Men's Swimming and Diving: ND to renew rivalry with matchup at Pitt
The inexperienced Irish will travel to Big East rival Pittsburgh for their first road meet of the season.
The inexperienced Irish will travel to Big East rival Pittsburgh for their first road meet of the season.
With a Big East tournament berth secured, the No. 14 Irish will turn their focus to a larger bid: the NCAA tournament.
In Irish coach Randy Waldrum's 13 years as head coach, never has Notre Dame gone on the road to start the Big East tournament. But this season has been a year of firsts for the defending-national champion Irish, who are now thrust headfirst into the role of underdog heading into a matchup at No. 15 Marquette in the Big East quarterfinals.
The Belles will kick off their regular season with a Friday night dual meet against Kalamazoo.
With a trip to Hawaii already under their belts, the Irish have more travelling on the horizon.
Most interhall games are serious affairs. There may be some joking on the field at times but, for the most part, teams are determined to win and keep the focus on their play.
High school coaches across the nation have modeled their offenses on it. Division I defenses have been blindsided by it. Yet this season, five teams have discovered how to limit it. Through thick and thin, Navy employs the option offense with the unwavering discipline the Academy embodies.
To the weathered and longtime Notre Dame fan, it may seem like the thundercloud that has seemingly hovered above the program for the past 18 years has reappeared. With the Irish primed to take a significant step toward reviving a program rich with tradition, Notre Dame lost a 31-17 debacle to archrival USC last Saturday.
After time expires on Notre Dame's annual contest against Navy, the players from both teams will join together, united, listening to their alma maters. But for one Irish player, the post-game tradition will not be the only time he stands beside his Brothers in Arms.
The annual battle between Notre Dame and USC goes by many names — The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh and the greatest intersectional rivalry game in college football among them — but let's call it what it really is: an all-or-nothing proposition. There are no moral victories in a rivalry game.
Each Saturday in the Notre Dame locker room, a warrior applies eye black to his face and quietly envisions his role in the battle that is about to ensue. If MantiTe'o seems contemplative, it's because he is — in everything he does.
A week after hosting its largest group of visiting recruits in recent memory, Notre Dame will host no official visitors this weekend against Navy, Irish recruiting expert Mike Frank said. While a number of 2013 players will make unofficial visits to campus, the focus on the 2012 signing class is still largely on the aftermath of last week's bonanza of visitors — and Notre Dame seems to have done well.
The Irish opened their season with events on consecutive days, taking second in both the Dennis Stark Relays and the first dual meet of the year on Oct. 14 and Oct. 15, respectively.
So much for a relaxing Fall Break. After cruising to a pair of victories during a double dual meet Oct. 15 against TCU and Oakland, the Irish hosted No. 4 Auburn on Friday.
Following Saturday's 31-17 loss to USC that effectively ruined any Irish BCS Bowl-game aspirations, Notre Dame was dealt another blow when senior defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore's season was ended due to a knee injury.
The Belles begin their final push for a winning record when they host Albion on Wednesday.
As the conclusion of the regular season nears, No. 15 Notre Dame's position seems to be simultaneously perilous and promising.
As the conclusion of the regular season nears, No. 15 Notre Dame's position seems to be simultaneously perilous and promising.
The Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston annually brings together some of the world's top rowing competition from the high school, collegiate and club levels. In the championship four-race, only one university finished ahead of the Irish.