ND Softball: Maldonado leads underclassmen on and off the field
Senior outfielder Alexa Maldonado hopes her career can begin just how it started: with a Big East championship.
Senior outfielder Alexa Maldonado hopes her career can begin just how it started: with a Big East championship.
For the second year in a row, the Irish captured a victory over Connecticut in the Final Four and are headed to the national championship game.
Looking to bounce back from a pair of losses to No. 24 Carthage, Saint Mary's returns to conference play Thursday when it hosts Calvin for a doubleheader.
Last year Notre Dame ran into a buzzsaw. Texas A&M had beaten Baylor and Stanford on its way to the championship game. This year, Notre Dame hit a brick wall in the form of 6-foot-8 Brittney Griner and Baylor.
DENVER - Contrary to popular belief, the Baylor offense is more than just the lob pass to six-foot-eight junior center Brittney Griner. In fact, three Lady Bears finished with more field goals than Griner in their victory over Stanford in the national semifinals Sunday night, including dynamic sophomore point guard Odyssey Sims.
After seeing their undefeated record fall last weekend, the No. 6 Irish will look to rebound under the national spotlight Thursday at Arlotta Stadium when they square off with No. 2 Syracuse. The game against the Orange is part of a quick two-game homestand that also features a matchup with Villanova on Saturday.
If facing adversity only makes one stronger, then sophomore Billy Pecor is the perfect example.
Notre Dame's game against Toledo on Tuesday won't be a matchup of undefeated or top-ranked teams. It's not a renewal of a geographical or historical rivalry. It won't show up on either team's conference record.
After seeing their undefeated record fall last weekend, the No. 6 Irish will look to rebound under the national spotlight Thursday at Arlotta Stadium when they square off with No. 2 Syracuse. The game against the Orange is part of a quick two-game homestand that also features a matchup with Villanova on Saturday.
It started back on Feb. 2, 2011 - National Signing Day - when highly-recruited defensive linemen StephonTuitt and Aaron Lynch signed to play for Notre Dame and Irish coach Brian Kelly. It continued during the 2011 campaign, when Tuitt and Lynch saw plenty of playing time, especially after senior defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore went down with a knee injury.
Notre Dame will head west this weekend to participate in the Stanford Invitational, a meet known for its highly competitive distance races.
DENVER - One year ago, Notre Dame squared off against Texas A&M in the national championship game in Indianapolis and left heartbroken. Tonight, the Irish get their shot at redemption.
In a hard-fought game to start the 2012 Alumni Tournament, the Irish pulled out a 10-9 victory against Saint Louis, who finished 13th at the National Collegiate Club Championships. The Billikens started the game out aggressively and took an early lead against the Irish. But with timely shooting from junior Chris Jennis and freshman DolffHanke, the Irish pulled ahead. At the end of the contest, great defense provided by sophomore Jack Turek and senior Dan Geisman proved to be the difference.
Saint Mary's will head south this weekend, where the Belles will compete in the Southwestern Invitational, trying to build off their opening performance at the Phoenix Invitational.
The No. 20 Irish continued their Big East shutout streak Saturday, defeating DePaul 7-0.
In pursuit of its sixth consecutive win, No. 6 Notre Dame opened the Konica Minolta Big City Classic with a 13-6 victory over Big East foe St. John's.
Notre Dame concluded a busy weekend of multiple competitions by winning nine events in an impressive two-day showing at the Mike Poehlein Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind.
DENVER - Notre Dame is now 11-0 in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed.
There is the humble and hard-working All-American. There is the experienced tag-team. There is the cat. There is the dog. There is the group of developing youngsters.
DENVER - Stanford forward senior Nnemkadi Ogwumike outscored Baylor center junior Brittney Griner 22 to 13, yet finished as the Cardinal's only scorer in double figures as the Lady Bears advanced to the NCAA title game with a 59-47 victory Sunday night.