The collegiate careers of Kasey Choma, Madison Ahern and Jackie Wolak began with unfinished business. A 7-0 freshman season in 2019-20 was cut short due to a pandemic, preventing one of the most talented teams in Irish history from getting a shot in the postseason.
When the Irish lost to Boston College in the quarterfinals of last year’s NCAA Tournament, their time at Notre Dame could have ended the same way. But the same virus that took so much from them four years prior has provided an opportunity. COVID-19 gave the three an extra year of eligibility, should they choose to use it.
The decision was easy.
“When our season got cut short freshman year, there’s kind of no doubt that we’re all going to come back here for [our] fifth year,” Choma said. “And I think we just have so much belief in what the seniors this year and the rest of the girls in our class that came back are going to do this year.”
Their careers will forever be linked no matter how they end. By the time the dust settles, all three will likely have exceeded the 300-point threshold, something only two players (Jillian Byers and Cortney Fortunato) have accomplished. Ahern and Choma were dominant from day one, finishing top three on the team in scoring their first year. Wolak started a little bit slower, then outpaced both the very next season.
Countless hours of hard work have gone into honing their crafts. The trio’s talent is undeniable, but their consistency and commitment to improving is second to none. Choma has scored in all but two games of her career, establishing a 52-game goal streak. Wolak just set her career high in points (11) in her most recent game.
As individuals, they are outstanding, but their chemistry together is what truly makes them special. The three have known each other since they were in high school and live right across from each other now.
“I think us three could honestly be the most different people. Our personalities are so different, and I think it kind of makes it so special and so fun,” Choma said. “We balance each other really well — in so many different areas.”
Their growth shows in the evolution of their relationship with their head coach Christine Halfpenny, who knows the vast extent of their value and knowledge better than perhaps anyone.
“I think the older we are — year five with her — it’s more of [a] conversational [relationship], too. And she’ll try and pick our brains, [and] we’ll pick her brains,” said Choma. “We’ve been through it together, we know what the mission is this year — now it’s time to just do it. And I think her belief, she instills all of that in us to which is really cool.”
Halfpenny hasn’t been their only role model in the program, of course. The upperclassmen leaders who guided them in their early years showed them the power of leadership, which they are thrilled to be able to instill in their teammates.
“The culture that we came into — it wasn’t an option on whether we were to buy in or not. It was just a standard,” Wolak said. “And I think when we got older on the team, we just wanted to honor those upperclassmen that brought us in.”
They’ve certainly done so this season. The Irish have earned victories over long-time rivals Northwestern and Boston College this season. Their only two losses came to top-10 teams. After being largely an afterthought in the greater landscape of the sport two seasons ago when they went 9-10, the Irish are national championship contenders once again.
“I think just taking it one day at a time,” Ahern said about her approach to the season. “Just staying humble and working hard each day is something that we’ve been focused on, not getting too ahead of ourselves each week ... So it’s just honing in on those goals and winning those championships that we want to do.”
They will still have to wait a little bit longer before they can start chasing down those championship goals. But there are many more goals to be scored and memories to be made before then. A special moment will undoubtedly arrive Saturday when they take the field at Arlotta Stadium for their final regular-season contest.
It has been a bumpy and chaotic journey at times for Notre Dame’s terrific trio. But they’ve made it together. All three — and Notre Dame as a whole — are better for every step of the way, and everything that’s to come.
