Tri-Campus

con T inued from Page 12 a four-game unbeaten run to end the 2022 regular season. in postseason play, though, the irish fell to clemson in the first round of the acc Tournament. head coach chad riley cites consistently getting into the quarterfinals as a future goal for the team.

Junior goalkeeper bryan dowd was a big contributor last season, totaling 43 saves at a .652 clip. dowd will return for another season, bringing with him consistency and the ability to develop young players. also returning are sophomore midfielders KK baffour and sebastian green, who had particularly notable developmental seasons last year. also watch for award watchlist players this year, such as senior defender Paddy burns, as the irish begin their campaign.

ND Women’s Soccer

The irish saw a wildly successful season last year, reaching the quarterfinals of the ncaa tournament for the first time since 2012. entering 2023 ranked no. 3 in the country, high expectations abound for the irish. however, the departure of star Korbin albert to Psg in france and the graduation of an excellent senior class leaves a hole in the offense this season.

Look to graduate transfer midfielder Kristina Lynch for her wealth of experience and to potentially shake things up on offense after she missed all of 2022 with an injury.

captain and graduate student midfielder Kiki van Zanten also returns with experience from the 2023 World cup.

graduate forward maddie mercado has excelled in preseason.

The irish will also especially look to the defense to shine, with three starters returning on the backline in all-acc Preseason team member senior eva gaetino, graduate student Waniya hudson and sophomore Leah Klenke.

ND Volleyball after a rocky 10-18 season, the irish are looking to rebuild with head coach salima rockwell in her second year. showing signs of promise with several win streaks, the team looks to draw on the highs of 2022 to create a winning culture this year. some of the irish’s strongest players will be returning, such as junior setter Phyona schrader and senior libero hattie monson. schrader averaged over eight assists per set, ranking seventh in the acc monson finished with 4.19 digs per set, the third-most in the conference.

ND Golf for the irish women, head coach caroline Powers ellis enters her second season after learning the ropes of south bend in 2022-23. The team has lost three graduating players, though four freshmen enter the roster for the season. The upperclassmen trio of graduate student Lauren beaudreau, senior chloe schiavone and junior montgomery ferreira will return to help guide the talented freshman class.

The men suffered a disappointing season, failing to place any higher than fourth in any competition. The return of emerging sophomore nate stevens and established star graduate student Palmer Jackson will allow them to build upon his stevens’ promising freshman season.

ND XC emily hosker-Thornhill makes her season debut as assistant coach for the irish. after posting a 15th-place finish for the men and seventh for the women at the ncaa championships, the irish are looking toward higher finishes 2023.

SMC Volleyball

The belles faced a difficult season last year, going 5-19 with a 1-7 conference record. With the departure of three seniors at the end of last season, the belles will rely on new recruits to fill the gaps in the program. nevertheless, according to head coach denise van de Walle, team morale is high and a small roster provides for more personal attention.

SMC Soccer an inexperienced roster, new coaching staff and difficult slate of opponents led to an 0-13-3 season for the belles in 2022. Last year, 16 of the 23 players of the belles’ roster were underclassmen. however, with a year under their belt and an understanding of their shortcomings, the belles prepare to take on the season with a huge group of sophomores and incoming recruits.

SMC XC after some late-season success and a sixth-place finish at the miaa championships last year, the belles are hoping to build on this momentum in the upcoming season. With last year’s roster featuring six seniors, the underclassmen will be put to the test as the team vies for personal bests and strong team finishes.

HCC Men’s Soccer

The saints put together a 105-4 season last year, hanging tough with nearly every team they played. much of the roster returns this year. That’s a good thing considering last year’s team set a program record with a 12-game unbeaten streak. With sights set on a deep postseason run, the team will build on their performance from last year and look to new recruits to step up.

HCC Women’s Soccer an injury-riddled season for the saints concluded with a 6-67 record last year. This season though, a strong incoming freshman class will bring the saints some big-time players and much needed added depth. focused on specifying the team’s needs while recruiting, coach omar gallo believes he will foster his talent to where a championship could be on the line in the foreseeable future.

HCC/SMC Golf both hcc and smc had difficult 2022-23 seasons. for the saint mary’s golf team, their average was the lowest it has been in eight years last year. both the holy cross women’s and men’s golf team faced the sudden departure of their head coach T.J. mannen partway into last season. assistant coach aaron martinez stepped up into the interim head coach position, and he’ll lead the team again this year. With only four female golfers on the roster at the end of last season, the team hopes to build a stronger, deeper roster in 2023.

The team hopes for more consistent play this season in order to achieve their goals.

Contact Madeline Ladd at mladd2@nd.edu need to take a huge step forward from last year for n otre d ame’s offense to reach its potential.

Post: i t has to be wide receiver. n otre d ame has a lot of talent at wideout but proven commodities are far and few between. Junior Jayden Thomas has proven a reliable option and a versatile one at that. b ut behind him, the i rish and h artman will need to find production out of the likes of senior c hris Tyree (in his first season playing slot), sophomore Tobias merriweather (one career collegiate catch), junior deion colzie (nine catches in 2022), graduate student matt salerno (five catches in 2022) and the freshman trio of r ico Flores, Jaden Greathouse and braylon James. notre dame doesn’t need merriweather to catch 15 touchdowns or salerno to become a biletnikoff winner for success this fall. but they will need at least a few success stories that weren’t seen last season.

Sanchez Cordova: i’m a bit concerned about special teams. often overlooked, last year they made themselves the focal point more than once with all those blocked punts. but special teams coordinator brian mason moved on to the n FL and the team lost its starting kicker, punter and main punt returner. it’s a lot of turmoil to overcome in a short time. Graduate transfers spencer shrader and ben Krimm came in to cover the kicking and punting duties. but i think it’ll take a few games before i feel confident new special teams coordinator marty biagi picked up where the unit left off last season.

Crow: at the moment, notre dame’s biggest weakness might be the tight end position, if only because it has the most question marks of any unit. mayer was responsible for essentially all of the group’s production last season. notre dame’s available tight ends enter 2023 with just six total career receptions after senior Kevin bauman was lost for the season due to injury. Luckily, there is a lot of talent at the position. Junior m itchell evans and sophomores holden staes and e li raridon are expected to feature on the depth chart.

Tom Zwiller, Sports

Writer: The defensive line. The rotation is incredibly deep; defensive line coach a l Washington said he felt the i rish could have a rotation of up to ten players. however, i think those players are all currently rotation-level good, not starting-level. notre dame will need a few players on the line to take a step up.

Breakout Player

McGuinness: it wasn’t that surprising that notre dame had a star freshman cornerback emerge last year. Who it was was a bit of one, though. While morrison balled out in the second half of 2022, Jaden m ickey had a bit more of a traditional up-and-down rookie season in south bend. but it was m ickey who was the higher-rated recruit entering the season. despite the valleys, m ickey did show some positive signs last fall and will have all the opportunity to become a key member of what could be a vaunted i rish secondary.

Ladd: Tobias merriweather. This season’s young wide receiver crew will need to step up to replace mayer’s receiving consistency. hartman will rely heavily on the 6’4, 204 pound merriweather. he’s one of the most talented wide receivers on the team but has yet to fully show it on the field. he has room to stand out this season and contribute greatly to the i rish offense.

Post: stop me if you’ve heard a prediction for senior defensive end rylie m ills to be a breakout player before. m ills was tabbed for this exact honor at this exact time last season, and to a lesser extent the season before that. Will his tools finally translate into tangible production? Last year m ills was solid, notching six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. This year, he’ll need to be a leader on a retooled i rish defensive line.

Crow: senior defensive lineman Jordan botelho was arguably onsenior defensive lineman Jordan botelho was arguably one of the i rish’s biggest breakout players in 2022. a nd he could have another major leap in store this season. botelho is an explosive pass-rusher who finished second on the team in sacks as a junior despite taking limited snaps behind a ll-a merican isaiah Foskey. Getting his first opportunity to start during the Gator bowl against south carolina, he showed his ability to step into a larger role, recording two sacks in the i rish victory. botelho will be a crucial part of a largely unproven defensive line and will look to carry his impressive finish to last season into a standout senior campaign.

Zwiller: i f a position group needs a player to answer the call, it is the wide receivers. i think Jaden Greathouse has the potential to be that player. i like Greathouse in the slot and think he could be an excellent weapon for hartman. The 6’1, 204-pound freshman has looked good to me in practice, and i think he can be a great second option while other W r s (like merriweather) draw more eyes.

Overall Season Prediction

McGuinness: h istory says it usually takes an i rish coach at least three years before their first signature campaign. so, while there’s a temptation to expect marcus Freeman to reach for the stars in year two, a steady but not meteoric rise is probably what’s in store. The combination of a big-three opponent gauntlet of ohio state, Usc and c lemson combined with other quality opponents in nc state and duke (both of which the i rish play on the road) will prevent the i rish from having a shot of playing for a championship. but after going 10-2, the i rish will still make history this season, winning a new Year’s six bowl for the first time since 1993.

Ladd : 9-3. The introduction of new talent mixed with the maturity of the old makes for a promising season for the i rish. however, there is always the potential for a clunker as the team finds its groove. i predict competitive and respectable matches against ohio state and Usc, though the i rish will ultimately fall short against these two giants. a Usc loss will fuel the fire and we will see a winning streak to end the season 9-3, which includes an on-theroad win against c lemson. however, i hope the i rish prove me wrong. What is the saying … underpromise and overdeliver?

Post: 10-3, with a bowl game win. This should be a fun notre dame season. The best quarterback the i rish have had in years. a schedule packed with both marquee home games (ohio state, Usc ) and underrated road tests ( duke, Louisville). Ultimately, i see too many potential minefields on notre dame’s schedule to not expect the i rish to lose at least one of the games they will be favored in. That being said, i think the combination of a dynamic quarterback, strong ground game and an improved defense will allow notre dame to pull at least one big upset. can the i rish take more than one out of three though? That will be the question that defines where notre dame is playing in January.

Sanchez Cordova: i’m quite optimistic. i feel like this is a really talented roster that can to notre dame back to a new Year’s six bowl and maybe more. but there’s are definitely some questions on offense that make me nervous. Ultimately, the three games with ohio state, Usc and c lemson are going to define the year. r ight now, i think they go 1-2 and beat rival Usc under the lights in south bend, but drop the other two and finish 10-2. This should be enough to land them an new Year’s six bowl where they’ll break the big game curse.

Crow: i think the i rish’s no. 13 preseason ranking in both the coaches and a P polls almost perfectly splits the difference between the ceiling and floor for the 2023 team. notre dame saw the departure of several key contributors on the field and on the coaching staff. on the other hand, the i rish defense should be strong as ever, and the offense looks poised to take a step forward behind hartman and potential a ll-a merican e stime. i’ll tab the i rish to win two of their marquee matchups against ohio state, Usc and c lemson and take care of business elsewhere, finishing 11-1 and directly on the college Football Playoff bubble.

Zwiller: i n all likelihood, notre dame will have a similar finish to last year. The offense has gotten a massive upgrade at Qb but the wide receivers are genuinely starting to worry me with how little they flash at practice. i love the defensive secondary, but notre dame may sometimes struggle to generate a pass rush. at a minimum, the i rish will stumble twice in their big three games; my money is on ohio state and c lemson. i think nd loses three games, finishes in the teens in the polls, and wins a decent bowl game for a 10-3 finish.

Niche Prediction

McGuinness: The i rish will have at least one game-winning punt or kick return touchdown this season.

Ladd: botehlo has 10 sacks, leads the team in tackles and is a finalist for the bednarik award for the top defensive player in the country.

Post: sophomore bryce mcFerson attempts and achieves at least one fake punt this fall.

Sanchez Cordova: notre dame’s offensive line will win the Joe moore award at the end of the year.

Crow: notre dame will make a statement with another threepossession win against ohio state, Usc or c lemson.

Zwiller: notre dame will go 1-2 against the big three. i have notre dame losing to ohio state 24-21, defeating Usc 3835 and losing to c lemson 28-21.

The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.