Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Women's Soccer • 73 points (s 48) After winning the national title in 2010, Notre Dame had an uncharacteristically poor year in 2011 (10-8-3, first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament). The Irish rebounded this year by advancing to the Elite Eight before losing 1-0 to Florida State for a 156-2 finish. The young squad included a dozen freshmen, including top scorer Crystal Thomas. Men's Soccer • 64 points (s 64) For the first time in its varsity history dating back to 1977, Notre Dame was the No. 1 overall seed in the 48-team NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Irish, whose previous highest seed was No. 5 in 2003 and 2004, were upset in the round of 16 by eventual national champ Indiana, 2-1, to finish 17‑4‑1. Senior Ryan Finley was the nation's second-leading scorer (22 goals). Women's Cross Country • 60 points (s 30) The 15th-place finish nationally in the NCAA Championships at Lexington, Ky., was its best performance since 2005 and highlighted by four Irish runners who finished within one second of each other, from 96th through 99th overall. Men's Cross Country • 46 points (s 20) In the NCAA Championships at Lexington, Ky., the Fighting Irish placed 28th, led by junior Martin Grady's 52nd-place showing in the race. Women's Volleyball • 25 points (s 25) An 11-game winning streak was followed by a four-game losing streak — capped with a sweep by No. 14 Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for a 20-10 final record. Winter Sports 390 points (t 7.5) Just like in the fall, all eight varsity winter sports that Notre Dame offered produced points. Here's where lacking some sports hurt in the chance to accumulate points. For example, Penn State received 100 points for winning the national title in men's wrestling, while Michigan received 100 for its No. 1 finish in men's gymnastics. Notre Dame offers neither sport. Fencing • 90 points (s 5) Seven points separated Notre Dame from national champion Princeton. Senior Courtney Hurley (epee) and freshman Lee Kiefer (foil) won individual national crowns for the women, while senior Gerek Meinhardt reached the semifinal round for the men's team. Women's Basketball • 83 points (t 7) The school-record 30-game winning streak ended April 7 with an 83-65 loss in the NCAA Tournament semifinals to eventual national champ Connecticut — which the Irish defeated in all three previous meetings during the season for a 35‑2 overall finish. Senior Courtney Hurley (right) won the epee national championship in March, helping the Irish fencing team to a national runnerup finish. photo courtesy notre dame media relations Women's Swimming • 58.5 points (s 7) Sophomore Emma Reaney earned