During the University’s spring break, Notre Dame athletics compiled a record of 14-21, with several teams also competing in NCAA Championships. Here’s a look at how each team fared over the past week.
Women’s basketball
After taking over the No. 1 ranking in late February, head coach Niele Ivey’s group had a challenging finish to the season. Consecutive losses to NC State and Florida State heading into March cost the Irish an outright claim to the ACC regular season title, which they had to split with the Wolfpack. Without the tiebreaker, they entered the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina, as the No. 2 seed, where they topped No. 7 seed California 73-64 in the quarterfinal two Fridays ago before losing 61-56 to No. 3 seed Duke in the semifinal a day later.
The Irish enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in Region 3 and will host the No. 14 seed Southland Conference champion Stephen F. Austin Ladyhawks in the First Round on Friday, March 21. Should they take care of business, they set up a potential matchup with rival Michigan in Round Two at Purcell Pavilion.
Men’s basketball
Head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s team finished the regular season with a thrilling 112-110 victory over California two Saturdays ago in a game that required four overtimes to be decided. The drama continued in the first round of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, last Tuesday, as the Irish narrowly outlasted Pittsburgh on a last-second free throw to keep their season alive. However, they ran into a surging North Carolina in the second round a day later, suffering a 76-56 loss that ultimately ended their season.
Star sophomore guard Markus Burton finished the year averaging 21.3 points per game, becoming the first Irish player since Luke Harangody in 2009-10 to average 20-plus points in a season. His efforts earned him a Second-Team All-ACC selection and First-Team selection by the Associated Press.
Track and field
The Notre Dame track and field team sent four athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia, last weekend, with graduates Jadin O’Brien and Alaina Brady representing the Irish in the pentathlon, graduate Madison Schmidt in the high jump and senior Siona Chisholm in the 5000m race.
On day one, O’Brien broke her own school record along with the ACC and facility records en route to her third consecutive NCAA pentathlon championship. She boasted the fastest time in the 60m hurdles with a personal-best of 8.16 seconds, cleared 1.69m on the high jump, posted a second-best 14.5m shot put effort, had a 6.19m long jump and ran 2:12.65 thanks to a strong final turn in the 800m. Brady finished 15th in the field with sixth-best performances in the 60m hurdles and shot put, posting an 8.48 seconds and 13.18m throw, respectively. Chisholm fought hard for over 2000m of her race but was unable to finish.
Schmidt was the lone Irish competitor on day two. In her second consecutive Indoor Championships appearance, she cleared 1.80m on her first attempt and 1.75m on her second. The 1.80m mark granted her a share of 12th place in the field.
Swimming and diving
Notre Dame divers junior Grace Courtney, junior Ben Nguyen and sophomore Katie Raby competed in the Zone C Championships at Ohio State’s McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on March 10-12. Courtney and Nguyen both qualified for NCAA Championships for the second straight year after standout performances. Courtney earned a spot in the women’s 3-meter event after posting a 638.45 and placing sixth overall in Columbus, improving on her 21st-place finish in 2024. After placing fourth in the platform event at ACC Championships, Nguyen performed in his best event yet again, managing a 753.25 en route to a sixth-place finish in the event, improving on his 37th-place finish last year.
The women’s meet will take place March 19-22, while the men will follow on March 26-29. The Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington, will host both events.
Fencing
The Notre Dame fencing team placed 12 fencers on the podium and claimed all six gold medal sports at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Granville, Ohio, two Saturdays ago. The women swept gold in all three weapons, as senior Kaylin Hsieh took epee, junior Ariadna Tucker finished first in foil and freshman Siobhan Sullivan finished first in saber. Several other women cracked the top five, with junior Eszter Muhari taking silver at epee and freshman teammate Felicity Sebastian taking fourth. Junior Josephina Conway was second in foil while senior teammate Rebeca Candescu placed fourth. Freshman Magda Skarbonkiewicz made the podium with a third-place finish in saber, and senior teammate Jadeyn Williams came in fifth.
For the men, junior Maruan Osman-Touson (epee), sophomore Radu Nitu (saber) and freshman Liam Bas (foil) secured gold for Notre Dame. In epee junior Jonathan Hamilton-Meikle took silver while freshman James Sennewald placed seventh. The Irish managed a second on the podium for foil, as sophomore Chase Emmer took home silver. Junior Ziyuan Chen and sophomore Dominic Joseph took fourth and sixth respectively as well. Freshman Ahmed Hesham came narrowly behind Nitu for silver in saber and senior Alexander Lacaze managed a fifth-place finish.
Notre Dame now sets its sights on the NCAA National Championship in University Park, Pennsylvania, looking to avenge its second-place finish last year. The four-day event begins Thursday, March 20, and runs through Sunday, March 23.
Hockey
Two Fridays ago, head coach Jeff Jackson got his 600th career win against the odds in game one of the best-of-3 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal series, defeating No. 3 Minnesota 3-2 in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers would even the series with a 4-2 victory a day later before the Irish won the decisive game three 4-1 on Sunday. The Irish moved on to face No. 2 Michigan State in the semifinal last Saturday, where they suffered a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Jackson’s alma mater.
In 20 years as bench boss, Jackson’s career record of 419-291-74 makes him the winningest coach in program history. His hall-of-fame career also includes 601 career Division I victories, which ranks ninth all-time and was the most among active coaches in the 2024-25 season. Junior netminder Owen Say was heroic for the Irish, stopping 38 shots in the closeout game against Minnesota and 45 against the Spartans, tied for his career high in a Notre Dame uniform.
As of Monday morning, Notre Dame announced the hiring of Brock Sheahan as the new head coach to replace Jackson for the upcoming season. A defenseman on the first Frozen Four team in Irish history back in 2008, Sheahan becomes the program’s fifth head coach in modern Notre Dame hockey history.
Men’s lacrosse
Head coach Kevin Corrigan’s Irish men’s lacrosse team suffered a heartbreaking 10-9 loss in South Bend two Saturdays ago against now No. 9-ranked Ohio State. After 4:24 scoreless minutes at 9-9, a goal from the Buckeyes with seven seconds remaining broke the deadlock. Notre Dame would face its third straight Big Ten opponent exactly a week later, this time putting on a dominant performance in a 19-7 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Senior attacker Chris Kavanagh paced the Irish attack once again, totaling 7 points against the Wolverines and scoring his fourth hat trick of the season. His 131 career goals rank third all-time in program history. Now at 206 for his career, Kavanagh joins brothers Pat (301) and Matt (225) along with Irish great Randy Colley (273) as the only players to eclipse the 200-point mark.
After going 1-1 over the break, the Irish now sit at 4-2 for the season and No. 7 in the most recent national poll. They will take the upcoming weekend off before preparing to face No. 8 Duke at Arlotta Stadium on Saturday, March 29.
Women’s lacrosse
Head coach Christine Halfpenny’s Irish women’s lacrosse team played three games over the break, going 2-1. Two Saturdays ago, they fought hard in a 15-9 loss at home against No. 1-ranked juggernaut Boston College, who currently sit undefeated at 10-0 on the season. Despite tying or winning three of the four quarters, a 5-0 second-quarter blitz from the Eagles would be too much for Notre Dame to overcome in the end. Sophomore attacker Kate Timarky continued her stellar season, recording her third hat trick of the season with all three goals coming in the second half.
The Irish returned to the field in Berkeley, California, to face ACC opponent California. In Halfpenny’s 200th career win, Notre Dame grabbed its first conference win of the season in a 15-8 victory over the Golden Bears. Sophomore midfielder Kathryn Morrissey put on a show, posting career-best goal and assist totals of four and two respectively. Freshman sensation Madison Rassas recorded her fourth hat trick of the season to go with a team-high seven draw controls in the win. The Irish would travel about 70 miles north for a two-day turnaround against UC Davis. They dominated the Aggies in an 18-6 win to leave California 2-0. Rassas continued her brilliant performance, notching her fifth hat trick of the season in a four-goal outing.
Notre Dame now sits at 5-4 on the season with a 1-3 conference record. The Irish return to South Bend for a midweek clash with No. 23 Harvard on Wednesday, March 19, before a Sunday showdown against No. 8 Syracuse in New York on March 23.
Softball
Head coach Kris Ganeff’s Irish softball team went 2-6 overall and 2-4 in ACC play over the past two weeks. Two Fridays ago, it kicked off a three-game road series with conference opponent Louisville in Kentucky, dropping the first game 9-2. The Irish battled to a 3-2 victory on Saturday, battling back from a two-run deficit in the fourth inning behind a game-tying homer from senior infielder Anna Holloway in the sixth followed by the would-be game-winning RBI single from senior catcher Rachel Allen in the top of the seventh. Sophomore righty Kami Kamzik’s complete game and career-high nine strikeouts powered the Irish to victory. The rubber match on Sunday took 14 innings to be decided, with Notre Dame ultimately falling short in a 4-3 heartbreaker. Freshman southpaw Brianne Weiss was fantastic on the mound after coming in to relieve senior right-hander Shannon Becker in the sixth, pitching 8.1 innings, striking out nine and only allowing two earned runs.
The Irish turned around two days later for a midweek clash with Ohio State on Tuesday, March 11, in Columbus. In another competitive battle, Notre Dame fell 3-2 to the Buckeyes. Over the past weekend, Notre Dame opened up another ACC series with a 3-0 win over NC State on Friday, March 14, in Raleigh. Weiss starred yet again in the circle, the freshman allowing only three hits in a complete game shutout. Junior Paige Cowley’s third homer of the season opened the scoring in the second inning and marked the seventh straight game with a home run for the Irish. Notre Dame would drop the next two in a doubleheader against the Wolfpack on Saturday. It was shut out in a 6-0 loss in game one before suffering an extra-inning heartbreaker in game two, losing 5-3 on a walk-off two-run blast in the bottom of the eighth.
After playing its first 27 games on the road to begin the season, Notre Dame will finally return to Melissa Cook Stadium on Tuesday, March 18, to face Indiana. The game begins a nine-game homestand for Ganeff’s team, which includes another midweek matchup against Western Michigan on Wednesday and a three-game ACC series against Stanford over the weekend.
Baseball
Head coach Shawn Stiffler’s squad went 3-5 overall and 1-5 in ACC play over the past two weeks. The Irish played their series opener in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, against now No. 11-ranked Wake Forest on Friday, March 7, where they suffered a 19-5 loss that was cut short in the seventh inning. Senior infielder Nick DeMarco, freshman infielder Bino Watters and junior infielder Estevan Moreno all homered in the loss. The Irish put up more of a fight on Saturday but saw their comeback cut short in a 6-5 loss. With two outs and the bases loaded, Moreno scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to one in the final frame. Wake Forest, however, would force a groundout to end the game. Notre Dame surrendered double-digit runs to the Demon Deacons once again in game three of the series on Sunday, losing 11-1 to start ACC play 0-3.
They would bounce back with a pair of midweek wins over Winthrop in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The Irish defeated the Eagles 6-3 on Tuesday, March 11, and 12-3 a day later. Seven different players tallied a hit in game one, and graduate outfielder Brady Gumpf hammered his second long ball of the season. In game two, freshman outfielder Jayce Lee filled up the stat sheet, going 2 for 4 with a triple, three RBIs and three runs scored. DeMarco notched his third bomb of the season in a 2-for-4 effort of his own.
Last weekend, Notre Dame traveled to Clemson, South Carolina, for its second ACC series of the season against now No. 7-ranked Clemson. On Friday, March 14, it lost a low-scoring 2-1 battle despite the pitching staff holding the Tigers six runs below their average of 8.61 per game. Sophomore righty Jack Radel allowed only four hits and one earned run in his five-inning start. Senior righty Ricky Reeth pitched two complete and struck out two, and freshman righty Oisin Lee struck out all three batters he faced. Moreno’s RBI drove in Notre Dame’s only run of the game. Clemson took game two on Saturday in a higher-scoring affair, winning 11-7. After setting the tone early with a 3-0 first-inning lead, the Irish grabbed game three by a score of 7-3 to close out the weekend on Sunday. Graduate outfielder Jared Zimbardo’s leadoff homer, his 200th career hit, got Notre Dame going early. Moreno added a two-run blast to tie DeMarco with a team-high three.
Notre Dame now returns to South Bend to face Butler on Tuesday, March 18, before its first ACC series in Frank Eck Stadium against Georgia Tech on March 21-23.
Women’s tennis
Head coach Alison Silverio’s Irish women’s tennis team split a pair of ACC matchups in Florida over the weekend. On Friday, March 14, the Irish were swept by Miami, who secured the doubles point with two 6-4 nail-biters on courts one and two followed by impressive straight-set singles wins on courts one, two and five. Notre Dame would bounce back against Florida State in Tallahassee on Sunday, coming back from a 3-2 deficit to earn a 4-3 comeback victory. After surrendering the doubles point, freshman Bianca Molnar got the Irish on the board with a win at No. 2 singles. The teams would go back and forth on singles courts five and six, with junior Rylie Hanford winning the latter match to tie the score at 2-2. The Seminoles would be one away after Eva Shaw ground out a straight-set win on court one against junior Akari Matsuno, winning the first set in an 8-6 tiebreaker. Senior Nibi Ghosh kept the team alive on court four with her straight-set victory over Millie Bissett, a match that also required an 8-6 tiebreaker in the first set. The match fell on the racket of Bojana Pozder on court three. After dropping the first set 6-4, she would deliver for the Irish, clawing back to win sets two and three 6-1 and 6-3 respectively.
Notre Dame will return to home courts on Sunday, March 23 to host the Louisville Cardinals in the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
Men’s tennis
In the midst of a six-game losing skid, head coach Ryan Sachire’s Irish men’s tennis team went 0-4 over the past two weeks against four tough ACC opponents. Two Fridays ago, it suffered a 4-1 loss at home to No. 11 Duke. Junior Sebastian Dominko continued his dominance at No. 1 singles, however, securing the only point in the match with a win over No. 66-ranked Cooper Williams. The Irish played again in Eck Tennis Pavilion Sunday, losing 4-3 to No. 68 North Carolina. After taking three of the first four points of the match, Notre Dame surrendered a 3-1 lead to the Tar Heels. The Irish traveled to California to take on No. 9 Stanford last Friday and No. 15 California on Sunday. In the first of their two-match trip, they lost 4-1 to the Cardinal, with their only point coming from the doubles courts. Senior pairing Jameson Corsillo and Yu Zhang won on court two before Dominko and sophomore Chase Thompson earned the point on court one. The Sunday match against Cal was much closer, but the Irish ultimately fell 4-3. The freshman pairing of Luis Llorens Saracho and Peter Nad took the first doubles match on court three before Dominko/Thompson took the point on court one.
Doubles continues to be a strong point for Notre Dame, where they have won 14 of 18 points on the season. Thompson improved to 10-2 on the season, bouncing back from his loss at Stanford with a straight-set victory in Berkeley. Dominko continued his brilliance at the top of the singles lineup, battling back from a 6-3 loss in the first set to win the second 7-5. The match ended at 4-4 in the third when his opponent retired down a break point in the game. The junior lefty moves to 13-2 in singles for the spring and is undefeated in his last eight matches, including six in ACC play. He also boasts a 14-2 record in doubles having secured wins with six different Irish teammates.
Notre Dame will return home to Eck Tennis Pavilion for a trio of weekend matches, including ACC contests with Wake Forest on Friday, March 21 and NC State on Sunday, March 23. After the morning match against the Wolfpack, they will face St. Bonaventure later in the evening.
Rowing
The Notre Dame rowing team competed in the Cardinal Invitational in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, this past weekend, its first event of the 2025 season. The Irish entered the season ranked 18th in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association top 25 and finished second behind ACC foes No. 16 Duke in all five Saturday races. Races with North Carolina and Wisconsin set for that day were canceled due to weather. Day two at Melton Lake saw the Irish compete against Navy, Wisconsin and North Carolina, earning racing wins in the 1V4, 2V4, 2V8, 3V8 and 4V8.
Notre Dame’s next competition, the San Diego Crew Classic, will take place in California two weeks from now on March 29-30.
