people that end up having from the pandemic era and, you know, excited to be able to stun it and really use it on experiences,” CollettSchmitt said.
Swift has won 14 Grammys and has over 47 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Her recent Eras Tour became the highest grossing music tour in history surpassing $1 billion dollars in revenue.
Beyoncé, dubbed “Queen Bey”, has the most Grammy victories in the world with 32 Grammys to her name. She is the first woman to have 20 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist and 10 on the chart as a member of a group. She toured with her Renaissance World Tour last year, and will be releasing a country music follow-up album to the “Renaissance” album.
“In terms of highest grossing music tours in 2023, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé [were] the top two.
All concerts by men followed that by a large amount of money.
So people were flocking to see female artists,” Collett-Schmitt said.
The Eras Tour grossed $780 million, and the Renaissance World Tour grossed $460 million.
In third place was Ed Sheeran with his Mathematics Tour, grossing $240 million.
“To me, 2023 seems less of a breakout year than part of an ongoing process of women gaining ground in pop music. But still, as a fellow panelist already mentioned, if you’re looking at the Billboard charts, men are still over-represented significantly, whether as performers, songwriters and definitely producers,” Graff said. “So women dominated major Grammy Awards this winter, but overall, women haven’t achieved parity of representations.”
A study done by Billboard found 14.4% of songwriters were women and around 4% of music producers were female.
Swift and Beyoncé boast immense followings — the Swifties and the Beyhive, respectively — capable of filling the world’s
where admitted students had the chance to hear from vice president for undergraduate enrollment Micki Kidder and student-favorite director of campus ministry, Fr. Peter McCormick. Irish step dancers and a band also performed.
On Sunday and Monday, tours of campus by current students were offered in both English and Spanish. Each college of study also offered information sessions for students to learn about various offered majors as the discern their career path.
Admitted students were also able to get to know each other without their parental
Law school hosts interfaith dinner
By LIAM KELLY Notre Dame News EditorOn Tuesday evening, students and faculty gathered for food and conversation in Eck Commons for the third annual interfaith dinner hosted by the Notre Dame Law School. Members of the Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Baha’i faiths spoke to discuss the upcoming and ongoing holidays of Easter, Ramadan, Passover and Ridván.
Because the event took place during the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims, where adherents to the religion fast
from food and water from sunrise until sunset, the event began with the breaking of the fast for Muslims.
When the sun finally set, Imam Mohammed Sirajuddin of the Islamic Society of Michiana, a mosque near campus, said a traditional Islamic prayer and dates were eaten, as is traditionally done by Muslims to break their fast. Muslim attendees then completed their evening prayers in the corner of the room where prayer mats had been set up.
Following these prayers,
Lilly
Admitted
guardians during the “Class of 2028 Connect” in the Dahnke Ballroom, on the seventh floor of Duncan Student Center. Carnival-like games were set up for students including a bouncy castle with jousting, live music and a performance by the Notre Dame Leprechaun.
During the day on Monday, students were also able to tour residence halls and see current students’ rooms for the first time.
Parents were not forgotten either, with a special information session on “Supporting Student Development, Formation and Well-being” held at the same time. This was also the first year in which the University had a hospitality lounge open all day in McKenna Hall to give free coffee and snacks to students and their families.
For those who were already certain of their decision to accept a spot at the University, a “commit alley” was set up in McKenna Hall prompting students to accept their offer on the spot. These students could then build a Notre Dame Lego minifigure resembling them and take a photo holding it with their parents.
The festivities concluded with an optional mass Monday evening. The next “Rally” weekend will be held April 14-15. Virtual “rallies” are also available to students unable to attend in-person.
The 1,600 students admitted via regular decision on March 15 will have until May 1 to accept or turn down their offer. Last year, approximately 60 percent of students offered admission decided to enroll.
Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu
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attendees got up to get food provided by the halal restaurant Port of Peri Peri in Granger, Indiana. After people had been given the chance to eat, the discussion portion of the evening began with remarks about the Jewish holiday of Passover by Rabbi Karen Companez of Temple Beth-El in South Bend.
Companez discussed the significance of the Passover, which lasts for eight days and commemorates the flight of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. The holiday will be observed next month.
“Passover is the Jewish festival of liberation; it’s about the Jewish people being freed from slavery. And during the first and second nights of it, we recount our foundational story,” she
said. “It’s about spiritual rebirth, and new beginnings.”
Companez explained the various components of the Passover Seder meal which includes parsley dipped in saltwater and matzah bread. This unleavened bread is eaten in order to commemorate when the Israelites fled Egypt without having time to fully cook their bread in circa 3000 B.C.
After explaining the details of Passover, Companez drew attention to the current humanitarian situation in Israel and Gaza and its impact on Jewish people.
“We hope and pray that the hostages being held captive by Hamas in Gaza [...] will be freed immediately,” she said. “We also hope and pray for the end of the suffering of all the innocent civilians caught up in this nightmare — those in Israel and those in Gaza.”
Speaking next about Christianity was Dean G.
Marcus Cole of the Notre Dame Law School. Cole began his remarks by emphasizing the importance of Passover to understanding Easter.
“There is no way to understand Easter without understanding Passover,” he said.
Cole discussed how the Passover sacrifice of the lambs by the Israelites in Egypt mirrors the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross in order to save those who believe in him.
“It was his blood that was spread not on the doorpost, but instead on the posts that form the cross,” he said. “Easter is for us Christians, our Passover.”
Cole also noted how Jesus’ last supper, which will be celebrated this Thursday, was a Passover feast.
Following his explanation of the significance of Easter and its connection to Judaism, Cole called for unity and respect between religious groups.
“That’s my prayer for you tonight, that we use this occasion to come together as different people, for members of the same community to celebrate what’s important in our lives and what’s important to each other,” he stated.
Robert Stockman, an affiliated faculty member with the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion and director of the Wilmette Institute, which teaches the Baha’i faith, then spoke about the festival of Ridván.
The festival celebrates the founding of the Bahá’i faith in Iraq 1863, Stockman explained. Adherents of the Bahá’i faith believe in the essential unity of all religions, believing they all impart true teaching.
Stockman explained Ridván starts on April 21, 31 days after the vernal equinox on March 28.
Concluding the evening’s remarks, Sirajuddin returned to the podium to speak about Ramadan. Sirajuddin noted the month serves as “the month of the Quran,” as well as a month of fasting, with ritual readings of the Quran occurring in mosques.
In addition to serving as a purifying experience for Muslims, Sirajuddin emphasized the act of fasting during Ramadan is meant to serve as a means of instilling discipline and self-restraint.
“Fasting was prescribed to communities that came before you, so that you can learn self-restraint, where you can pull yourself back from even things that are otherwise permitted and lawful… things that are even necessary to sustain life, for which we have natural desires, urges and appetites,” he said, paraphrasing the words of the Quran. “It is spiritual training.”
Contact Liam Kelly at lkelly8@nd.edu
ND golf: evolution from the Burke to the Warren
By THOMAS DOBBS, CADE CZARNECKI and LILYANN GARDNERFrom the Archives Researchers
The Emergence of The Burke and Notre Dame’s Golf Fanaticism
Sep. 20, 1929 | Scholastic Magazine
Staff | May 19, 2012 | University of Notre Dame Archives | Jan. 16, 2024 | Dennis Brown | Researched by Lilyann Gardner
Nestled in the southwest corner of the University of Notre Dame’s campus, the William J. Burke Memorial Golf Course has been a staple of the University’s landscape for nearly a hundred years. Affectionately dubbed ‘The Burke,’ its inception in the late 1920s was a direct response to the burgeoning passion for golf that swept through the student body with the turn of the century. The course stands today not merely as a sporting venue, but as a historical landmark, bearing witness to the timeless enthusiasm for the game among the Fighting Irish.
Preceding its opening, from 1901 to 1910, students could be found playing at a course on the northside of St. Mary’s Lake or on the quad between
Panel
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largest stadiums, influencing chart positions and dominating online discussions. Ngo focused on the idea of vulnerability bonding people together to create strong fan bases.
“Many people are not going to share that with their male friends and gonna have like, listening parties, really, together the way that I think female fans are able to share that vulnerability,” Ngo said. “So maybe it’s not even that women have the power, but that men are restricted from creating a community around music in the same way that women are able to. So I think that’s given them a special power not just the ability to have individual fans but the ability for fans to connect with each other.”
Around one third of all adults in America identify as fans of Swift, and Beyoncé has amassed a following of 314 million Instagram followers.
Collett-Schmitt further elaborated on how both artists strategically craft personal marketing and brand development strategies, not only to expand their fan bases, but also as deliberate business tactics.
“It seems like there is that level of loyalty and inspiration going on with these two artists right now. And my sense is that there’ll be hundreds of thousands of young women in particular who
Badin and Bond Hall. It was only when golf ascended to the status of a varsity minor sport in 1923 that the administration recognized the game’s expansive growth, underscoring the need for a dedicated facility.
The growing number of golf enthusiasts were finally granted their wishes for an 18-hole course during the 1929 fall semester after William J. Burke, founder and president of the Vulcan Last Corporation of Portsmouth, Ohio, funded its construction.
According to a Scholastic magazine article from September 20, 1929, the course spanned 6,666 yards with a par of 73 and was placed under the direction of Arthur West, a former employee of Vulcan Golf Company. West oversaw operation and taught fundamentals of the sports to faculty and students during the winter months when adverse conditions prohibited play.
Love of the game and of The Burke persisted over the years and did not waver even as the course underwent alterations. In 1939, the course underwent its inaugural transformation, truncated to make way for the construction of the Rockne Memorial. This pattern of adaptation was echoed in the 1950s with the creation
are listening to this music and will be inspired to become musicians or filmmakers in the case of Greta [Gerwig], so it’s interesting to me as a relative outsider,” Graff said.
The panel discussed how both artists have leveraged their platforms and music to advocate for social change.
“With Beyoncé, you know, what intrigues me, as a historian, is what I see as really conscious efforts, especially in recent albums, and performances to affirm that she is indebted to and influenced by a very rich history of African American music. From her celebration of Black marching band traditions to the re-workings of house, disco and now Black country,” Graff said.
Beyoncé made history at the 2018 Coachella festival by incorporating a marching band into her performance, paying homage to the rich culture of historically Black colleges and universities. This act also marked her as the first Black woman to headline the festival.
“I also was thinking about the ‘Renaissance’ era and what that means in terms of this sort of, like, further evolution of Beyoncé from, you know, previously being ‘Homecoming,’ and before that, being ‘Lemonade.’ There was that SNL skit, being like, ‘Oh, wait, Beyonce is Black, right?’” Wald said. “So it’s like that moment of Black activism has
of Pangborn and Fisher Halls. For nearly half a century thereafter, the contours of the course remained unchanged. However, a significant reconfiguration emerged in 1995, when the expansive 18-hole course was reimagined into a more concise ninehole layout.
The decision to reimagine The Burke marked a turning point, setting the stage for a new chapter in Notre Dame’s golfing legacy as the 21st century beckoned with fresh possibilities.
Burke Memorial Golf Course
— A Ground of Many Trades
Feb. 8, 1984 | Observer Staff | Sept. 21, 2000 | Observer Staff | Jan. 23, 1986 | Observer Staff | Nov. 22, 1994 | Observer Staff | Nov. 4, 1994 | Observer Staff | Researched by Thomas Dobbs
In the ever-evolving landscape of Notre Dame, few locales have served a medley of purposes quite like the Burke Memorial Golf Course. The archives reveal a collection of events that showcase the site’s adaptability and the University community’s creativity in reimagining this green space.
In 1984, when the chill of winter crept over the campus, the golf
already happened. But I think the ‘Renaissance’ era did something really specific with calling in a Black queer lineage of ballroom culture and disco culture.”
Swift was named Time’s Person of the Year in 2023, becoming the first solo entertainer to receive the award.
“It’s undeniable now that Taylor Swift is one of the most powerful people in this country. And I think in terms of political impact, you know, there’s an ongoing joke that Taylor Swift could sway the November election is true, like absolutely I think it’s possible,” Wald said.
In February 2023 at the Grammys, Swift was jokingly asked if she could have the Swifties lower the inclination of eggs. Coincidentally or not, the day after the Grammy Awards, the price of eggs stood at $2.61 per dozen, marking a significant 52 percent decrease from the nationwide average of $5.43 as of December 19th.
“A lot of the social issues that [Swift] has tackled have been by choice, right when she feels comfortable speaking on it, when she wants to dive into that issue. And Beyoncé, as a Black artist, can’t really escape that, right? She doesn’t get to just deny issues. So it’s not necessarily a criticism of Taylor Swift that she hasn’t engaged with these social commentaries, in my opinion, as thoroughly and as intentionally as Beyoncé,” Ngo said.
The panel discussed the role of
course donned a new identity, transforming into a cross-country skiing destination. Moonlighters skied the rolling hillocks, a testament to the enduring spirit of Notre Dame’s students who, undeterred by the frost, found warmth in the thrills of twilight skiing.
By 1986, the course became a nurturing ground for the budding ski enthusiast with the NVA crosscountry ski clinic. It was not just a space for competition or leisure, but also for learning and growth, embodying the University’s commitment to fostering new skills within its community.
The year 1994 witnessed a less buoyant but equally pivotal moment — a theft of flagpoles and flags, as reported by a diligent University employee. This incident, though a blip in the grand narrative, speaks to the course’s role in the daily ebb and flow of campus life, a silent witness to both triumphs and tribulations.
In a more lighthearted twist, 1994 also brought an impromptu addition to the golf course’s array of activities. An unplanned landing by a hot air balloon provided a momentary spectacle, briefly turning
gender influence on the artists’ economic decision-making and potentially change or even be the cause of limited success compared to their male counterparts.
Collett-Schmitt proposed the following idea to her class, asking her students whether or not they thought Swift was underpaid.
“A lot of students ... suggested
the fairways into a landing strip. This surprise touchdown served as a reminder of the golf course’s role as an unwitting stage for the unexpected, punctuating the usual pace of University life with a touch of the extraordinary.
Flipping through the Observer archives, one notes how the course has been a common thread in the fabric of Notre Dame’s story. It’s a place where the echoes of footfalls on cross-country meet days blend with the silent glide of skis, where the bustle of students converges with the hushed strategy of golf. Through skiing adventures, unexpected landings, and even the occasional grand larceny, the Burke Memorial Golf Course has proven its worth despite being reconfigured to accommodate two new dorms.
The full version of this story can be read online at www.ndsmcobserver.com
Contact Thomas Dobbs at tdobbs@nd.edu, Cade Czarnecki at cczarne3@nd.edu and Lilyann Gardner at lgardne2@nd.edu
that she was intentionally keeping prices [high] because she didn’t want people to hear her, and I don’t know if that’s a gender conclusion or not, to be honest ... if we would make that conclusion about a male artist,” Collett-Schmitt said.
Contact Annelise Demers at ademers@nd.edu
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Cultivating a lifelong habit of reading
Caroline Collins Assistant Managing EditorMy first memories of reading are the sight word cards printed on blue and pink cardstock my first-grade teacher Ms. Barretta gave me during my first week of school. The memories that follow are of the frustration and tears that ensued when I couldn’t read “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish” by Dr. Seuss while my friends were bragging about how they were reading chapter books. The chapter books in question were “Geronimo Stilton.”
But, I chugged along with those sight words. I practiced at home, in class and with my Mom before bed, and soon enough I graduated from sight words to level-A books. The basket of books labeled A next to the rug was my first-grade heaven. Nothing could be better (except maybe being able to read a chapter book).
Although it took me a little longer to get a hang of the whole reading thing, I quickly fell in love. I would disappear into a fantasy world while the rest of my classmates played during recess. In middle school, I would stay up reading “Percy Jackson” and “The Hunger Games” under my covers with a flashlight.
Senior year of high school I took AP Literature and we read “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, who has been one of my favorite authors ever since. We also read classics like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “A Brave New World.” During my freshman year at Notre Dame, I took a British literature university seminar and we were assigned weekly readings from the Norton Anthology, a huge paperback volume that took up my entire dinky dorm desk. I grew to love that huge anthology filled with short stories and poems that we dissected in class. I relished the class-wide discussions that illuminated new interpretations and symbolism that jumped out of the pages.
Now, as a junior in college, I have less time to read than I would like. Like many college students, I try my best to stay on top of my textbook readings and I struggled through Kant and Aristotle in philosophy, but I can’t say that I particularly enjoyed any of that reading.
This semester I’m challenging myself to read for five minutes each night before going to bed. Making time to read is hard, especially when you’re tired from studying and doing work all day, but once I actually start reading I remember why I would read for hours nonstop when I was younger. Before I know it, those five minutes I told myself to read have flown past and I’m content to keep reading until I drift off to sleep.
Reading is one of the most important skills you can learn when you are young and continue to reinforce as you move into different stages of your life. It doesn’t matter what you read, just the act of reading is valuable in itself. Reading is exercise for your brain — it helps you expand your vocabulary, introduces you to new ideas and perspectives, enhances creativity and can help relieve stress.
The best thing about reading is that I know it will always be there for me. If I have a bad day at school, I know I have a book I can escape to at the end of the day. There may be times in my life when I’m not able to read as much, but I know it will always be waiting there for me when I’m ready to return. No matter how many books I read this year, or if I’m able to finish my Goodreads reading challenge, I know the girl who spent hours perusing the library shelves after school will always be in me and that reading is something I will turn to now and for the rest of my life.
Another good thing about reading, if you need even more convincing, is that you’ll never run out of things to read. Get a library card at the St. Joe County Library, find a used book sale, check out one of the Little Free Libraries that are popping up all around neighborhoods across the country. Read a graphic novel, a magazine or a poem. While you’re at it, you could even read this newspaper.
You can contact Caroline at ccolli23@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this Inside column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Vignettes from an incredibly average, occasionally beautiful life
The line was long, but the wait was great — us and everyone who works on Capitol Hill (lots of men in suits and Raybans, lots of women in long pencil skirts).
1. Strangers on a train
I sort of felt like I was running from something (my grades), or maybe running to something (my parents who would inevitably ask about my grades), but I swear there’s something so lovely about it. Running.
There’s something so lovely about being caught between places, watching the world tick by, preferably in a cushy chair on an overnight train next to some boy from Granger who feels like a stranger (but also feels like your best friend).
He’s a freshman at Carnegie Mellon and seemed so interesting to me (although he was a business major, sorry business majors, I’m just kidding).
Of course, we talked about college admissions and college tuition and the Notre Dame endowment (which is my personal favorite topic that I hardly understand).
But then he asked me, politely, with a bit of hesitation: “So you’re an English major. What do you think about those smutty romance novels? Like Colleen Hoover?” Colleen Hoover is another one of my personal favorite topics that I hardly understand, so, although I haven’t personally read any of her books, I somehow still had an opinion.
When we were done chatting, I told him that I was falling asleep, that I had two glasses of wine before the train and was in need of some rest and relaxation. The next time I saw him, I was waking up in Pittsburgh to him rifling through the overhead bins — he was leaving.
We said goodbye like maybe we’d see each other again (we probably won’t); I wished him well on his freshman year, he wished me well on my junior year. He left, and then I started thinking about my grades, thinking maybe it would be okay, thinking maybe this train ride was the occasionally beautiful part of an incredibly average life.
2. Curb
I bumped the curb making the right hand turn onto Constitution Avenue, and then I burst into tears — partially because nobody likes bumping the curb and scuffing the side of their family vehicle (it’s no fun really), mostly because I did it in front of my dad who was in the passenger seat (and hardly knew about my various academic and personal failures so far this semester).
Let’s just say, bumping the curb on the right hand turn was the last straw. So I cried and said, “I can’t do anything right,” because I really truly believed it. And it was sort of embarrassing to hear myself admitting these feelings out loud because it’s sort of embarrassing to feel like a failure when you know you live such a good life.
But sobbing is also sometimes extremely fun, and I was due for a really good cry.
3. Le Bon Cafe
I hadn’t seen Savannah in over a year, and she was only in DC for a few days, so I thumbed through my old 1991 DC Travel Guide and stumbled upon Le Bon Cafe — my dad told me the place was a classic and that I should take her there, so I did.
He also told me I should try to get there before lunchtime because it gets really busy around lunchtime (we got there almost exactly at lunchtime).
We got our food — quiche for Savannah, veggie sandwich for Casper.
We spent all day catching each other up on the past year of our lives — her life in Austin, my life in South Bend; her stupid stories about stupid boys who don’t matter anymore, my stupid stories about stupid boys who don’t matter anymore…
Then, of course, we talked about the stuff that does matter. Our friends. Our classes. Our aspirations after school. Our thoughts on loving others. Our thoughts on loving ourselves.
We sipped coffees and walked around the National Mall. We blasted lots of girly pop music in the car with the windows down. We talked about reading books and not reading books, and then we went to my favorite bookstore and bought matching books.
And I didn’t bump any curbs on right hand turns.
4. Laurel Canyon
It was my mom’s idea to go to the Laurel Canyon Show at the Birchmere that last night I was home. I didn’t really know what Laurel Canyon music was, but she told me it was a part of L.A. where some of the greatest rock and folk icons from the 60s and 70s all lived and made music.
I was in a pretty bad mood when we got there (probably something to do with the aforementioned curb situation), but slowly, I came alive, watching the twitching of a guitarist’s fingers over the strings, the bounce of a singer who’s really feeling the music, the low pleasant pink glow of overhead lighting.
The artists sang Joni Mitchell and the Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. They sang about how “things never change, but that’s not true” and “California, coming home” and “you better let someone love you before it’s too late” and “carry on, love is coming to us all.”
And of course, they sang about the fact that “he’s no good.”
The women beside me were a bit older — they were drinking wine and dancing and screaming to “He’s no good,” and it sort of reminded me of the way my girlfriends and I drink and dance and scream to “good 4 u” or “All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (from the Vault).”
During the last song, one of the women grabbed me and danced with me. She said her name is Pam.
She said, with tears in her eyes, “Life is hard. This makes it easy.”
I couldn’t tell if she was talking about the music or the people or the wine or the nachos she and her friends were scarfing down … probably, all of the above.
I left the next morning on an airplane (not an overnight train, unfortunately), and I listened to Laurel Canyon music, thinking a little bit about my grades, but not at all about the curb (or the other academic and personal failures). I thought mostly of the things that make life easy.
Kate Casper (aka, Casper, Underdog or Jasmine) is from Northern Virginia. She strives to be the best waste of your time. You can contact her at kcasper@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The joy of fandom: Abandoning the rational to join the joyous (and sometimes sorrowful) mob
Erin Drumm Drummer’s CircleIn the first two months of 2018, I, like many Philadelphians, spent much of my time wearing a German Shepherd mask.
Two Philadelphia Eagles players, Lane Johnson and Chris Long, wore dog masks after their unexpected win against the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs. The Eagles were the underdogs of the post-season and the fandom embraced that title.
When you are a part of a fandom, you’ll wear a dog mask for a month, give the sign of peace to your seat neighbors at home games or paint your face your team colors. You do your part.
This March, fandom is on full display, from the many Caitlin Clark superfans to students skipping their 2 p.m. classes on Monday to see the Irish play one last time this year in Purcell Pavilion.
With March Madness in full swing, here are the reasons you should lean into fandom, and join your local joyous mob:
1. Loyalty
Sure, rooting for the number one seed can be fun, but rooting for your team through seasons and seasons of
losses to finally see them win a championship is without a doubt more gratifying (If you are a Jets fan, this does not apply. Pick a new team). No team in the history of professional sports has more losses than the Philadelphia Phillies — 11,259 by latest count. But you can be sure the seats at “The Bank” will be filled for loss number 11,260.
2. It’s good for you!
According to Professor Daniel Wann at Murray State University, “People who identify as sports fans have higher levels of self-esteem, lower levels of loneliness and tend to be more satisfied with their lives compared to those who aren’t interested in sports. Fandom is “psychologically healthy” and brings people a sense of belonging by being surrounded by other people cheering for a common cause.”
Professor Alan Pringle of the University of Nottingham notes that sports “gives families a ‘common currency’ that connects families unlike few other subjects.”
3. Wacky activities
What some people call wacky, others call lucky or necessary or fan protocol. Within reason, fan traditions can be some of the greatest traditions and superstitions. You might laugh at this, but I bet you didn’t step on the God Quad grass until you passed your theology classes. And how will the Buffalo Bills ever win a Super Bowl if their fans stop crashing into folding tables.
4. It impacts the game
In 2020, when NFL teams played without fans in their stadiums, there was essentially no home-field advantage in terms of scoring percentages. The lack of fans meant that both teams were hearing silence, no cheering or jeering.
5. Fun and friends
Sports brings people together crossing racial, economic and generational lines like no other activity. Face painting has not made sense since William Wallace took on King Edward I, but, through sports, it has created a lot of lifetime friendships.
The case for fandom is rather clear. As a Philadelphian and Notre Dame student, I urge you to embrace your fandom. That is, unless you live in Queens or Columbus, Ohio.
Erin Drumm is a senior at Notre Dame studying American Studies, journalism and history. She is from Philadelphia and spends her summers (and every weekend possible) at the shore in Cape May County, New Jersey. Outside of The Observer, Erin can be found cheering on the Fighting Irish and the Phillies, reading and talking about pop culture and history. She can be reached at edrumm@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The thing about the Video Game Club
Nigh two years ago, I entered the club fair as a first-year without many expectations. Certainly, I had high hopes, but as it was my first time interacting with the greater student community of Notre Dame, I had no particular picture in mind. Despite being in my same 2026 class, there were people who clearly were intimately acquainted with the university and its student groups. There were those who had dreamed their entire lives to come here and knew precisely what they wanted. I was not one of them. I was lost. Excitedly so, but lost nevertheless. I merely looked forward to finding something, anything to belong to.
As I entered the giant Notre Dame stadium, which I had only seen from afar at that point, I was overwhelmed by the choices before me. A member of what I presumed to be the Student Activities Office handed me a piece of paper with dozens — if not hundreds — of clubs and organizations to join.
This was it, my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redefine myself, to rebrand and mold myself to whatever I wanted my college self to be. The fabled tales of the grand college experience were deeply connected with their clubs and passion community projects beyond the classroom. Following a deep breath, I strode within the heart of the beast.
At once, the cacophony of the hall coalesced with the inevitable identity crisis that intercepts
anyone who attempts to fit themselves into a single box. I could go for an academic club, I supposed. Or perhaps an athletic one? Definitely a service one, but which one? A political one couldn’t hurt either. Should I be thinking in terms of fun, learning or doing? Is this for my profession, for my artistic life, for a spiritual awakening, for something different altogether? Job, grad school, academia, something else? How many organizations can I belong to at once? What’s the best combination? What, where, how? What should I do?
I spotted the obvious answer shortly thereafter. In the very near proximity of the entrance was a two-table set dedicated to the Video Game Club. I hesitated for a moment, and then walked away. I had been passionate about video games my entire life — their development, their conception, their magic — and that was the very reason I walked away. I should explore other options, no? I should try to discover something else, something more, no? I knew that was a lie, but I kept walking away.
I coursed the entire fair and signed up for everything in which I had the minimal interest in. To this day, emails from these organizations appear and promptly disappear off my inbox. I attended a handful of their meetings, but that foretold spark never set off.
With one exception.
After completing a full lap of the club fair, the exit stood before me. I cannot say what it
was, but something came over me. I turned around and I went through the entire fair once more, now in reverse order. I did not approach any of the stands despite meticulously analyzing each and every single one from a distance. Just as I was about to properly depart, my eyes drifted to the tables that initially caught my attention.
“Hey! You! Yeah, you!” I do not remember who changed my life that day, but his voice and finger were directed straight at me. “I know you want to! Do it!” In his other hand stood a QR code for me to scan. Half-mindlessly, I did. I joined the Video Game Club that day. What did I have to lose?
The following week I received a follow-up message informing me about an event they were hosting. I ignored it at first, but they decided to resend the advert a few days later. With mere hours to spare for the registration deadline, I couldn’t think of anything better I had to do on that timeframe, so, yet again, half-mindlessly I signed up.
That day, I met my future girlfriend. That day, I met my future best friend in college and became part of a group of people where I could truly belong, who would inspire me to change on my own terms. The second I let go of these ideas of absolute maximum efficiency is when I became not merely happier, but these abilities I was so obsessed with developed naturally while having fun. A mere year later, I would become the president of the club.
The thing about the Video Game Club is that it is an academic
club, but it isn’t. The thing about the Video Game Club is that it is an artistic club, but it isn’t. It’s an athletic club, but it isn’t. It’s a recreational club, but it isn’t. By all metrics, it refuses to delimit itself to one of the many boxes we supposedly must conform by.
You can read the rest of this column at ndsmcobserver.com.
Carlos A. Basurto is a sophomore at Notre Dame studying philosophy, computer science and even
some German on the side. When not busy you can find him consuming yet another 3+ hour-long analysis video of a show he has yet to watch or masochistically completing every achievement from a variety of video games. Now, with the power to channel his least insane ideas, feel free to talk about them via email at cbasurto@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
“GUTS” is Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, initially released in Sept. 2023. With its themes of young adult angst, it captured the minds of teens and 20-somethings alike. “GUTS (spilled)” added four new unreleased songs, expanding and adding to the original album’s themes.
Her first album, “Sour,” focuses on the woes of young love and life at 17, but “GUTS” deals with the angst of growing up from 18 to 20. From ballads about hating a girl but also maybe being in love with
‘GUTS (SPILLED)’: ‘MIXED (BAG)’
her (“lacy”) to pop-rock numbers about still being in love with your crazy ex-boyfriend (“get him back!”), Rodrigo is able to express the rocky transition from adolescence to adulthood. “GUTS,” with only 12 tracks, covers all these subjects. The additional four songs in “GUTS (spilled)” are a mixed bag ranging from incredible to alright. The songs in release order are:
“obsessed”: A homoerotic anthem in the same vein as “lacy.” It’s about the singer’s obsession with her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, almost to the point of being in love with her. With a good bass line and
a punchy chorus, this song is the best of all the new songs. This one is also the only one with a music video, which is of the same quality as the “good 4 u” music video — one of Rodrigo’s best. This song is sure to go down as a classic poprock song.
“girl i’ve always been”: A folksy number about realizing that it’s your partner’s fault, but you haven’t changed that much. In this number, Rodrigo has taken inspiration from the musical stylings of Lucy Gray Baird (from “The Ballad of Songbird of Snakes,” which Rodrigo wrote a song for), and I can’t say I hate it. I’ve got a
soft spot for country music, and this song reminds me of Taylor Swift’s early days in the best way ...
“stranger”: A light song about being over a breakup and being glad that it’s over. This song seems more in line with the Top 40 hits somewhere between Taylor Swift’s “Evermore” album and Sabrina Carpenter’s “emails i can’t send.” It feels more pop than the rest of Rodrigo’s brand, but it’s still a solid song. It’s less focused on the angst of the breakup and more on the acceptance.
“so american”: This one feels like a return to form for Olivia Rodrigo. It’s a punk twist on a song
that would play in a John Hughes movie. It’s a significant number about being stupidly in love with someone, and it feels more optimistic than most of her catalog.
Overall, these songs are good, but there’s a reason they were not included in the original album. For each new song, there is a song on the original that better covers the new song’s themes. Even so, they are all relatively catchy and worth a listen.
Read the full version of this article at ndsmcobserver.com.
Contact Marguerite Marley at mmarley01@saintmarys.edu‘DOCTOR WHO’:
AN ISSUE OF SPACE AND TIME
By ANDY OTTONE Scene WriterWhat’s the most famous piece of British media? The answer seems obvious, but I’m not talking about “The Beatles.” Or “James Bond.” Or “Harry Potter.” Or “Sherlock Holmes.” Perhaps there are many
clear answers to this question, but the one I’m discussing today is “Doctor Who” ... While American interest in the show had been rising since the era of the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant, Tumblr’s user base grabbed onto the show during Matt Smith’s tenure. This
spawned a unique online community, uniting fans of the CW’s (American) show “Supernatural” and the British “Doctor Who” and “Sherlock.” The fandom creatively dubbed themselves “SuperWhoLock.” While that community has died down a fair bit in the ensuing decade since
its inception, American interest in the good Doctor still persists to this day. Enter Disney+ ... It’s not unusual for streaming services to announce a specific date and time for an episode to debut. Oftentimes, these times are a set standard, releasing all across the world, accommodating
for time zone differences. For example, a show releasing at 9 p.m. on the American East Coast will come out at 6 p.m. on the West Coast: same time, but it matters to those who live there. Disney+ has been touted as the new place to watch “Doctor Who,” and in the lead-up to the new season’s debut on May 11, 2024, the streamer has announced the timing. In America, the show will debut at 5 p.m. PST, 8 p.m. EST and … midnight in Britain. The nation that the show comes from. And is produced in.
This has been a controversial decision on Disney’s part. In Britain, some treat “Doctor Who” the same way many Americans treated “Game of Thrones” or “Stranger Things”: event television that you have to watch the moment it’s out, or you’ll miss out. To debut such “a staple of British entertainment and culture at midnight, prioritizing the American audiences instead, is a decision that has audiences on both sides of the pond scratching their heads. It’s only a matter of time (and possibly space, due to the dual-nationality nature of the issue) until Disney makes it clear what’s going on. Read the full version of this article at ndsmcobserver.com.
Contact Andy Ottone at aottone@nd.edu
Lytle: Why Notre Dame’s season was a success
Notre Dame men’s basketball finished the season with a record of 13-20 and 7-13 in the ACC. To some, this record might seem disappointing, lackluster or a failure, but considering the Irish returned 1.57% of its scoring from 2022-23, fans can start to realize how bad Notre Dame was projected to be. The entirety of the scoring returned was senior forward Matt Zona’s 33 points last year and a single free throw made by junior guard Alex Wade. The Irish were projected to win four games and be last in almost every metric. However, they finished with seven ACC wins and were four conference wins ahead of last place in the ACC. Recordwise, this season certainly exceeded expectations.
Markus Burton was a shining beacon of hope for Irish fans this year. The 5-foot-11 point guard’s first game set the freshman debut record of 29 points. Burton also collected ACC Rookie of the Week four times throughout the season for a new Notre Dame record before winning ACC Rookie of the Year. Finishing the season with averages of 17.5 points, 4.3 assists
Henry Lytle Sports Writer ND SWIMMING AND DIVINGand 1.9 steals, he ranked first in scoring, second in assists and first in steals for ACC rookies. He also led the ACC is offensive usage rate, finishing sixth in total scoring in the ACC behind players like North Carolina’s RJ Davis, who won ACC Player of the Year. Burton was more than just statistically valuable to the Irish. He was the offensive engine of the team. As head coach Micah Shrewsberry said, “We fed off of his energy the whole year.” The Mishawaka native was asked to step into a huge role offensively with little help from other ball handlers. Burton’s season was a success for both him and the Irish. With plenty of opportunity for growth, Burton has a chance to develop into one of the best guards in the ACC with experience, scoring help and opportunity to shine in games on the biggest ACC stage.
The Irish also finished the season as the third-best defense based on points allowed in the ACC. At times throughout the season, they were ranked in the top 30 of teams in Division I basketball in defense. Shrewsberry emphasized throughout the season that the guys who exhibited the most effort in practice and in games would be the ones on the floor when it mattered.
He also made it clear from the start of the year how he would build an identity based on effort and defensive intensity, utilizing lineups with players including junior forward Julian Roper II and junior guard J.R. Konieczny in close games that allowed the team to overcome major deficits based on energy.
This identity certainly was questioned on Dec. 19 after a 20-point loss against The Citadel in which the Irish shot 26.6% from the field and scored a total of 16 points in the second half. The rest of the season seemed bleak for the Irish as they struggled to beat Marist next, but the first conference game proved to be a different story. This game, a 76-54 defeat over Virginia, resulted in Notre Dame’s first major conference win and helped showcase the culture the Irish were after at the end of December. The domination of then 10-2 Virginia proved how the defensive intensity could catapult the team into victories, giving the team a benchmark for success that it would aim for throughout the rest of the season.
The Irish faced rough stretches of losses, the most being seven in a row, but flipped things around starting against Virginia Tech on Feb. 10. The Irish would go on to win five out of six, with signature wins
over Wake Forest and Clemson. The only loss during that stretch was a near 29-point comeback against Syracuse, in which the team ultimately fell short. This stretch was highlighted by major offensive contributions outside of Burton, including a 23-point game from freshman guard Braeden Shrewsberry against Louisville.
Shrewsberry made huge strides in his offensive ability this season. Despite the rough shooting start at the beginning, he was second in scoring behind Burton to finish the year. His efforts including a 25-point game in the overtime victory against Georgia Tech and the 23-point game against Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament, giving Irish fans glimpses of a prolific offensive weapon in blue and gold. Shrewsberry finished the year shooting 37.1% on over six attempts per game. Freshman forward Carey Booth also became more comfortable as the season went on and scored double digits in three of the last six games. Booth finding his 3-point shot allowed the spacing for the Irish to improve and clear out space to score in the paint. This year proved to showcase the team’s potential. So what’s next? Indiana pumps out highlevel basketball recruits, and Notre
Dame has a chance to capitalize on future local stars like Burton from Mishawaka. Micah Shrewsberry has discussed challenges with recruiting players or getting experienced transfers to join a team with so much uncertainty. However, next year the Irish have already locked up some players with potential to be major contributors.
Notre Dame is listed as having the 27th best recruiting class in the country on 247Sports. Sir Mohammed, a 6-foot-7 small forward, 6-foot-4 shooting guard Cole Certa and 6-foot-10 forward Garrett Sundra have all signed with the Irish. Although none of these players are from the Midwest, Micah Shrewsberry should look locally to find more contributors to the program. Winning the region could help bolster the program name nationwide and continue the culture he is after. In the 2023-2024 season, Notre Dame basketball has found multiple freshmen to build the program on, but there’s still a long way to go.
Contact Henry Lytle at hlytle@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
No. 11 Irish men look to make waves at NCAAs
By MADELINE LADD Assistant Managing EditorComing in hot off a historic second place finish at the 2024 ACC Championships, No. 11 Notre Dame men’s swim and dive looks to make history again — this time on the grandest stage of collegiate swimming that the NCAA has to offer. The meet, held in Indianapolis, runs from March 2730 at the IU Natatorium at IUPUI. Indianapolis will also host the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in mid-June, where some Irish swimmers will be in attendance.
Six men will be representing the Irish in individual events, with four as relay alternates. The highlight of these to watch will be junior freestyler Chris Guiliano. In addition to relays, the 2024 ACC Swimmer of the Meet will be competing in his signature three freestyle events. He is seeded third in the 50 (18.57) and 200 (1:31.16), as well as first place in the 100 (40.62). Guiliano was champion in these three events at ACCs, breaking his own school records in the process. He also broke the conference record in the 100 freestyle and tied it in the 200. Guiliano has the potential to make history for the Irish and bring some serious points back to South Bend.
NCAAs has been long in the making for the Irish — a goal they have been working to all year. There is plenty of excitement leading up to the big day that will kick off competition.
“We are eager — it’s one of those moments where it’s like ‘when is it gonna get there?’” Guliano said. “You’re chomping at the bit. We want to go out and put ourselves on the top.”
Graduate student and Guiliano’s fellow sprinter Abdelrahman Elaraby will compete at his third NCAAs, this time in the 50 freestyle (18.82), 100 freestyle (42.19) and 100 butterfly (45.03). Elaraby had a successful ACCs, setting the school record in the 100 butterfly. He is seeded 10th in the 50 freestyle at NCAAs, making it — on paper — his best chance to final.
Another graduate transfer on the roster, Tanner Filion has been hot for the Irish. Filion set the program record in the 100 backstroke, marking him as the first Irish swimmer to break 45 seconds in the event with a time of 44.99. He is seeded 15th in the event and will also swim 200 backstroke (1:41.51) and 100 fly (45.47).
Adding to the backstroke dominance, sophomore Tommy Janton is one to watch. He will be competing in the 100 (45.17) and 200 (1:39.21) backstroke. Janton is seeded 11th in the 200, an event he won at ACCs. He is also seeded 21st in the 100 backstroke and will compete in the 100 fly (46.36).
“We pride ourselves in the versatility of our underclassmen and upperclassmen,” head coach Chris Lindauer said. “We have those that have been to the meet and those who have never been to the meet.
It’s understanding the dynamic of leadership, for those who have been in the role before to share their preparation in order to handle the pressure with those that haven’t.”
Fellow sophomore backstroker Marcus Gentry is making his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after a narrow miss at the cut last year. Gentry is seeded 20th in the 100 backstroke (45.12) and 25th in the 200 back (1:40.35). Like Janton, he will also swim the 100 fly (46.07).
To round out the individual competitors, sophomore Tate Bacon will debut at NCAAs after making it at 23rd in the 200 butterfly (1:41.76). This time is 0.06 off of the school record. Bacon will also swim the 100 butterfly (45.41) and 100 backstroke (47.16).
With all of these versatile swimmers competing together, Lindauer explains how they feed off each other’s energy.
“It’s a shared leadership space,” Lindauer said. “Everyone brings something to the table to eat and we eat collectively, together. It’s a shared vision and a shared responsibility. It doesn’t fall on one person or one member of our staff to lead the whole thing. When you have that unified front, you can go into a battle like NCAAs collectively
and you are that much stronger because of it.”
Notre Dame will also bring senior Tyler Christianson, graduate student Luka Cvetko, sophomore Dillon Edge and graduate student Cason Wilburn to NCAAs as relay alternates. The Irish will be competing in the 800 freestyle relay, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay, having set four new relay records at ACCs in all of these but the 800.
Relays will be crucial in the point hunting the Irish are preparing for.
“We are on the prowl to score points,” Lindauer said. “It starts with day one with the 800 freestyle relay and the 200 medley relay. Those are both nationally ranked relays we have that are going to be scoring points. The higher we can climb the rankings, the more points we score. This meet is really an every point matters type mentality, taking advantage of those opportunities collectively as a team in all five relays we have.”
On the diving side, sophomores Daniel Knapp and Benedict Nguyen will represent the Irish on the boards. This is the second NCAAs for Knapp, while Nguyen is making his debut. Knapp qualified in both the 1-meter and 3-meter, placing second in the 1-meter (733.10). As a result of qualifying,
he will also be able to compete in the 3-meter at NCAAs. He finished 11th with a score of 716.55. Nguyen, who shattered the Notre Dame platform record at ACC Championships (406.70) and won a bronze medal, will compete in the same event in NCCAs. His combined scores from Zone C totaled 694.00, good enough for fifth.
As the Irish enter Indianapolis with their strongest roster in years, the expectations are clear: make history.
“Ultimately, our goal is to be a top-10 team. We’ve never done that in program history — our highest finish is 18th and that was last year at NCAAs. That’s our vision, that’s our fire is to go fight for every single point to put our team in that position.”
Despite these lofty goals, Lindauer echoes the same message to his team that he has all season long — to control the controllables.
“We can’t worry about what any other program is doing,” Lindauer said. “We can only control what we can control in our preparation and execution. When those opportunities to excel arise, it is taking full advantage and capitalizing on the moment. That’s been really a testament to our season as see ND SWIM PAGE 10
Happy Birthday: Communicate with passion in your voice and facts to back your claims. Be precise, accurate, and thoughtful this year; you will alleviate misunderstandings. Go about your business and physically take care of details that can make or break how far you get and the changes you can make. Opportunity is present, but taking ownership of what you want is up to you. Your numbers are 6, 10, 19, 27, 31, 42, 46.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t rush. Accuracy and preparation are encouraged if you want to go the distance and achieve your goal. Less talk and more action will help you maintain the surprise element that intrigues those you want to impress. Strive for spectacular instead of adequate.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): An opportunity will require change. Consider what others expect of you and prepare to deliver. Work alone until you are happy with the results. Keeping your progress to yourself will protect against outside interference. Enjoy the creative process, set high standards, and raise expectations.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Keep your finger on the pulse, be aware of what’s happening, and don’t believe everything you hear. Research, verify, and hold others accountable to maintain a stellar reputation and good standing with institutions and authority figures. Ditch the deadweight and clutter and clear a passage forward.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Immerse yourself in what you are doing. Time spent explaining or conversing with someone will make you anxious and insecure about what you want to achieve. You’ll gain ground and satisfaction through completion and presentation. Make personal growth and security your goal. Romance is favored.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Stick close to home and address personal business. Stay updated with the latest information regarding your community, professional changes, and environmental warnings. Refuse to let the decisions and changes others initiate tempt you into being a follower. Take the most fulfilling path.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Listen, learn, and incorporate what you discover into your life. A change is overdue and will help you subscribe to what’s current and point you in an appropriate direction to excel. A lifestyle change will help you see relationships differently. Assess and progress with clarity.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put home, family, and relationships first. Be a good listener, and it will lead to better decisions. What you put out will return, so be kind, generous, and helpful. A contract, medical issue, or financial investment will take a positive turn that improves your life.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Emotions will spike and influence your reaction in the heat of the moment. Shake off any anxiety and replace it with common sense, facts, and whatever it takes to redirect your energy into creative and innovative plans. Your best response is peace and love, not discord.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Conflicts will arise if you let someone interfere in your life. Redefine what makes you happy and how to structure your every move to ensure you reach your destination. Take better care of your physical well-being and your reputation. Personal gain requires hands-on assistance.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Pay attention to where the money goes, and you’ll discover how to lower your overhead. A change at home will allow you to entertain a new and exciting lifestyle. Something you have to offer will lead to financial security. Partnerships and romance are in the stars.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Pour your energy into your skills, updates, and finding what makes you happy. Revamp your long-term plans and select a place or project that feels compatible. Stop bending to someone else’s needs and pursue what will satisfy you. Gratitude comes from choosing what makes you happy.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Choose the route with the highest return. Don’t mess with bureaucratic matters; just deal with them and press forward. You’ll find your bliss by following that small voice within. Don’t stifle your dreams when manifesting them is the road to inner peace.
Birthday Baby: You are playful, suggestive, and helpful. You are quick-witted and
a whole — embracing competition, embracing a challenge and having resilience. Knowing that it might not always go our way, that nothing is perfect. That resiliency piece is what allows you to come back and rise to the next challenge. We’ll take it one day at a time, one event at a time.”
The Men’s Division I Swimming and Diving Championships will kick off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday with the 800 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay.
Contact Madeline Ladd at mladd2@nd.edu
ND WBB
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
After the break, the Irish stayed in control. The Rebels shot better — particularly finishing the third quarter at a 7-for-15 mark from the field — but even after the Notre Dame lead dwindled to 15, transition points from Hidalgo helped the home squad stay in control.
Ole Miss would threaten again briefly in the fourth, this time cutting the deficit to 13, but the Irish once again found their top gear and cruised to the finish line. The cherry on top? Former walk-on and senior guard Sarah Cernugel entered the game with just over a minute to go, prompting a final standing ovation from an energetic matinee crowd at Purcell Pavilion.
Notre Dame played a clean game, winning the turnover battle 22-15. They fouled less and nearly doubled the Rebels in the assist category (17-9). Ivey had plenty to smile about when speaking to the media postgame, with the fourth-year head coach putting emphasis on the seasonlong growth that brought the Irish to this point.
“We’ve had a lot of highs and lows, a lot of adversity. And to see this group just find a way to come together, to persevere through all of our adversity, is something special,” she said.
The Irish will now shift their attention to third-seeded Oregon State, who finished fourth in a loaded Pac-12. The Beavers’ resume against top teams includes a trio of losses to Stanford and a pair of defeats to USC, but also a notable win over UCLA in midFebruary. Next weekend’s matchup will mark the third postseason clash of the school year between Notre Dame and Oregon State athletics in the last 365 days, with Irish football and men’s soccer both recording neutral site victories over the Beavers.
Now looking at another week of rest and preparation, the Irish will take the court in Albany, New York, once more in four days on Good Friday. If they take down Oregon State, Notre Dame would advance to an Elite Eight game already set for Sunday.
Contact Jake Miller at jmille89@nd.edu and J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu
Irish finish trip with weekend sweep, return home for matinee with Pitt
By TYLER REIDY Sports EditorWhen its schedule tightens up, Notre Dame women’s lacrosse crowds the win column. It happened in mid-February, with the Irish turning four home games in nine days -- including a tilt with No. 1 Northwestern -- into a 4-0 start to the season.
After a 1-2 beginning to ACC play, Notre Dame has done it again in the innards of March. The Irish just returned from a four-game road trip that spanned 11 days and carried them all over the Eastern Seaboard.
Their record during that stretch?
A clean 4-0 once again.
With a dichotomous weekend of wins in the rearview mirror, Notre Dame welcomes Pittsburgh to South Bend on Saturday. Now ranked sixth in the nation, the Irish enter their Easter Break matchup with momentum intensified by clutch lacrosse at Clemson and masterful play at Mercer.
Doherty’s déjà vu goal denies Clemson’s upset bid
The lacrosse gods must have a schedule set for senior midfielder Mary Kelly Doherty.
Over the last two weeks, every time Notre Dame has reached the brink of a loss on the road, Doherty has come to the rescue. She scored the game-winning inside the final 40 seconds for a top-25 win on March 13 at Brown. Three days later, she did the same (with 15 seconds remaining) for Notre Dame’s first win at Boston College in 21 years.
And of course, as the Irish went down to the wire Friday night at Clemson, Doherty delivered again. Only this time, she did it much later — in double overtime.
A 13-13 stalemate between the Irish and Tigers carried into a sixth
ND MEN’S LACROSSE
period, in which Notre Dame took immediate possession after the first sudden-death period went scoreless. Eventually, with 13 seconds on the shot timer, the ball found Doherty on the perimeter. Yet to register a point in 74 minutes of game time, she sped down to the edge of the 8-meter arc, ripping a shot that zipped inside the far post.
The critical goal allowed Notre Dame to escape a Clemson team that tested the Irish from start to finish. The Tigers opened up a 3-1 lead early, but the visitors immediately pulled back into a tie, setting the tone for a binding ACC contest.
At the end of the first, Clemson led 4-3, with all three Irish goals coming via the free position shot.
As usual, Notre Dame utilized its experienced “big three” to find success midway through the match. Graduate attacker Madison Ahern, who ended the night with her sixth hat trick of the season, tallied back-to-back goals for a 6-5 Irish edge halfway through the second quarter. Soon after, graduate attacker Jackie Wolak deposited one of her four goals to put Notre Dame ahead by two.
With 12:01 to play in the fourth, another four-goal producer finished her night of scoring in grand style. Graduate midfielder Kasey Choma took an Ahern feed and went behind the back to hand Notre Dame its largest lead of the night at 12-8. Choma’s crafty goal would later crack the SportsCenter
Top 10, checking in at No. 9.
Most of regulation time’s remaining highlights, however, belonged to Kayla Macleod and Clemson. The freshman evaporated Notre Dame’s sizable lead with three consecutive goals, including two on free-position looks. Macleod’s game-high fifth marker leveled the score at 12-12, raising
the stakes with under six minutes to play.
Wolak and Clemson’s Claire Bockstie would then trade goals, bringing the count to 13-13. With any given shot having a chance to win the game, both goalkeepers locked in and made massive saves late. Irish senior Lilly Callahan executed one of her 10 stops with under 90 seconds remaining in regulation. Then Clemson’s Emily Lamparter, who finished with 11 saves, used her best against Wolak on a tight chance with 25 seconds to play in the first overtime.
But Lamparter had no answer for Doherty in the second overtime, ending a terrific battle in the ACC.
Tierney tallies first Irish hat trick in muzzling of Mercer
For Notre Dame, a fervorous Friday gave way to a stress-free Sunday at Mercer. The Irish trailed the Bears for all of 101 seconds, using a 16-2 run to win their road trip finale 20-6.
Notre Dame’s dominant showing started in the draw circle, a place where the team thrives when at its best. Four different Irish players controlled four or more draws, creating a 22-5 advantage for the visitors. As Mercer wore down defensively, that success led to a 13goal second half for Notre Dame.
One of the team’s top three draw specialists, however, made no contributions to the wide margin in the circle. Instead, graduate student Arden Tierney lived up to the other half of her position: attacker. The Richmond transfer got rich on goals, scoring three on the day for her first hat trick with Notre Dame.
Three more Irish players –Ahern, Choma and senior midfielder Keelin Schlageter – would add their own trios of goals. Schlageter’s troupe of tallies represented the first hat trick of her
career, increasing her scoring total for the season by 50%. Wolak contributed two goals with one assist, eclipsing 50 points on the year and continuing her run as Notre Dame’s top scorer.
Pitt off to problematic start in ACC play
Once again, Notre Dame will face an in-conference team relatively new to the women’s lacrosse scene this weekend. The thirdyear Pitt Panthers opened play a season earlier than Clemson but have struggled to compete as quickly as the Tigers. Pittsburgh went winless in league play last season, losing a 17-6 contest to Notre Dame in mid-April.
Pitt’s third season under Emily Boissonneault has yielded similar results, with the Panthers off to an 0-5 start within the ACC. Overall, the Panthers carry a 3-8 mark with defeats of Duquesne, Detroit Mercy and Kent State.
Last time out, Pitt nearly found its first conference win at home. The Panthers entered the fourth quarter of their matchup with Virginia Tech trailing by a goal, but the Hokies blanked Pitt across the final 15 minutes to win 139. Similarly, Duke erased a 9-6 Panther lead for a 13-11 victory in its March 9 matchup with Pitt.
Like Notre Dame, Pitt’s offensive engine runs on a well-defined trio of scorers. Jenna Hendrickson (25), Sydney Naylor (22) and Ava Washington (22) have combined for 69 of the team’s 135 goals, with Hendrickson having struck for multiple goals in seven straight contests.
Notre Dame and Pitt will meet at 11 a.m. on Saturday as the first leg of a lacrosse doubleheader in South Bend.
Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu
Irish return to top national ranking ahead of showdown with Syracuse
By ANNIKA HERKO Associate Sports EditorThe Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team has had a strong start to the season. The defending national champion Irish are 5-1, with their only loss coming in overtime against Georgetown late in February.
Now, the Irish are set to host Syracuse on Holy Saturday. This will be one of the toughest games for Notre Dame this season before the NCAA Tournament begins. As the new top-ranked team in the nation, the Irish are trying to get backto-back titles.
Syracuse, currently No. 3, will be Notre Dame’s highestranked opponent of the season so far with No. 5 Duke and No. 7 Cornell to come in the next two weeks. The consistently high-ranked opponents should get Notre Dame in great playing shape and give it a lot of confidence going into the postseason if the games go well.
The Orange have had a pretty good start to the season themselves, going 9-2. Their two losses came against current No. 12 Maryland and No. 6 Army. This is interesting as they also beat No. 5 Duke and No. 8 Johns Hopkins earlier this year, suggesting that
Syracuse either had a few really off days or played to the level of its opponent. During their most recent game on Saturday, the Orange beat Hobart 13-7. Hobart actually scored first, and the two teams went into halftime with Syracuse leading by only one. This is likely because leading scorer Owen Hiltz was out with a day-to-day lower body injury. Syracuse’s Christian Mulé led the team to victory with three goals, and three other players scored two each.
Joey Spallina and Owen Hiltz are leading the team with 24 goals each this season. Mulé is
right behind them at 21. Spallina had an off game against Hobart, not scoring any goals and only accumulating three assists.
It is likely that for a top matchup against Notre Dame, Syracuse’s leaders will rally to try to defeat the reigning champions. But with the scoring numbers the Irish have been putting up recently, that could be a difficult task.
Notre Dame and Syracuse will collide at 2 p.m. on Saturday for each team’s final game of March.
Contact Annika Herko at aherko@nd.edu
Belles set to open first spring under Susan Holt
By TYLER REIDY Sports EditorLast fall, Saint Mary’s golf put together a stellar six weeks on the course. The Belles claimed two MIAA Jamboree events, moving into their winter offseason with a one-stroke lead in the season-long conference championship.
But mid-October news of head coach Jordan Koehler’s departure for Denver shook up the program’s outlook. Koehler had led Saint Mary’s to NCAA Division III Championship berths in 2021 and 2022, leaving behind 15 team victories in 18-hole rounds across three years.
Most teams wouldn’t have found a stable successor in less than a week’s time. The Belles did, elevating decorated assistant coach Susan Holt to the head coaching position.
How did Saint Mary’s have a retired, 16-year head women’s golf coach at the University of Notre Dame waiting in the wings? Holt herself never would have imagined the answer herself upon her retirement nearly two years ago.
“When I retired from Notre Dame, I thought I was done,” Holt said. “I had put in 32 years at the Division I level, and honestly, I just
needed a break – I was just ready. And it was the first time I’d ever felt that way in all those years. It was just time for me to see what else was out there.”
After taking a year to manage her health, Holt took up a couple of smaller jobs within the local community. One of them allowed her to teach at Morris Country Club in South Bend, a place where she rediscovered her passion for coaching. Soon after Holt treached out to then-Saint Mary’s head golf coach Jordan Koehler, expressing her availability as a volunteer assistant.
Two months after joining the Belles in that capacity, Holt officially took over as the head coach on November 15, marking her fourth collegiate coaching stop. A four-year playing career at Ohio State led Holt to her first job at Purdue, where she served as the head women’s golf coach from 1990 to 1993. She then coached at South Florida for 13 years, collecting three Conference USA Coach of the Year awards and orchestrating five conference titles. Holt would coach at Notre Dame for the next 16 years, winning three more Big East Coach of the Year honors and leading the Irish to a program-first NCAA Finals appearance in 2011.
More than 30 years later, Holt
vividly remembers the birth of her coaching career in West Lafayette, drawing parallels to that role and her new one at Saint Mary’s.
“I kind of feel like I’m back in 1990 with my very first coaching job when I was at Purdue,” Holt reflected. “The evolution of collegiate athletics over the last 32 years has been pretty significant, especially in the world of women’s collegiate golf. I just kind of feel like I’m back almost where I started. Everything about it is just more low-key.”
As the 2024 spring season draws near, Holt is anything but low-key about the talent and potential of her team. Last year, the Belles finished second in the spring MIAA standings, narrowly missing a third straight trip to the NCAA Championship. Holt, who cherishes engagement with younger generations, looks forward to getting underway with a driven group of golfers.
“They work hard, they want to get better, they’re very coachable and I’ve really enjoyed being able to help them and work with them,” Holt said. “I’m seeing improvement in a lot of them already, just with what we’ve been working on. I’m excited for what lies ahead for us. I think there’s a lot of potential here to do some good things.”
That potential starts with the team’s fall performances, in which all eight players on the roster got involved. Sophomore Julia Lizak produced four top-20 finishes, including an outright win at the first MIAA Jamboree. She joins former Second Team All-MIAA selection Katelyn Tokarz, a junior, as another tournament-seasoned golfer for Saint Mary’s.
Sophomore Amanda Melling and senior Haley Angel stepped up their play as well in the fall. While Melling went top-five in two MIAA Jamborees, Angel went top-three twice, finishing her 2023 with a career-low round of 75 at the third Jamboree. Juniors Georgie Kersman and Joanna James also came on strong late, going top-10 in the fall’s final event.
Finally, sophomore Breana Harrington and freshman Colleen Hand round out the Belles’ roster.
“Everybody on our team has competed and played in the top five, which I think is pretty cool,” Holt said. “There’s just been a lot of competition — a lot of healthy competition — within the group. They’re super supportive of each other”
Saint Mary’s will open its spring on Friday at the Trine Spring Classic, which begins at 1 p.m.
Coming off a productive Spring Break trip to Tampa, FL and a mild winter in South Bend, the Belles will send all eight golfers on the roster to Zollner Golf Course in Angola, Indiana, with five competing for the team and three as individuals.
The season continues with a loaded April, starting with the Bluffton/Ohio Northern Spring Invite on April 5-6. A week later, the fourth MIAA Jamboree event and the Illinois Wesleyan Kathy Niepagen Spring Fling will arrive. Mid-April will bring the Albion Cascades Invitation, followed by the MIAA Championship from April 22-23.
In the big picture, Holt seeks improvement from her players and projects a fruitful season for her team.
“I think they have a ton of potential [and] a lot of talent,” Holt said. “I think we have a really good chance of winning the conference and making it back to nationals. Saint Mary’s golf has had a really solid history of success at the D-III Championship, and hopefully, we can start building on that and continue it in the future.”
Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu
ND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Irish power past Ole Miss to reach third straight Sweet 16, matchup with Oregon State
By JAKE MILLER AND J.J. POST Senior Sports WritersNatalija Marshall left the court with 16 seconds remaining on Monday.
It wasn’t due to a foul out, though the senior forward had amassed four. It wasn’t because head coach Niele Ivey wanted a different player on the floor for the game’s final possession. It was because Ivey wanted her to savor the crowd roaring in appreciation for her performance in what might have been her final game at Purcell Pavilion.
It’s been a long road for Marshall in South Bend, with the fourthyear having battled through two season-ending injuries, the first of which caused her to miss a combined 22 months of official action dating back to high school. It wasn’t until her junior year that she made it through a full-season of college ball, settling into a spot role providing depth to the Irish front court. Until a few weeks ago, that was assumed to be the niche she would finish out her Notre Dame career in.
Then senior center Kylee Watson went down with an ACL tear, yet another stroke of bad injury luck
for an Irish squad that can’t seem to catch a break. Suddenly Marshall wasn’t just a starter — she was a 30-minute-per game-cog in Notre Dame’s machine, which seems to only gain gumption as it plows through turmoil.
Marshall made the most of her time in the limelight in Monday’s 71-56 win against Ole Miss. Her performance wasn’t the flashiest — she only scored four points. Her three rebounds didn’t turn any heads either. But her reliable, fundamental play brought her closer to the spotlight than ever. She was a selfless creator, dishing out five assists. She refused to relent on defense, holding her ground against a Rebel squad that looked to attack her from the jump.
After the game, Ivey showered praise on the senior forward, complimenting her work as an ‘unsung hero’ in a game where she played a career-high 36 minutes.
”Nat played with such poise,” Ivey said. “[She] does things that don’t show up in the stat sheet. She doesn’t have to score 20 points. Her presence, just altering shots… She just takes advantage of the opportunity. She had five assists and zero turnovers, which I think for a post
is huge. Not only does she have a defensive presence, she’s making things happen on the offensive end.”
Notre Dame doesn’t have the deepest roster, a casualty of the team’s aforementioned rash of injuries. But it seems to find a new unsung hero with each passing month. First it was graduate guard
Anna DeWolfe, who transitioned from volume scorer at Fordham to jack-of-all-trades spark plug in South Bend. Then it was Watson, who emerged as the shot-blocking linchpin of Notre Dame’s zone defense before she was lost for the season against Virginia Tech. And now it’s Marshall, a midrange maestro seemingly unlocking a new level of play every time she starts.
It’s the latest development in the continued evolution of a Notre Dame team that has combined star-level production and gritty role player resolve to create a lethal recipe good for 10 straight wins, a stretch that now includes an ACC championship and a third consecutive trip to the Sweet Sixteen.
At one point in time, there were concerns at the season’s midpoint that the Irish were doomed to spiral out of control. Everyone would
have understood the reason. Notre Dame, saddled by the absence of star junior guard Olivia Miles as well as key freshmen Cassandre Prosper and Emma Risch, had entrusted rookie guard and extraordinaire Hannah Hidalgo with a remarkable load of responsibility.
Hidalgo shined, but it was all but a given that growing pains would come. A mid-February stretch of three games where the Irish lost two and escaped another in double overtime prompted wonder if such growing pains would be the story of Notre Dame’s season.
Such a forecast couldn’t have been further from the truth. Instead, senior forward Maddy Westbeld said the team’s mentality shifted following the team’s final contest in that ugly, three-game stretch, a brutal 59-43 home defeat to North Carolina State.
“We just needed to make sure we were all on the same page.” said Westbeld. “We know what this name on our chest means … It started with practice — everybody being a little tougher in practice and setting the tone. It took everybody from top to bottom.”
Bolstered by this toughness, the Irish buckled down, revealing
a team that’s capable of winning now even as it sets the table for future success. With their season on the line at Purcell Pavilion, from the first buzzer to the last, the Irish held their poise.
Ole Miss earned the first lead of the game on their its possession. Nineteen seconds after that, the game would be tied. A little under a minute later, Notre Dame took its own lead. It wouldn’t look back.
The Irish set the tone from deep early. Junior guard Sonia Citron, Westbeld and DeWolfe all connected on 3-pointers in the first quarter. The Rebels stuck to their game plan, attempting to assert themselves underneath the basket. Such a game plan made sense, as Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s tall, deep squad figured to be a unique threat down low to Notre Dame’s new staple 2-3 zone, particularly with the Irish down their top shotblocker in Watson. Such a threat proved negatable. Marshall and Westbeld stood tall, continually trapping the Rebels’ post players near the baseline. Notre Dame would go on to outscore Ole Miss in the paint, 32-24.