Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 APRIL 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME MOVING? Call us at 1-800-421-7751 Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Brendan Gleason — Lacrosse The senior from Essex, Vt., was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week March 4 after leading Notre Dame to a 14‑13 overtime victory over No. 2‑ranked Maryland by netting a season‑high four goals, plus an assist. Gleason, who earned a spot on the Tewaaraton Award watch list for the nation's top player, had a team‑high eight goals and 10 points through three contests. Katie Marino — Softball The junior from Basking Ridge, N.J., was named the Co‑ACC Player of the Week March 5 following a 6‑for‑8 performance with two home runs and five RBI in Fighting Irish victories over Utah Valley (16‑0) and No. 24 Baylor (14‑1) March 1. Through 16 games, Marino was hitting .313 with three home runs and 13 RBI. She ranked second on the team in runs scored (13), hits (15), home runs and RBI. Ariel Simmons — Fencing The junior epeeist from Bellaire, Texas, nabbed the ACC Men's Fencer of the Week honor Jan. 24 after he led Notre Dame to five victo‑ ries over ranked opponents at the St. John's Invitational and the Philadelphia Invitational. Simmons, a two‑time first‑ team All‑American, finished the week with a 13‑5 record. Overall, he boasted a 21‑12 mark while helping the Irish start the season 27‑5. Payton Tidd — Softball The freshman from Vista, Calif., was named the Co‑ACC Pitcher of the Week March 5 after a com‑ plete‑game performance with seven strikeouts in Notre Dame's 14‑1 win over No. 24 Baylor March 1. In six starts and 11 total appearances through 16 con‑ tests, Tidd had compiled a 4‑3 record with one save and a 3.26 ERA. She tossed 38⅔ innings with a team-best 39 strike‑ outs and 11 walks. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE The Notre Dame men's basketball team will be "on the rebound" next year after finishing this regular season 13‑18 overall and 3‑15 in the ACC — but fortunately it will have one of the nation's top rebounders on the roster in John Mooney. The junior from Orlando, Fla., easily paced the Atlantic Coast Conference in rebounding during the 18‑game league campaign with a 12.6 average. He and North Carolina's Luke Maye were the lone ACC players this year to average a double‑double, with a 14.1 scoring clip by Mooney in all games complementing his rebounding figure. Mooney also was one of only six Power Five players (among 65 teams) to average a double‑ double. In addition, no other major conference player this year has had more than five double‑ doubles in a row (Mooney had eight). Since 1988, Mooney's rebounding mark this season in ACC play made him only the third different player to average at least 12 caroms per game. Everyone else in the top five in that time was a first‑round pick in the NBA Draft: Player, Team (Year) RPG 1. Tim Duncan, Wake Forest (1997) 14.9 2. John Mooney, Notre Dame (2019) 12.6 3. Sean May, North Carolina (2005) 12.3 4. Tim Duncan, Wake Forest (1995) 12.2 5. Marvin Bagley III, Duke (2018) 11.9 Getting To Know … SOPHOMORE HOCKEY DEFENSEMAN ANDREW PEEKE Hometown: "Parkland, Fla." High School: "Ashwaubenon High School." Major: "Business." Favorite Food: "Salmon." Favorite Place To Eat In South Bend: "Corndance Tavern is pretty incredible." Favorite Movie: "'Bench‑ warmers.'" Favorite TV Show: "'Game of Thrones.'" Favorite Professional Sports Team: "Florida Panthers." Favorite Professional Hockey Player: "[Mon‑ treal Canadiens center] Shea Weber." Best Player You've Played With: "At Notre Dame, I'd say for individual skill Anders Bjork is probably the best player I've played with. Jake Evans was a good team guy, too." Favorite Part About Playing For Notre Dame: "Being able to uphold the tradition and be a part of the history that Notre Dame has. It's really special knowing some of the great players that have come through here in any sport. Being able to be a part of that tradition is pretty cool." CHARTING THE IRISH NFL COMBINE INVITES INCREASING UNDER BRIAN KELLY Eight former Irish stars were in Indianapolis Feb. 26-March 4 for the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, showcasing their abilities on and off the field in front of league personnel. Running back Dexter Williams, wide receiver Miles Boykin, tight end Alizé Mack, offensive lineman Alex Bars, defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, linebackers Te'von Coney and Drue Tranquill, and cornerback Julian Love all secured invites. Bars was unable to participate in on-field drills due to his recovery from the ACL injury he suffered against Stanford in September. With eight participants, Notre Dame ranked seventh in the country behind Alabama (11), Clemson (11), Ohio State (10), Georgia (nine), Washington (nine) and Mississippi (nine). Under Kelly (2011-19), Notre Dame has sent 55 former players to the NFL Combine. Since 2012, the Irish (52) rank ninth nationally in most combine invites behind Alabama (86), LSU (69), Florida State (66), Ohio State (64), Florida (60), Clemson (54), Georgia (54) and USC (53). In the nine years before Kelly took over in South Bend, 46 former Notre Dame players were invited to the prestigious event. How- ever, 24 of those came between 2002-04 and the remaining 22 came in the six years leading into Kelly's hire. Here is a breakdown position-by-position of NFL Combine invites under Kelly from 2011-18, including how many were drafted: Position Invitees (Drafted) Quarterback 1 (1) Running Back 7 (2) Wide Receiver 6 (4) Tight End 5 (5) Offensive Line 8 (7) Defensive Line 8 (5) Linebacker 4 (4) Defensive Back 7 (6) Specialist 1 (0)