Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2021 51 since the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled. With an 11-15 finish, the men's season wasn't any better as the Irish failed again to make their first NCAA Tournament since 2017. Needing fresh voices and an at- titude adjustment, Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey shuffled his staff after the season, hiring back former assistant Anthony Solomon and re- cently hiring Siena assistant and for- mer Irish player Antoni Wyche as another bench coach. Longtime Irish assistant Rod Bala- nis was moved from a bench coach to an administrative role at Notre Dame. BIG HARVEST Serving as more evidence into improved player development and football program momentum, nine 2020 Irish were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, marking the largest draft class of the Kelly era and the most since 10 players were taken in 1994. Notre Dame didn't feature any first- round picks this year, but star line- backer Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Cleveland) and All-American offen- sive linemen Liam Eichenberg (Mi- ami) and Aaron Banks (San Francisco) were all taken in the second round. Tight end Tommy Tremble (Caro- lina) and offensive lineman Robert Hainsey (Tampa Bay) both went in the third round. Book (New Orleans) went in the fourth. Defensive linemen Dae- lin Hayes (Baltimore) and Ade Ogundeji (Atlanta) were chosen in the fifth round, and wide receiver Ben Skowronek (Los Angeles) went in the seventh. TURNING THE PAGE With Clark Lea out after three sea- sons as Irish defensive coordinator (2018-20), Notre Dame announced in early January that highly coveted Cincinnati assistant Marcus Freeman would become Lea's successor. Lea left the Irish defense in good shape and the program on good terms to become the head coach at Vanderbilt. Freeman, 35, spent the last four years as the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati, helping the Bearcats to a 9-1 record and a No. 8 ranking last season in the final College Football Playoff poll. Freeman, known as a tireless re- cruiter, ended his tenure at Cincin- nati as one of five finalists for the 2020 Broyles Award, an honor given to the nation's top assistant coach. Freeman chose Notre Dame's of- fer over one for the same position at LSU. Under Freeman's direction, Cin- cinnati's 2020 defense ranked fourth nationally in yards per play (4.57), eighth in fewest points allowed (16.8), and his team went 31-6 the previous three seasons (2018-20). ✦ 2020-21 Female Athletes of the Year 1. Abby Sweet (softball) — The recipient of the 2021 ACC's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award — given to the league's top student-athlete in the classroom and on the field — this senior Irish outfielder also earned NFCA second-team All-America honors and became a top-25 finalist for USA Softball Player of the Year. Sweet, a two-time team captain, was one of the nation's best at the plate in 2021, leading the ACC with a .445 batting average and 18 doubles, while finishing second in the league with a .537 on-base percentage. 2. Stefani Deschner (fencing) — After a breakout junior season in 2020 that was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this senior foilist became one of four Irish to win an individual title at the 2021 NCAA Fencing Championships. Deschner beat Penn State's Lodovica Bicego 15-9 in the final to win the foil bracket and finish the championship weekend 16-4 to help Notre Dame win the 2021 national crown, the 11th in program history. 3. Charley Niego (volleyball) — In a shortened and disjointed season because of the pandemic, this junior outside hitter earned honorable mention All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association for the second time in her career. Niego, also a first-team All-ACC selection for the second straight year, racked up a team-high 244 kills and 27 service aces to go along with 179 digs and nine dig/kill double-doubles. Her efforts included a trio of 15-15 performances, including a 19-kill, 18-dig effort against Syracuse. 4. Kelly Straub (swimming and diving) — One of three Irish team captains, this diving standout enjoyed a breakout senior season after earning a bronze medal on the platform at the ACC Champion- ships and breaking two program records this season, one on the 1-meter and the other on platform. After earning honorable mention All-America accolades in the 3-meter at the NCAA Championships, Straub reached her next goal of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials. 5. Bridget Deehan (lacrosse) — A first-team IWLCA All-American honoree and a first-team All-ACC selection, this senior Irish goalkeeper led the conference with a mark of 9.28 saves per game and re- corded double-digit saves in nine contests. A two-time ACC Player of the Week this season, Deehan finished 2021 with a league-leading 167 saves, the sixth-highest single-season mark in Notre Dame program history. — Todd D. Burlage Senior outfielder Abby Sweet earned NFCA second-team All-America honors in softball and also was named the 2021 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS