Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1235613
42 MAY 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS erything going on right now through that prism," said Kvaratskhelia, 49. "It's disappointing, and I feel bad for the athletes, but it is not neces- sarily the end of the world, not hav- ing an opportunity to win a national championship." After the Soviet Union crumbled in 1991, Kvaratskhelia came to the U.S. to visit and learn the culture. Ultimately, he permanently relo- cated to the states and helped build an elite fencing club in Kansas. Life's jour- ney brought him to Notre Dame as an assistant coach in 2007 before he was named the Irish head coach in 2014. Kvaratskhelia found fencing as a 14-year-old almost through the pro- cess of elimination. Athletics in the Soviet Union were specialized, structured, selective and never recreational, Kvaratskhelia said. "Not being the strongest and tall- est and fastest kid," he added, "I was kind of denied from the main sports like soccer or basketball, so fencing was one of the outlets. I tried it and I loved it." Married and with two school-aged children being kept home right now because of the coronavirus, Kvar- atskhelia is feeling the hardship of this pandemic with everybody else. "For all of us," he said, "the only hope is to get back to business as fast as we can so life gets back to normal." ✦ MEN'S LACROSSE Final Record: 2-3, 0-0 ACC National Ranking: No. 13 by Inside Lacrosse and No. 14 by USILA Coaches Games Canceled: 6 Notable: Senior midfielder Bryan Costabile tied for the team lead with 10 goals, but fell one short of becoming the ninth player in program history to tally 100 career goals … Costabile was tabbed as a second-team All-American by Inside Lacrosse, while senior defenseman Jack Kielty received third-team honors. WOMEN'S LACROSSE Final Record: 7-0, 2-0 ACC National Ranking: No. 2 by Inside Lacrosse and IWLCA Coaches Games Canceled: 7 Notable: Opened the season 7-0 for the sec- ond straight year … The No. 2 national ranking matched the 2004 squad for the best in pro- gram history … Junior goalie Bridget Deehan and junior midfielder Andie Aldave were tabbed as first-team All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse, while freshman attack Madison Ahern and fresh- man midfielder Kelly Choma earned second- team recognition … Deehan anchored a defense that ranked second nationally in goals allowed per game (7.29), which included finishing fifth in the country in save percentage (.547). ROWING National Ranking: — Events Canceled: 8 (including NCAA Championships) Notable: The program's season ended before it even started. SOFTBALL Final Record: 13-9 overall, 3-4 ACC National Ranking: — Games Canceled: 24 Notable: Head coach Deanna Gumpf posted her 750th career win with a 6-2 victory over Duke Feb. 28 … Junior right-hander Alexis Holloway picked up eight of Notre Dame's 13 victories, and posted a team-best 1.09 ERA, two saves and 72 strikeouts … Junior Abby Sweet led the way at the plate, notching team highs in batting average (.368), hits (25), runs scored (18), doubles (eight), triples (one), RBI (21), slugging percentage (.603), on-base percentage (.449) and stolen bases (eight). MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING Final Record: 7-4 overall, 2-1 ACC National Ranking: No. 18 Events Canceled: 1 (NCAA Championships) Notable: Placed sixth at the ACC Champion- ships … Junior Zach Yeadon captured league titles in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle … Yeadon (500 and 1,650 free), seniors Jack Montesi (100 and 200 back, 100 fly) and Aaron Schultz (100 and 200 fly, 200 IM), junior Sadler McKeen (200 and 500 free, 200 back), sophomores Josh Bottelberghe (100 and 200 breast) and Zach Smith (100 and 200 fly, 100 back), and freshman Jack Hoagland (500 and 1,650 free, 400 IM) qualified to compete at the NCAA Championships prior to it being canceled. WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING Final Record: 9-3 overall, 2-1 ACC National Ranking: No. 12 Events Canceled: 1 (NCAA Championships) Notable: Finished fifth at the ACC Champion- ships … Senior Abbie Dolan (200 free), junior Carly Quast (100 back), sophomore Luciana Thomas (200 fly) and freshman Coleen Gillilan (100 and 200 fly, 200 IM) qualified to compete in the NCAA Championships before it was canceled. MEN'S TENNIS Final Record: 6-7 overall, 2-1 ACC National Ranking: — Matches Canceled: 12 Notable: Junior Richard Ciamarra finished ranked No. 8 nationally in singles, while junior Tristan McCormick checked in at No. 106 … The doubles tandem of McCormick and sophomore Axel Nefve was rated No. 39 in the country. WOMEN'S TENNIS Final Record: 11-5 overall, 3-2 ACC National Ranking: No. 25 Matches Canceled: 8 Notable: Junior Cameron Corse ended the year ranked No. 96 in the country in singles … In doubles, the duo of Corse and freshman Page Freeman checked in at No. 33 nationally. MEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD National Ranking: — Events Canceled: 1 (NCAA Championships), plus the entire outdoor season Notable: Came in fourth at the ACC Indoor Cham- pionships … Senior Logan Kusky (weight throw), the distance medley relay (freshman Jake Renfree, fifth- year senior Edward Cheatham, junior Sam Voelz and junior Yared Nuguse), Voelz (800 meters) and Nuguse (1 mile) earned league titles … Nuguse was named the Great Lakes Region Men's Track Ath- lete of the Year … Nuguse (3,000 meters) and the distance medley relay were set to compete at the NCAA Championships before they were canceled. WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD National Ranking: — Events Canceled: 1 (NCAA Championships), plus the entire outdoor season Notable: Posted a third-place finish at the ACC Indoor Championships … Senior Naya Sharp (60-meter hurdles) captured a league title, while junior Rachel Tanczos earned a silver medal in the weight throw … Tanczos was named the Great Lakes Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year … Tanczos and senior Abbey Kapitan both qualified to compete in the weight throw at the NCAA Championships prior to it getting canceled. — Steve Downey Head coach Gia Kvaratskhelia's fencing squad had the plug prematurely pulled on their season late in their quest for a third national title in four years. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA