Blue and Gold Illustrated

Sept. 25, 2021

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 18, 2021 49 ND SPORTS BY TODD D. BURLAGE B roken bones, a bout with COVID-19, missed classes, slipping grades, along with the surprise retirement of the Notre Dame soccer coach who re- cruited him — Irish senior Mohamed "Mo" Omar has obviously faced some difficult and eventful times during his three-plus years on campus. And after all of it, the talented Irish midfielder still can't think of any place he'd rather be. Omar's journey to Notre Dame begins in Toronto, Canada, where he became such a soccer prodigy as a youth player that his home country couldn't provide the proper training and coaching he and his family wanted through high school. Motivated by elite soccer and chal- lenging academics, Omar moved from Toronto to Sheffield, Mass., and enrolled at Berkshire, a prestigious boarding school for both athletics and academics. Omar thrived there and in 2017, be- came the No. 1-rated soccer player in Massachusetts and the Berkshire School President. Talented enough to play collegiate soccer anywhere, Omar worked pa- tiently through his recruitment before eventually settling on Notre Dame and legendary head coach Bobby Clark. "This was too important of a decision, a lifetime decision, and I didn't want to rush the process," Omar recalled. With Omar's college plans settled, Clark unexpectedly announced his retire- ment after a legendary 31-year career — the last 17 of those at Notre Dame where he won the 2013 national championship. "I really had no clue that was going to be the case," Omar said of the surprising announcement, "so I definitely was on edge a bit and unsure of what was going to be happening." Any anxiousness was eased before Omar's arrival to campus when Notre Dame hired Chad Riley from Dartmouth to replace Clark as its next head coach. Omar had become familiar with Riley and the Dartmouth coaching staff during recruitment, so when Riley brought with him to Notre Dame most of his Dartmouth assistants, everything felt right again. "I definitely knew I was still heading to the right university," Omar said. "It was still going to be a great fit for me." Between the academic demands at Notre Dame, team travel, an immediate role as a key Irish midfielder, and a chance to train with the Canadian National Team as a first-semester freshman, Omar ad- mits college life arrived like an avalanche. Training with the Canadian National Team pulled Omar off campus and to Bradenton, Fla., for two weeks and his GPA suffered because of it. When mid-term grades were sent during his first semester as a freshman, "It was kind of a wake-up call," Omar said. "I really needed to step it up if I was going to succeed here." Through better time management and a growing familiarity with his rou- tine, Omar — a political science major who plans to study law when his pro- fessional soccer pursuits end — has the academics back on the same fast-track as his soccer career at Notre Dame. "I knew that if I stayed true to myself, true to all of my ideals and who I am, my future would be fine," he said. With the rough spots seemingly behind, Omar was dealt more uncer- tainty after suffering a broken right foot against Duke in mid-March to begin his 2021 spring season. The injury required surgery, a per- manent screw to be placed, and weeks of intense rehab just to be ready to start the 2021 season in the fall. Remember, the pandemic caused many soccer programs, including Notre Dame's, to play the first half of last sea- son in the fall of 2020 and the second half in the spring of 2021. Omar earned ACC All-Tournament honors in the fall when Notre Dame reached the semifinals of the confer- ence championship. All's well the ends well, and since Omar's full recovery — and a bout with COVID-19 that cost him the first two games of the spring season — he has become a 2021 Irish team captain, the foundation of Notre Dame's midfield defense, and a respected presence in the locker room. "Mo really sets not only a great ex- ample, but also communicates really well," Riley said. "He has been a terrific captain for us." ✦ Soccer's Mohamed Omar Is Thriving Through Setbacks Omar, who earned ACC All-Tournament honors last fall then suffered a broken foot last spring, is back to form and leading the Irish men's soc- cer team as a captain this season. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS IRISH ROUNDUP CROSS COUNTRY Notre Dame hosted the National Catholic Championship Sept. 17 in South Bend. MEN'S GOLF The Irish notched a seventh-place finish at the Marquette Invitational Sept. 5-7 in Erin Hills, Wis. … Notre Dame then tied for first at the Gopher Invitational Sept. 12-13 in Minneapolis. WOMEN'S GOLF Notre Dame finished 13th at the Wolverine Invitational Sept. 13-14 in Ann Arbor, Mich. MEN'S SOCCER (1-3-1 OVERALL, 0-0-1 ACC) The Irish played to a 1-1 tie in two overtimes at Boston College their ACC opener Sept. 10 … Notre Dame lost to Michigan State 4-3 at home Sept. 14. WOMEN'S SOCCER (6-1-1 OVERALL, 0-0-0 ACC) Notre Dame notched a 2-1 home victory versus Brown Sept. 12. VOLLEYBALL (3-5 OVERALL, 0-0 ACC) After defeating Arizona 3-2 Sept. 11 in Aus- tin, Texas, the Irish fell 3-1 at No. 1-ranked Texas Sept. 12. — Steve Downey

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