sports

Up-and-down Irish look to stabilize against Badgers

By Andrew McGuinness · Friday, Jan. 27, 2023

No matter who they play or what they do, Notre Dame hockey has been unable to escape the seesaw that their 2022-23 season has become. Since Nov. 11, the Irish have played seven two-game series against the same opponent, and they've split all seven. It doesn't matter whether the Irish are playing teams at the top, middle or bottom of the Big Ten standings. It's been win one, lose one for almost as long as the Irish can remember, a pattern that has prevented them from looking like last year's near-Frozen Four team for anything more than a brief moment.

Irish aim to get back on track against struggling Louisville

By Matthew Crow · Friday, Jan. 27, 2023

On Tuesday night, Notre Dame men’s basketball suffered a narrow road loss against an NC State team that will likely be playing in the NCAA Tournament. The Irish will seek to get a better result Saturday, when they return to Purcell Pavilion to host conference foe Louisville.

"There's a greater ND we want to swim for": Irish seniors reflect on upcoming Tim Welsh Classic

By Madeline Ladd · Friday, Jan. 27, 2023

Notre Dame swim and dive is preparing for the annual Tim Welsh Classic and senior meet, coming off a successful tri-meet against Navy and Princeton earlier in the month. The two-day competition will close out the 2022-23 home season and turn the page for the Irish to gear up for the fast-approaching ACC and NCAA championships.

Irish men’s tennis hopes to continue hot start in Kentucky

By Adam Akan · Friday, Jan. 27, 2023

It's a new season for Notre Dame men’s tennis. Following a mediocre season last year, the Irish are looking for improvement both in and out of ACC play this year. Irish head coach Ryan Sachire and his team — filled with savvy veterans and some high-flying freshmen — know that this weekend presents a key opportunity to showcase that improvement.

Holy Cross women's basketball coasts past Roosevelt, men fall in overtime

By Peter Breen · Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023

On a snowy South Bend night, Holy Cross men’s and women’s basketball took on Roosevelt University in a double header at McKenna Arena. The women glided past Lakers, while the men fell just short in overtime.

Holy Cross tennis eyes conference championships

By Thomas Zwiller · Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023

Wednesday at noon, the Holy Cross College men’s and women’s tennis teams both got the news they had been waiting for all off-season: both teams placed in the top 25 of their respective NAIA Tennis Coaches’ Preseason Polls.

Belles fall to seventh in conference after loss to Scots

By Mannion McGinley · Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023

The Saint Mary’s Belles took on the Alma Scots Wednesday night in Angela Athletic Center. The teams were tied in conference records before tonight. Saint Mary's was hoping to come away with a win in this matchup, having only lost by six to the Scots in their first meeting, but they couldn’t find their rhythm and Alma won 85-57. This was the team’s third straight loss. Previously tied with the Scots by conference record, the Belles now rank seventh in the conference with a 3-7 MIAA record (6-13 overall).

Moller: The curse that continues to haunt the Minnesota Vikings

By Nate Moller · Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023

The Vikings’ record in one-score games in the regular season: 11-0. The Vikings’ record in one-score games in the playoffs: 0-1.

‘Who are you on a daily basis?’: Men’s tennis looks for bounce-back season

By Adam Akan · Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023

Notre Dame men’s tennis head coach Ryan Sachire knows success in the NCAA tennis season is not just about what happens in March, April or May. “It starts back in the fall,” he said. “Our culture with these guys … those guys have all played a lot of tennis matches for Notre Dame. I liked where we ended our fall season with how we were practicing, the mentality we brought every single day.”

Women’s tennis eyes success in 2023 season

By Nate Moller · Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023

The Notre Dame women’s tennis program has high aspirations for the 2023 season with head coach Alison Silverio in her fifth year as head coach.

Irish edged out by NC State on the road

By Matthew Crow · Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023

On Tuesday night, Notre Dame men’s basketball traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, looking to snap a three-game losing streak. For 40 minutes, the Irish battled, fighting back from several big deficits to keep within reach up until the final seconds. Ultimately, it was not enough, as the NC State Wolfpack surged down the stretch to earn an 85-82 victory. With the loss, Notre Dame drops to 9-12 on the season and 1-9 in ACC play.

No rest for the Irish as No. 24 Florida State comes to town

By Tyler Reidy · Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023

On the heels of graduate guard Dara Mabrey’s college career-ending knee injury, No. 7 Notre Dame women’s basketball awaits another challenge as No. 24 Florida State will visit Purcell Pavilion Thursday night in a pivotal ACC matchup. FSU (18-4, 7-2) sits just half a game out of first place in the conference. Brooke Wyckoff’s team doubled up Pittsburgh at home Sunday for a 74-37 win. The Irish (16-2, 7-1) are one of the two teams occupying the ACC’s top position, sharing it with No. 16 Duke. Notre Dame has won four consecutive games overall and six straight on the home hardwood. Niele Ivey’s group most recently added a 76-54 defeat of Virginia on Sunday.

Notre Dame hopes to restore confidence in Raleigh

By Tyler Reidy · Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023

Notre Dame men’s basketball will make its second trip to the Tar Heel State this month, visiting NC State Tuesday night. Notre Dame (9-11, 1-8) assumes the role of underdog after back-to-back losses as the home-court favorite. The Irish are now on their third different three-game losing skid since opening the season 7-2. In spite of Saturday’s loss to North Carolina, NC State (15-5, 5-4) has been superb since tipping off 2023. The Wolfpack started January with four consecutive wins, including a blowout of then-No. 16 Duke and an overtime defeat of then-No. 16 Miami (FL). Tuesday’s game will mark the first and only meeting between Notre Dame and NC State this season.

Veteran leaders, young stars shine as Irish edge out Broncos, 4-3

By Aidan Thomas · Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023

The Notre Dame men’s tennis team continued a strong start to the year, improving to 4-1 with a tight 4-3 victory over Western Michigan. The Broncos have been one of the nation’s strongest mid-major programs for years, winning the MAC Tournament the last four years it’s been played.

Irish sweep four games in two days

By Olivia Schatz · Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023

Notre Dame women’s tennis were back in action this weekend as they hosted a series of matches in Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Irish were on a hot streak as they secured a win of all four matches, bringing their official team record to 4-0 on the season.

Fencers shine on east coast

By Annika Herko · Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023

This weekend, Notre Dame Fencing had two meets on the east coast. The first was at St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York where the men’s team finished 3-2 and the women went 5-0. The men’s two losses came against Ohio State and Columbia. Notre Dame performed well in foil and sabre, but struggled to keep pace against those opponents in epee. Philip Dority (foil) and Luke Linder (sabre) went 3-0 in bouts against Columbia to try and get Notre Dame back into the match.

Coolican: Ten potential successors for Mike Brey

By Liam Coolican · Monday, Jan. 23, 2023

Mike Brey’s announcement that he would step down at the end of the season means that Notre Dame will begin the process of searching for a new head coach for the first time in nearly 23 years — before most current students were even born. Brey’s act will certainly be a tough one to follow, but there is no shortage of suitable candidates. With that in mind, here are ten potential options for athletic director Jack Swarbrick to consider.

The biggest moments of Mike Brey’s time at Notre Dame

By Matthew Crow · Monday, Jan. 23, 2023

It’s the end of an era for Notre Dame men’s basketball. It was announced last week that head coach Mike Brey will step down from his position after the season. The news comes in the midst of a difficult year for the Irish, who are 1-8 ACC play. However, the few low moments of Brey’s 23-year tenure are few and far between when compared to all of the success he brought to a program that struggled significantly in the years preceding his arrival.

Notre Dame grinds out split with No. 6 Penn State

By Observer Sports Staff · Monday, Jan. 23, 2023

By Ryan Murphy and Tyler Reidy

Lifeless Irish fall to 1-8 in ACC with 84-72 loss to Eagles

By Annika Herko · Monday, Jan. 23, 2023

It was a tough week for the Notre Dame Men’s Basketball team leading up to Saturday’s home game at Purcell against the Boston College Eagles. After an overtime win against the struggling Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Notre Dame could not contain the offense of the 7-13 Florida State Seminoles. Two days later, head coach Mike Brey announced that he will retire at the end of the year after 23 seasons with the team. Despite stellar free throw shooting, the second-fewest turnovers per game in college basketball, and the fourth lowest fouls per game, the Irish have been unable to turn these stats into wins. They started the season 5-0 and went 4-10 overall (1-7 in league play) heading into the Boston College clash.