Since the middle of August, the tri-campus sports community has packed the fall semester with memorable team runs and noteworthy individual performances. As classes wind down at University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College, here's a look back at the best athletic moments each school has produced so far.
Notre Dame
Ferreira hits a hole-in-one in East Lansing
With Notre Dame women’s golf competing at the Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Michigan, in September, senior Montgomery Ferreira accomplished a feat no other competitor could. During round three, she stepped up to the seventh hole, a 145-yard par-three and drained a hole-in-one. The once-in-a-lifetime shot helped Notre Dame secure one of the three best third-round team scores among the field of 15.
Roou’s remarkable stretch
The crown jewel of Matthew Roou’s 14-goal ACC Offensive Player of the Year season unfolded halfway through the season, when the senior forward of Notre Dame men’s soccer tallied 10 goals in five games. He began with consecutive hat tricks against Chicago State and Detroit Mercy, becoming the second player in program history to record multiple hat tricks in a season. In the next game, Notre Dame’s last of September, he delivered the game-winning goal in the final minutes of a College Cup final rematch against Clemson. Roou would go on to score three more goals against Trine and Syracuse, vaulting himself to the top of national scoring leaderboards.
Knuble caps terrific start with overtime winner
Notre Dame hockey centerman Cole Knuble went on a hot streak of his own through the season’s first month. After notching three goals during a season-opening sweep of St. Lawrence and Clarkson, the sophomore would score one more time in each of the two home series that followed. Then, with Notre Dame playing into overtime against Wisconsin in the Nov. 1 Big Ten opener, Knuble delivered his most important goal yet. With a power-play wrister from the slot, he put Notre Dame in the Big Ten won column for the first time, scoring his sixth goal in seven games.
Notre Dame unseats NC State from women’s cross country throne
Two weeks later, the Notre Dame women’s cross country snapped NC State’s eight-year streak of ACC Championship victories. Senior Siona Chisholm paced the Irish with a sixth-place 6k time of 19 minutes and 42.3 seconds, capturing her third consecutive All-ACC selection. The Irish women edged out Stanford and North Carolina by six points for the conference crown and would go on to join the men’s team in sweeping the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.
Freshman phenoms lead the way in upset of Mississippi State
This season, the 13-member freshman class of Notre Dame women’s soccer made history as the largest first-year group in the program’s existence. Ranked top-four nationally, the batch would lead the Irish to four top-25 wins in the regular season and even more postseason success. Matched up against No. 1 seed Mississippi State in the Sweet 16, fourth-seeded Notre Dame used goals from two freshmen, forward Izzy Engle and midfielder Grace Restovich, to upset the Bulldogs and advance to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years.
Irish go coast-to-coast to seal CFP bid
At 9-1 and on an eight-game win streak, Notre Dame football took its College Football Playoff on a nationwide adventure for the regular season’s final two weeks. First, the Irish visited the Big Apple for a top-25 tilt against No. 18 Army at Yankee Stadium. Ignited by a brilliant hurdle and touchdown by sophomore running back Jeremiah Love, Notre Dame cruised to a 49-14 win. A week later, Love produced another leaping highlight as the Irish battled USC across the country in Los Angeles. The Trojans remained close until late in the fourth quarter, when sophomore cornerback Christian Gray and graduate safety Xavier Watts scored on interception returns 199 combined yards in length to seal the game and Notre Dame’s postseason bid.
Hidalgo, Miles churn out highlights as Notre Dame outlasts Texas
A dozen days after taking down No. 3 USC on the road, Notre Dame women’s basketball returned home for another top-10 clash against No. 4 Texas. The Longhorns entered South Bend undefeated, but Notre Dame’s superstar backcourt duo of sophomore Hannah Hidalgo and graduate student Olivia Miles made sure that the perfect start would snap. With highlights ranging from Hidalgo’s overhead pass to Miles’ near-game-winning layup at the end of regulation to Hidalgo’s go-ahead three-pointer in overtime, Notre Dame toppled Texas for a signature win at Purcell Pavilion.
Saint Mary’s
Jordan Siminski led the Belles to finish in fifth place in the MIAA Cross Country Championship
In the MIAA Championship, the Belles competed against eight other teams but sophomore Jordan Siminski led the way. Siminski finished in 32nd place in the 6000m race with a time of 23:51.6 which was 40 seconds faster than her previous race time.
Katelyn Tokarz leads Belles golf in final fall competition
As a split sport, golf starts its season in the fall and finishes in the spring. As the golf team finished up their fall season, senior Katelyn Tokarz led the way taking the top spot in the individual round to lead the team to victory as she finished the day carding a 72.
Seniors lead the Belles soccer team to the MIAA tournament
The Belles soccer team has not made an appearance in the MIAA since 2008 but this year proved to be different. Senior forward Izzi Linus and senior midfielder Grace Barresi played a big role in this as both had a team high of three goals on the season. Senior goalkeeper Riley Lindsey played her part with a total of 31 saves.
Nicole Connolly saves the Belles basketball team with a buzzer-beater
In a back-and-forth contest against Franklin College, the Belles came out victorious with a 75-74 win thanks to junior guard Nicole Connolly who added a buzzer-beater to take the win. Connolly finished the night with five points and five rebounds.
Cali Allen leads the Belles volleyball team on senior night
The Belles volleyball team only graduates one senior this year, outside hitter Cali Allen, who led the team in kills against Olivet. Allen finished the night with 13.5 points and 13 kills to lead the Belles to victory.
Belles tennis sweeps Concordia Chicago in home opener
The Belles tennis team had a quick start to their season, logging a 7-0 win over the Concordia Chicago Cougars. The team won all of their matches to secure the shutout win.
Holy Cross
Juan Perez breaks school records for goals and points for Holy Cross men’s soccer
Indiana native and senior forward Juan Perez broke the record for the Holy Cross men’s soccer team this year in October. As a senior on the team, Perez finished this season with 26 points, 11 goals, 19 shots on goals and 35 shots taken.
Phil Robles II leads the men’s basketball team to its first conference win against Viterbo
In their first conference game, senior guard Phil Robles II did not disappoint as he led the team to victory over Viterbo University. Robles took charge in the game scoring 23 points and securing four rebounds.
Freshman soccer player Madeleine Agee named CCAC athlete of the week
Hailing from Houston, Texas, freshman goalkeeper Madeleine Agee was named CCAC Athlete of the Week for her performance on the field. The freshman had three shutouts throughout the season and blocked three shots to allow the Saints to take a 1-0 win over Indiana University of South Bend. Agee finished her first season with Holy Cross with a total of 102 saves and six shutouts.
Holy Cross women’s basketball takes a huge win over Michigan-Dearborn in home opener
The Holy Cross women’s basketball team started off their season, securing a 90-52 win over Michigan-Dearborn. Senior forward Grace Adams led the team to victory, finishing the night with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Audrey Tallent contributed significantly as well, scoring 15 points and adding three assists.
